The 19-year-old rapper from Brooklyn sounds more like Future than Future himself with his debut mixtape
By: Gio Mio
When Kanye West featured Desiigner on "Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 2," a lot of people, including myself, mistaken him for rapper Future. How could a Future clone with one hit have better chart success than a rapper who arguably owned the year 2015 with six projects?
This hype has helped but also destroyed Desiigner's potential. It's helping the hype because now everyone and their mother is talking about how they have broads in Atlanta. His single "Panda" helped him gain an XXL Freshman spot. But that attention is also scary to think about because the more he sounds like Future, the more people will soon forget about him when next year comes around.
Desiigner finally decided to take advantage of his buzz and released his debut mixtape "New English." Yet once you listen to the first few tracks, you'd assume it was a new Future mixtape if you didn't read the artist's name. "Caliber" is one of the high points of the mixtape, although repeating the name of the song in the hook gets old real quick (don't worry, he does this a lot throughout the mixtape).
One of the things that turns me off about "New English" are the short snippet songs. Minus maybe the final five tracks of the mixtape, every track appears to be two minutes or less. It's almost like you're listening to an album on iTunes before you buy it, where all you can listen to are short snippets of the tracks. Once you start to enjoy the song it abruptly ends. I think Desiigner would have another hit if "Monstas and Villians" was longer than 37 seconds.
While this mixtape is mostly a disappointment, there are a few bright spots that show Desiigner's potential. First off, he's got the support of G.O.O.D. Music, which will bode well for his future ("New English" has a Pusha T feature). Working with some of the best rap artists in the mainstream will benefit Desiigner down the line as long as he stays signed to the label. His flows are hooks are very addicting too. You might not like the songs, but he'll have you repeating the hook for "Roll Wit Me" without hesitation.
I'm not going to officially end Desiigner's 15 minutes of fame just yet. Keep in mind he's only 19-years-old and this is his first mainstream project. As I mentioned in an ATE Podcast (you should go check those out), he's probably still trying to find his sound. Eminem was a Nas clone when he wrote "Infinite." Jay-Z also bit Nas a little bit on his debut album, "Reasonable Doubt." Only difference (minus the previous two rappers being established legends) is that Desiigner literally sounds like Future without his control. No matter what he does, critics will be quick to scream how he is a clone of the Monster himself. I'm not saying he should change his style to draw away from that haunting him forever, but rather give us a more complete project.
If "New English" is supposed to get us hyped for his debut album "The Life Of Desiigner," it failed its job miserably. "New English" sounds rushed and unfinished, and could've been solid if more time was spent on finishing most of the tracks. With "Panda" slowly losing its momentum, Desiigner will be on the clock again to deliver another hit to avoid the "one-hit wonder" label.
Final Verdict: 1.5/5
Notable Tracks
"Caliber"
"Jet (featuring Pusha T)"
"Monstas & Villains"
When Kanye West featured Desiigner on "Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 2," a lot of people, including myself, mistaken him for rapper Future. How could a Future clone with one hit have better chart success than a rapper who arguably owned the year 2015 with six projects?
This hype has helped but also destroyed Desiigner's potential. It's helping the hype because now everyone and their mother is talking about how they have broads in Atlanta. His single "Panda" helped him gain an XXL Freshman spot. But that attention is also scary to think about because the more he sounds like Future, the more people will soon forget about him when next year comes around.
Desiigner finally decided to take advantage of his buzz and released his debut mixtape "New English." Yet once you listen to the first few tracks, you'd assume it was a new Future mixtape if you didn't read the artist's name. "Caliber" is one of the high points of the mixtape, although repeating the name of the song in the hook gets old real quick (don't worry, he does this a lot throughout the mixtape).
One of the things that turns me off about "New English" are the short snippet songs. Minus maybe the final five tracks of the mixtape, every track appears to be two minutes or less. It's almost like you're listening to an album on iTunes before you buy it, where all you can listen to are short snippets of the tracks. Once you start to enjoy the song it abruptly ends. I think Desiigner would have another hit if "Monstas and Villians" was longer than 37 seconds.
While this mixtape is mostly a disappointment, there are a few bright spots that show Desiigner's potential. First off, he's got the support of G.O.O.D. Music, which will bode well for his future ("New English" has a Pusha T feature). Working with some of the best rap artists in the mainstream will benefit Desiigner down the line as long as he stays signed to the label. His flows are hooks are very addicting too. You might not like the songs, but he'll have you repeating the hook for "Roll Wit Me" without hesitation.
I'm not going to officially end Desiigner's 15 minutes of fame just yet. Keep in mind he's only 19-years-old and this is his first mainstream project. As I mentioned in an ATE Podcast (you should go check those out), he's probably still trying to find his sound. Eminem was a Nas clone when he wrote "Infinite." Jay-Z also bit Nas a little bit on his debut album, "Reasonable Doubt." Only difference (minus the previous two rappers being established legends) is that Desiigner literally sounds like Future without his control. No matter what he does, critics will be quick to scream how he is a clone of the Monster himself. I'm not saying he should change his style to draw away from that haunting him forever, but rather give us a more complete project.
If "New English" is supposed to get us hyped for his debut album "The Life Of Desiigner," it failed its job miserably. "New English" sounds rushed and unfinished, and could've been solid if more time was spent on finishing most of the tracks. With "Panda" slowly losing its momentum, Desiigner will be on the clock again to deliver another hit to avoid the "one-hit wonder" label.
Final Verdict: 1.5/5
Notable Tracks
"Caliber"
"Jet (featuring Pusha T)"
"Monstas & Villains"