Joey GZus ‘Cartoon Hip hop Vol. 3
UK MC Joey GZus has been grinding on the underground circuit forging himself a name up north so Black Budget Entertainment took the time to review his latest release ‘Cartoon Hip Hop Vol. 3’
Track 01 – Intro
As an intro it did the job but as a track this was pretty average. Joey does flow over the beat but he doesn’t really say very much on this one. The beat used has an ‘anthem’ feel to it and is structured well with the samples being brought in and out in the right places.
Rating: 6/10
Track 02 – Yesterday
The track has an extremely laid back vibe and Joey’s verses are well suited to it. Joey has some good lines ‘on it for life like a birth mark’ and his flow stays on beat throughout but you get the feeling that the track is lacking that little something to take it to the next level.
Rating: 7/10
Track 03 – The Night Goes In
I wont lie, I do not feel this track one bit. It comes across as a dub-step track and frankly just sounds well too over the top!
Rating: 3/10
Track 04 – Goin’ In Hard (ft Revilo and Bigga)
Joey, Revilo and Bigga all spit a strong verse with a consistent flow but the beat lets them down on this. It (the beat) sounds like a concoction of random samples that range from brassy sounding instruments to strong winds. Another problem that is faced by all m.c’s on the track is the volume, all the vocals are drowned out by the beat.
Rating: 5/10
Track 05 – F-L-Y (ft Wordsmith and Carlos Montana)
Overall I would say that this track is decent, both Joey and Wordsmith drop strong verses that match the beat which is made up of samples ranging from brass instruments to what sounds like a woman screaming. The hook to the track does a really good job of bringing the verses together and matches the beat.
Rating: 7/10
Track 06 – Screwface (ft OSB’z)
The track is started with Dont Flop battle rapper ‘Scizzahz’ dropping a verse that is average at best, he drops some cringe worthy playground diss lines like “I actually get head from your mother” I think the problem with scizzahz’s verse is that he has treated it like he is battling and not bothered to work on his flow. Wizard, again, doesn’t bring much to the table, he doesn’t really flow nor does he say very much about anything. Joey GZus thankfully brings his usual standard of lyricism and delivery, bringing by far the best verse to the track.
Rating: 5/10
Track 07 – Make That Change (ft Reggiimental and Carlos Montana)
This is definitely the best track on the CD so far. Reggiimental starts off by capturing the vibe of the beat and riding over it like a bike on a dirt track. Joey GZus also captures the feel of the beat, taking the baton from Reggiimental and running with it! Carlos Montana’s Hook makes this track complete bringing the two verses together perfectly.
Rating: 9/10
Track 08 – You Are The King (ft Carlos Montana)
Joey GZus rides the beat well and sticks to his topic throughout the track making a deep song that might be taken as overly sentimental by some listeners. Personally I can’t relate to the track but I do feel it, it has a personal feel to it which shows that Joey is not trying to put up a facade.
Rating: 7/10
Track 09 – Dun Know (ft Bigga and Sonnyjim)
Im on the ropes with this track, it does have an original feel to it but some of the flows and bars dropped are just straight up horrible. The one saving grace is the beat is banging and all artists drop the odd decent line. Joey GZus gives the best verse by far and should of may be gone solo on this.
Rating: 6/10
Track 10 – Nothin’ To Lose (ft Bigga, Wordsmith and Carlos Montana)
Bigga drops what is possibly his best verse off the CD, he rides the beat like a wave while sticking to his topic. Joey GZus drops another killer verse also sticking to a topic and riding the beat. Wordsmith also drops a quality verse but his seems to have a random chop toward the end which sounds like a problem in the mix. Overall this there is nothing wrong with this track and I think it is up there as one of the best on the CD.
Rating: 8/10
Track 11 – I Ain’t Comin’ Home (ft Bigga, Reggiimental and Carlos Montana)
The beat is the first thing that grabs your attention on this track, it is made up of organ keys and what sounds like violin strings, creating a balanced symphony. Joey, Bigga and Reggiimental all drop verses that are equal in quality, sticking to the topic of the track and riding the beat. Overall this is another quality track.
Rating: 8/10
Track 12 – Devil In A Dress (Carlos Montana)
Overall I would say this track is average and that the highlight of it is the dark, creepy beat. Joe GZus drops two good verses but they lack the originality displayed on previous tracks while Carlos Montana’s hook is too energetic, clashing with the feel of the beat and Joeys verse.
Rating: 6/10
Track 13 – Fat Lady (Matlock, Joey Gzus and Bigga)
I reviewed this track for Joey’s groups album so I am going to post what I said then: “Matlock kills the beat from start to finish giving the listener a perfect demonstration of how to flow effortlessly. Joey takes the baton from Matlock and runs with it, changing the pace of the track but keeping the energy and feel of it. Bigga’s verse is the final piece to this jigsaw puzzle! What can I say that I havn’t already? The track is a banger!
Rating: 9/10
Track 14 – One Thing (ft Dan Bull)
This first thing you notice when this starts is the sample “I know you’ll say one thing….” and I really want to like it but there is something about it that makes it sound like a vocal from an old american movie. The track in itself is sound, both rappers stick to the topic, flowing over the beat, which in itself has a real hip hop feel.
Rating: 7/10
Track 15 – Usain Bolt
Joey has opted for a beat that is, or is extremely similar to Crazy Titches ‘Sing Along’ and to be honest I don’t think that it works. Joey’s style doesn’t fit the beat and I think he should of stuck to his own ‘hip hop’ style of rapping.
Rating: 5/10
Track 16 – Don’t Know How To Behave
It is good to hear Joey on his own on a beat for once as it gives him more room to explain in his lyrics and claim the track as his own. Joey sticks to his topic throughout the track but some may say that it resembles Plan B’s early release ‘Kids’. Overall I think this is a quality song and that Joey needs to focus more on doing solo joint which is proved here.
Rating: 7/10
Track 17 – World’s Gone Mad (ft Beit Nun and Matt Henshaw)
The highlight of this track is definitely Beit Nun’s in your face style of rap. His flow and delivery are immaculate and he destroys the beat. Joey GZus also drops a good verse but he is overshadowed by Beit Nun on this one. Matt Henshaw’s hook is perfect for the track, fitting the style of both rappers and matching the beat.
Rating: 7/10
Track 18 – Rah Bird (ft Dane Jurous)
This is another track about women or a woman and as the CD goes on it seems that Joey GZus is lacking in content matter which is becoming repetitive. There is nothing drastically wrong with Joey’s verse but at the same time it is nothing special and Dane Jurous’s role in this track is a touch out of place.
Rating: 5/10
Track 19 – Everyday (ft Runamuk and Carlos Montana)
This is another average tune, Joey’s verse, again, is decent but it is nothing special. Runamuk quite frankly sounds like he can’t be arsed to spit and Joey is forcing him. Carlos Montana’s hook along with the beat is possibly the highlight of this track.
Rating: 6/10
Track 20 – Days Of The Week (ft Dan Bull)
The track starts off with a lively up beat vibe which quickly changes when Joey enters the track, his verse is above average but he failed to capture the feel of the beat opting to go with a very standard theme instead of trying to provide a needed change to the listener.
Rating: 6/10
Track 21 – Slippin’ Away (ft Reggiimental and Bigga)
I feel that the beat to this track is far to experimental for hip hop and that the rappers involved should have used the lyrics for something they would of been able to ride better. Bigga’s attempt at flowing over the beat is by far the most successful but it still doen’t cut it.
Rating: 4/10
Track 22 – Sex With Me (Bigga, Joey Gzus and Verb T)
I also reviewed this track for Joeys group effort, here is what I made of it: “Bigga seems like he struggles to get into gear on this track, flowing well at some points then opting to switch to a slower, slightly off beat flow on others. Joey Gzus’s verse is also somewhat inconsistent, as is Verb T. This track has a good beat but all artists involved payed too much attention to accommodating the breaks in it, which seems to have given them problems flowing.
Rating: 6/10
Track 23 – Games We Play (ft Bigga, Gadget and Carlos Montana)
Overall this is a good track, it has calm relaxing feel and the three rappers involved all play their part, Gadget bringing the best verse. The one thing that really holds this track back is the hook, it sounds ridiculously out of place and doesn’t match the beat at all.
Rating: 7/10
Track 24 – Addidas Trainers (Joey G-Mix) (ft Bigga and Matt Henshaw)
If I am to be completely honest I didnt’t feel this track at all. Again I feel like Joey has opted for something that is far too experimental and that it doesn’t fit on a CD for a hip hop audience.
Rating: 3/10
Track 25 – Have I Told You Lately (ft Vivica Darnah)
This track provides a soothing personal note to finish the CD on, although, as with ‘You Are King’, some may find this track a little too personal and sentimental. Joey does drops three strong verses that flow over the beat while sticking to his topic, but as I say I feel this could be hit and miss depending on who is listening.
Rating: 7/10
Conlusion
Joey GZus’s ‘Cartoon Hip Hop Vol. 3′ is an average release that could be mistaken for a collaboration project. I say this because, out of the twenty five tracks on the release only four of them are solo efforts and I doubt you would get that it was a solo release from Joey GZus if you wasn’t told that. My reason for saying this is that Joey doesn’t stamp his authority on the CD making it hard to specifically pick him out on a track.
With this release Joey GZus does prove that he can ride over a beat and hold down a topic for a couple verses but he doesn’t provide a wide enough range of content for the twenty five tracks made. Upon listening to the CD I found that most of the tracks were about women and contradicting problems, leaving me to think he should of simply released a CD that was half the length and had more solo tracks.
To conclude I think that Joey GZus’ ‘Cartoon Hip Hop Vol. 3’ is a release that could of been improved had Joey focused more on an under laying theme and a target audience. It seems that Joey has tried to cram as many tracks on to one CD as possible, proved by the fact that he used tracks from his ‘Unfriendly Neighbors’ group release. This doesn’t do him any justice as an m.c. and I hope on his next solo release he focuses more on his own style of rapping.
OVERALL RATING: 6/10
Get it here : http://joeygzus.bandcamp.com/