When Pablo Picasso is mentioned, mastery is expected. That type of respect comes from classic work in the artist’s life. One of his famous projects can be seen in Chicago’s Daley Plaza, now a popular landmark in The Windy City. So, if you’re a Chicago representative and you call your mixtape Chicago Picasso, you’d better deliver. That’s where Naledge [click to read] comes in with his latest release via Duck Down Records, a mixtape hosted by Mick Boogie [click to read], RTC and DJ Timbuck2.
The goal of the album was give “people all different sides” of Chicago. More than that, the album showcases different angles of Hip Hop production, utilizing a range of producers to provide various kinds of styles within the genre. The soulful samples cooked up by Double O [click to read] bring a classic sound to the album (“Cleveland Freestyle” and “Cool Relax”). More soothing sounds come in Black Spade‘s piano laced “The Beat Goes On” and the trumpets add a blues-infused tinge on the somber feel of “Brother’s Keeper.” More up-tempo tracks ignite the mix with futuristic sounds in the fittingly titled “Futuristic Shit” and “Viva El Fantastico,” both tracks by way of Nez & Rio. Going back to the laid back sound, sped up vocal sample-driven beats are sprinkled throughout in Xcel‘s “Focus,” Analogic’s “Southside Shit,” and Tha Bizness‘ [click to read] “Crazy.” To add more diversity, the down south drums explode on “Look at Them Hips (Remix).” Jumbled as it may seem, the production team Naledge enlisted add different sounds to encompass various styles of music. Not all is exceptional but the versatility is there.
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Naledge‘s rhymes are rarely debilitated. He’s made a name for himself inking intelligent verses with a street-inspired edge in a manner unlike many that fuse the urban landscape smarts with Ivy League knowledge. Not only does he have the intellect, but the University of Pennsylvania graduate has the degrees to back it and it’s shown in some of his past work. Unfortunately, this release lacks structure as it seems thrown together in an uninspired mix. Whether it is overusing similes (Bullshit-Curry lines) or rhyming with no purpose (“Some Shit I Wrote”), Naledge cruises through most tracks without truly trying. It’s still better than many other artists today, but the sluggish performance is apparent. Exceptional cuts include the Jay Electronica-assisted “Cool Relax”, “The Beat Goes On” and the unorthodox flow on the message in “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” Rhymefest [click to read] assists with “Focus” but aside from a few exceptions, many of the guests bring down the quality of the album. Nevertheless, Naledge at least shows what fans can expect from the next Kidz in the Hall record.
Overall, the mixtape doesn’t live up to its title. Not that it should. After all, this is actually a retail mixtape so it’s unfair to expect a classic. After all, even Picasso had sketches. But nothing makes up for lackadaisical effort and the tape’s yawn worthy skippable tracks tear down the replay value. The tracks that stand out could have been placed on an album and many other songs could have easily landed in a recycle bin. Although Chicago Picasso is nowhere near being a true work of art, let alone a masterpiece, it continues to show Naledge‘s potential and adds a bit of versatility to his sound.
