This...is Blake Griffin...This...is Royalty

Surprisingly dope bruh

I had been dodging listening to this guy for a while....I had heard everything from "he's a parody rapper" to "he's not about the culture," and there are enough of those guys out already...I didn't feel the need to listen to yet another privileged fuck trying to cake off of hip-hop.  I finally ended up listening to some of his shit by chance (ironically, it was a track from this tape), and it actually wasn't bad!  So, when I heard dude had a project out this week, I figured I'd take the time to listen and see if he's actually nice with it.




1. R O Y A L T Y - That's how it's spelled on my copy, so fuck it.  Some words from Blake Griffin...complete surprise to me.  I fucks with the creator of the #BlakeFace though, so whatever.  Intro bullshit.


2. We Ain't Them - This was the track I had heard of his before this came out.  I was pretty surprised that he had a hand in the production.  I fucks with this track; indeed, this track is the only reason I was even interested in this project.  Kid has punchlines and is very good at riding the beat.  This nigga's from Atlanta?  Very surprising.  There's a lot of introspection on this track, he jumps from his own struggles with alcohol to his brother's problems to his musical journey.  Overall, this is a very good track to introduce the tape as well as Gambino the rapper.  I'm thinking he doesn't stick with this song structure for the rest of the tape though. - 4.5/5


3. One Up (Ft. Steve G. Lover) - Yo this shit bumps a lot more than I was expecting it to, after "We Ain't Them." By the way, the nigga Gambino produced this shit too.  Jacking ad-libs doesn't work for some people, but "HANH" and "WOO" are pretty fucking universally good.  Nerds will appreciate the Mario reference ("We got that extra life, nigga one up"), and if you like Ross-style tracks, you'll fuck with this one.  I think Steve G got him, but it's cool...they have a nice chemistry on this track, and Gambino sounds much more at home on this than I expected.  I'm still laughing at that Chris Brown line, if only because I can't imagine this nigga doing shit to anyone. - 4/5

Naaaaaah b

4. Black Faces (Ft. Nipsey Hu$$le) - My nigga Nipsey been getting on a lot of shit lately.  That's what's up. When's the album coming out, nigga?  Yo you already know Nipsey gets it in.  His verse is short and to the point...we ballin over here b.  Gambino's kinda nice on these hooks...and he's got some nice punches on here ("M Fox to my people on some family ties") even though they're a little direct.  I'm already getting a little annoyed with this chip on his shoulder though.  I guess dude's been hated on a lot....word.  Lots of new rappers get hated on bruh...but so far, this joint is alright.  No real problems with the tape at this juncture. - 3.5/5


5. Unnecessary (Ft. Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul) - Disclaimer: I don't fuck with Ab-Soul like that.  He's nice, but he's my least favorite member of his crew.  I see some niggas riding for him and giving him props and shit...I just can't fuck with him like that when he gets eaten any time he raps with his niggas.  DUDE ISN'T WACK.  I'm not saying he's wack...but he IS the wackest of the group to me.  Niggas be acting like it's Jay Rock, but nah...don't get it twisted just because Jay Rock has been grinding for longer.

Getting that out of the way, I kinda didn't mess with this one until the beat changed...the beat is on some like...swaggy shit.  Like you would expect French Montana on a beat like this (and btw, French would KILL this shit).  Doesn't really work with Gambino though.  Q is able to salvage the shit on his verse, and Soul actually does well on the beat switch.  I'm giving Gambino more credit on that part though...the beat switch was ill.  Sounds like some Tyler, the Creator type shit.  I'm still not really impressed with Ab-Soul (although the "Soul!" ad-lib is legit) - 3.5/5


6. Shoulda Known - OK, this is more Gambino's lane.  On some chill, R&B type shit, this beat is dope.  Reps Atlanta on this shit (nigga...I'm still surprised he's from Atlanta), and does a little more complaining on this...but overall, this is nice.  He's really good at switching flows and staying on the beat...that he produced.  This is a talented nigga!  It's kinda unfair my nigga.  You're already on TV, we don't need you being decent at music shit too...

HAH!  Imagine if I hated on a nigga for being multi-talented!  Imagine that fuckboy shit!  That's the shit niggas do nowadays though...niggas don't want to let you be great, they just want you to be average and shit.  Fuck that.  Do your thing lil nigga! (The hook is on some Drake shit though.  Kinda wack, doesn't really fit the track like that) - 3.5/5


7. R.I.P. (Ft. Bun B) - I never really thought about comparing dude to Lupe, but he raps over the same Kavinsky track that Lupe did...interesting choice.  I don't really fuck with that track like that, and as a rap background...it's not the same as a Radiohead or Justice track (some shit you'll see normally in rap).  You know that Bun is going to rip the shit (you see what I did here? lmao) so that comes as no surprise.  The bars from both Bun and Gambino are dope.  I don't fuck with "Nightcall" AT ALL though, so I can't give this more than a..... 3/5

Get this the fuck outta hip-hop period

8. American Royalty (Ft. RZA and Hypnotic Brass Orchestra) - YO. THE RZA.  FUCK.  I'm a Wu-Tang acolyte b....so yea.  I fucks with the RZA heavy.  This shit gets 5/5 on GP.  Fuck.  I fucked with RZA's part more (not just because it's the RZA, but the orchestra in the back was legit).  Shit is dope though.  Hands down my favorite track on this thus far.  Man, it's hard for anyone to stay with the RZA on a track, so yea, RZA eats him, but the fact that he had the RZA on his mixtape...son that's legit.  Also, he had some nice bars on this shit himself ("I'm clean and concrete, you ass and Charmin") so it's not a big deal that he let RZA "Renegade" him, hahahaha - 5/5

THE RZA THE RAZOR

9. It May Be Glamour Life (Ft. Ghostface Killah) - MY NIGGA.  YOU GOT RZA AND GHOSTFACE ON BACK-TO-BACK TRACKS THOUGH?  MY NIGGA.  YOU WINNIN B.  With that out of the way...this shit is short as fuck.  I'm not a huge fan of niggas having tracks on their mixtape...that they aren't rapping on (ironic considering it's Ghostface in this case).  Shit is dope, but yea.  My nigga, it's YOUR mixtape.  I can't let that shit go. - 4/5


10. Toxic (Ft. Danny Brown) - Yo, this nigga has had 4 straight tracks where he has NO hope of having the best verse on the track.  Danny Brown is nice with it.  If you haven't heard this shit, then get on that.  Danny Brown is a beast on beats.  Haaaaaaaa they got the Britney Spears sample though, that's kinda legit.  I fuck with this one.  I never thought I'd hear a Britney Spears sample on a hip-hop track, but here we are.  Shit is dope, so I can't even complain...nor act like I've never rocked some Britney Spears shit back when I was like 10.  It's just like Danny to rap on some shit like this, hahahaha.  I fucks with this heavy.  Dope shit. - 4.5/5


11. Silk Pillow (Ft. Beck) - More production from Gambino...it's nice to see some of these rappers coming out with more than just raps.  Producing is where the cake is...my nigga Wale said "and mama why you throw away my drums," and that shit is relevant.  Anyway, to this track...I was hyped after "Toxic" and this shit brought me all the fuck down.  I hate when rappers do shit like that.  The dude Beck...I feel like I'm supposed to know who that is...sounds like some indie rocker.  If I treat this track separately from "Toxic," then it's fine.  Gotta work on sequencing though, you can't do shit like this on an album.  Gives you that "Mockingbird" by Eminem feeling...and I'm meh toward that.  There are some good bars on this, from both Gambino and Beck, but overall I can't really shake it from its location.  - 3/5


12. They Don't Like Me (Ft. Chance the Rapper) - So right after a low-energy number, we get this one.  This makes me even MORE pissed off at "Silk Pillow" b.  This shit also samples "Oh I Think Dey Like Me" which definitely pisses me off.  Overall though, I fucks with this.  Nice energy, some swaggy shit versus the rappity rap shit of some of the previous tracks.  It's nice to throw some balance in there, so I fucks with this track.  Nothing deep and profound here, the shit bumps. - 3.5/5


13. Arrangement (Ft. Gonage) - Oh shit, this shit right here, nigga?  I fucks with the dark-sounding tracks (like "Damien" by DMX).  The nigga Gonage makes this sound like some Three 6 Mafia shit...which is dope.  The verses work, I don't fuck with the hook at all...which is kinda wild, because Gambino's had some good hooks on here.  Overall the shit bumps, and I'm officially a fan of Gambino's production.  Even if he ends up being an ain't shit rapper, his beats are nice.  It is kinda weird having Gonage's verse and then Gambino's verse though...they aren't even close to the same style of rapper.  This shit works though - 4/5


14. Won't Stop (Ft. Danielle Haim) -  It's nice when people actually get singers to do their hooks (or, you know, can actually sing).  This shit has a balance between high and low energy parts, but it's a little short (from a rapping standpoint).  I guess that's my main complaint about this track.  Not enough rapping on this.  Overall, this isn't a bad track, but I won't really be checking for it. - 3/5


15. Bronchitis - Weird that I'm satisfied with the length of this when it's about the same length as "Won't Stop," but I guess that's what happens when you have a track with 1 long verse, rather than a short verse and a bunch of singing.  This one's dope...I'm a former SDA, so I get the reference on track, ha.  Beck is apparently a decent producer himself...this one's low-energy, and I fucks with it.  I DO still think Gambino could have rapped a little more though.  - 3.5/5


16. Wonderful (Ft. Josh Osho) - I guess this one verse a track thing is going to be a thing....I don't fuck with that idea, but at least he does long verses for the most part.  It's a little too lighthearted for me, basically the type of shit I thought he'd be doing (before I listened to his shit).  I don't really fuck with this one. - 2.5/5


17. Make it Go Right (Ft. Kilo Kush) - I don't fuck with this.  At all, really.  Worst track on the album so far, for me.  Female rappers are so hit-or-miss, man...there are actually a lot of dope ones, but this one sounds like she's on some Kreayshawn shit (in terms of voice), and her bars aren't exactly lethal.  Skip. - 1/5


18. Real Estate (Ft. Alley Boy, Swank, and Tina Fey) - Son, I was anticipating the fuck outta this shit after hearing about it....and hearing the beat start, I'M ANTICIPATING THE FUCK OUTTA THIS SHIT, LMAOOOOO.  This nigga really has Tina Fey on some Rick Ross beat, hahahahahaha!  Yo he needed 2 Chainz on this shit.  He's gotta do a remix with 2 Chainz, that shit would be ill as fuck. LMAOOOOOOO YO IF TINA HAD DROPPED A "NIGGA" THE WORLD WOULD HAVE GONE NUTS.  I'M CRYIIIIIIIIING DAWG.  Would've been funnier if Tina actually dropped a verse though...he gets a 5/5 on GP just for doing this hilarious shit though (it actually reminds me of Wale having Julia Louis-Dreyfus give him a drop) - 5/5

Hi Tina.  You got a bit of an ass there.  Bye Tina.

Alright, so this shit kinda fizzed out at the end, but the last track killed it.  I'm giving it a 4/5, but be aware that his features are better than him on this shit (for the most part).  There are some miscues, but the highs on this are pretty fucking high.  I was very pleasantly surprised by this mixtape...it'd be nice if the album he ends up dropping is as good as or better than this.  Really, a 4/5 might be high, a 3.5/5 is probably closer to true value...but nigga, he's got the RZA on this shit.  That's worth a half a point any day.