Artist: Jermaine Dupri Presents…Title: Young, Fly & Flashy Vol. 1Rating: 2 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Blaksicilian
It’s been nine years since So So Def CEO (and now Virgin Records’ President of Black Music) Jermaine Dupri released the label’s gold-certified compilation So So Def Bass All Stars, Vol. 1. Since then he has steered the careers of rappers Da Brat and Bow Wow as well as releasing three other compilations showcasing the diversity and talent among the South. In the past, all of Dupri’s compilations have been launching pads for regional artists as well as critically-acclaimed albums. Not so with his latest effort, Young, Fly & Flashy Vol.1 (So So Def/Virgin). A poor attempt at showcasing the newest So So Def signees, the album falls short of providing a taste of how innovative and dope Southern Hip-Hop can be. Instead we are given a project full of lackluster tracks, recycled concepts and artists whose passion is just not enough to set them a part from the popular players of today’s burgeoning Southern rap scene.
Newcomers Young Capone and The Kid Slim fail to impress on tracks like “I’m Hot” and the tedious “10 Toes”. With talented artists like Boyz N Da Hood and Slim Thug repping heavily for the South, competition is too fierce for Dupri’s newest draft picks to deliver with no originality. Party joints like “Gotta Getcha”, which is too short to be enjoyed, and KP and Envyi’s “Put Cha Hands Up” are both mediocre attempts at club-friendly radio songs. “Put Cha Hands Up” just does not get the party started the same way the duo’s 1997 hit “Shorty Swing My Way” did. And what could have been a hot ode to exotic dancers if it was just a little longer (“Gotta Getcha”), clocks in at less than three minutes.
But Southern enthusiasts don’t fret; all is not lost on this LP and there are a few tracks worth checking for. “Kodak Moment” is authentic down-South rider music featuring Kavious, Pastor Troy and UGK’s Bun B. The addictive “I Think They Like Me” (Remix) is made for stuntin’ in your ride and worth a listen just to hear Da Brat’s scene-stealing bars. ATL veteran Pastor Troy shines again on “Just to Fight”, which is reminiscent of his classics “No More Play in GA” and “I Declare War.” Another heater, “Throw’d Off” featuring T. Waters is a catchy party joint guaranteed to have heads nodding in the club although the Asian-influenced track sounds similar to the Terror Squad’s 2004 hit “Lean Back”.
Staying true to today’s formulaic topics (bling, pimping and the streets) combined with a lack of originality, Young, Fly and Flashy Vol. 1 could not have been more appropriately-titled. The album does little to give a true glimpse of the potential these newcomers possess, nor does it highlight the musical creativity and hit-making ability Jermaine Dupri is known and celebrated for.
