Curren$y "Smokee Robinson"

Curren$y has been consitently dropping free albums on the web for anyone who cares to download and join his movement. From being someone who looked like he would be the next one from Young Money to blow, to abandoning the man that has since become the biggest rap star on the planet so he could shine on his own, Curren$y has done nothing but with an offical album dropping late last year catching people up, The Jet Files plays just how you expect something from the man to play - smooth and funky.

Early this morning Curren$y and Don Cannon let loose the latest free project from the young spitta. While most of his free projects from the past were DJ free, teaming up with a name like Don Cannon will help increase his presence and those beats are never bad. Luckily Cannon was talked to, or maybe he had the presence of mind to not fuck up a good thing, and he lays back on the Smokee Robinson tape. Very little in the way of rewinds (which isn't the case for the first track, making one weary, don't worry!) or tags and he choses where to place the ones that do exist wisely.

Cannon's relative lack of presence is so important because this tape is GREAT. These track don't need to be talked over or hyped up, they will convey all that and more on there own. Curren$y has a terrific ear for beats that are varied in style, tempo and creativity. Of course weed is a constant but he continues to show a maturing array of subject matter. He picks some known beats to rock over to great effect, closing the tape with a stellar set of bars over an old Roc beat - which only fuels the recent presence Curren$y has had around Dame Dash, what do these two have in the works? After Dame organized the BlakRoc project I'm excited to see if his comeback can become a reality.

Elsewhere you hear Spitta rock over "Maybach Music" and some classic west coast jams. He connects with Nipsey Hussle and Wiz Khalifa for the awesome "I Don't Fucks With Em" where Wiz demonstrates one of his best traits, hook singing. It's nothing glamerous but he can do it to great effect and he still holds his own rocking a 16 with the others. He makes another appearence along with Nesby Phips on "Mazaltov," featuring a haunting and repeating vocal sample that is louder then the rest of the beat and compliments the subdued snares and hi hats in the background. Along with some well placed other sound effects and you are in for a joyous and celebratory track.

The biggest stand outs here are when Curren$y pulls out the monster bangers for us to rock out to! "Smash on O'leary" is the second track on the album and is such a ridiculous success. Curren$y rides it to perfection and makes you want to only press rewind (See Cannon, we will do it ourselves when you give us that heat) and hear the whole thing again and again and again. Dom Kennedy rolls through for "Racing Stripes" and while it's got a smooth Cali feel it's up tempo and has that feeling of doing 80 on the freeway into the sunset of the LA beaches.

Smokee Robinson is a great adventure and lives up to the hype that it was generating prior to it's release. It's blunted and slow. Fast paced and celebratory. While Curren$y hasn't skyrocketed to the fame that some of the newer Young Money signee's have seen recently he is laying a foundation in solid beats and rhymes with a consistent work ethic and a strong team around him. While these flash in the pan artists fizzle out and watch their royalty checks steadily become smaller, Curren$y is gonna be continueing on his path to a career.

Download Smokee Robinson here.