Ya Boy's Mohawks and Heavy Metal Mixtape: A Review

I am not sure how I stumbled upon it last year, because Lord knows I wasn't looking for another rapper to follow. But I think, if I remember correctly, I had gone through everything new on the mixtape section of Hip-HopDX and needed some motivational music. I tried a few tapes, and then stumbled on Ya Boy's Mohawks and Heavy Metal. And I do remember being struck by three things: the name of the tape; the intro (a skit featuring a news correspondent discussing the origins of heavy metal music); and the rapper's voice, which is to former affiliate Game's voice what Shyne/Guerilla Black's voice is to Biggie's.

And oh what a joy it is to hear Game (essentially) rapping without name-dropping, dissing, or trying to prove his hip-hop bonafides. No, this is a confident Game, at least until you get through the first track and realize the two are markedly different individuals.

For one, Ya Boy is obsessed with money, and secondarily with fame, with becoming the "rock star" of the hook of the first track. There are no gang shoutouts, and while Ya Boy is West Coast, he is decidedly more Bay Area than Compton, as the mixtape's primary conceit proves.

The problem though is he doesn't take it anywhere. There's no real reason for it, except that he found a few great rap-rock hybrid instrumentals he felt like spitting over (well that, and I suppose to justify his mohawk). But round about the middle of the tape, the rock influence peters out, and we're left with a bunch of solid Left Coast hip-hop production, over which Ya Boy spits almost incessantly about money. He does so cleverly though, and with a kind of infectious enthusiasm that almost makes you forget that some five tracks in a row have "money" in their title and/or hook. Indeed, Ya Boy exudes the kind of charisma that Game does, and his cockiness, unlike that of the one-time G-Unit member, never lapses into the bizarre (suicide threats, butterfly tattoos, etc.)

While a bit repetitive, and monotonous, especially towards the end, Mohawks and Heavy Metal, is a surprisingly strong listen for a relative newcomer. Here's to hoping 2010 yields more of his brand of West Coast music.