When you think of the Miami Hip-Hop scene, the first thing that comes to mind is Trick Daddy, Pitbull and Uncle Luke. Lyricism is something that was unheard of coming from Miami, or so it would seem. Underground rapper, Garcia is here to set the record straight on this misconception with his sophomore album titled Life Unscripted (Latchkey).Life Unscripted, which is the follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut Anti-Social, brings the listener a mixture of east coast, south and Latin music. On the track “Clear My Mind,” produced by DJ Honda, Garcia tells a heartfelt story about his father’s infidelity to his mother and how he dealt with this disappointment from his biggest role model. The track features Opera Steve on the chorus. Steve also sings at the beginning of each verse in Spanish as an introduction to Garcia’s tale while a mellow trumpet plays in the background.Other tracks which delve into Garcia’s personality are “Tell ‘Em Who You Are,” “I’m Cuban” and “I Am.” On the track “I Am” producer Drain fills the song with record scratching and a melodic orchestra-like sound blasting from the background. Garcia really showcases his lyrical skills on this one with lines such as, “Hard to understand, I watch CNN for the politics/But hate the music game cause I can’t stand the politics/This s### said on Viacom, n#### have a rapper killed instead of Vietnam.”One track the album could have done without was “Pornostar” produced by Rice and Peas and featuring Bombill of Sofla Kingz. The raunchy lyrics on “Pornostar” come off as an Uncle Luke carbon copy. It was a bit much for the mold which was set up for the rest of the album. Aside from the Sofla Kingz and Steve Opera, other guest appearances include Liza Quinn, Heckler and Dynas. Also, Garcia got a helping hand from stars such as Bun B and none other than N.O.R.E who is actually the executive producer on the album along with DJ EFN. As for production, Garcia recruited The Diaz Brothers, Hazardis, Dani Kartel, Drastic X and Midi Mafia, to name a few.Despite some suspect track choices and his struggle with trying to be lyrical while at the same time staying loyal to Miami’s “booty shaking” sound, Life Unscripted is a strong effort from the self-proclaimed “Underground King” of Miami.
