Emilio Rojas - Recession Proof

I can't think of a better way to set off my 600th post than with a new offering from one of the best, fresh new reasons to stay a fan of Hip-Hop.....Emilio Rojas. He's no savior by any means, but if there truly is a war being fought between solid, worthwhile Hip-Hop and mindless, corporate driven rap than Emilio is one of the many invaluable soldiers who is doing more than his part on the front lines of battle, but this time around their might be some serious mutiny a foot....

The Rochester, NY raised, half white, half Venezuelan emcee has paid his dues and risen through the ranks of the NYC underground circuit with a dominant, laid back flow and lyrics that pierce your mind piece. Having earned his stripes through a couple heavily praised mixtapes and opening up for legends like The Roots, AZ, Pharoahe Monch and O.C., Emilio AKA Raks One, has been working for some time to bring you his newest effort to date, "Recession Proof". Production wizards M-Phazes and Illmind as well as some new lyrical talent that should be more celebrated at this point like Hassan Mackey, Donny Goines and Fashawn all lend their expertise.

Even though the absolute last thing in America that is impervious to the current economic decline is Hip-Hop and more specifically underground Hip-Hop, Emilio manages to make a convincing case. Able to walk the fine line between underground and pop he dazzles over dynamic synths and resounding claps on "Keys To The City". Things fall back into a more soulful and familiar pace for longtime Emilio Rojas fans on "Murder", a head nodding street banger that is a great example of Raks skilled delivery and features a show stealing Donny Goines adding a pretty memorable assist....

In all honesty I'd like to say that this DJ Noodles and Legend hosted mixtape is up to par with Emilio's past works, but one too many unfamiliar attempts at a crossover club hit and verses that sound like they're aimed at landing him a guest spot on a R&B top 40 hit make the tape pretty hard to dub heavily bumpable or replay worthy. "Let It Out (Bounce)", "Way She Moves" and the god awful, auto tuned "Just One Night" are all examples of his new found penchant for forgetting his true fans and taking a swing for the proverbial "big hit" fences. I can't say I blame him, after all, if rap is what you do as a profession then making music that is more marketable to clubbers and women makes sense [cents] but, that don't mean that I'mma lie about the quality of the music.....sorry, "Recession Proof" is staggeringly bad compared to Rojas's earlier attempts at underground stardom like "A Breath Of Fresh Air" or his "Raks One Vs. The Industry" mixtape.....I'll still check for his stuff in the future because I know he has booming potential, but I don't think I'm alone here when I say that this was pretty disappointing.

-BIG D O










01. Intro (Produced by M-Phazes)
02. Keys To The City
03. On The Ave (Feat. Fashawn) (Produced by M-Phazes)
04. Just One Night
05. Young, Fresh & Fly (Produced by Illmind)
06. Here I Am (Feat. Mela Machinko) (Produced by Khrysis)
07. Let It Out (Bounce)
08. Dont Go (Feat. Mela Machinko) (Produced by DJ Noodles)
09. 585 (Remix) (Feat. Hassan Mackey, Black Sinatra, L.I. & Nikal Fieldz)
10. Murder (Feat. Donny Goines & Mela Machinko) (Produced by Illmind)
11. 10 Player Commandments
12. Way She Moves (Feat. Stat Quo & Marvin Priest) (Produced by M-Phazes)
13. Free

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?i5zqmmddynd