She Is Guyana: Reggae’s Rapping Princess

Queens rapper Guyana wants you to know that there are plenty of great female MCs to go around. In this mostly mannish medium, the pretty but rugged American-Guyanese lady has found a way to command the attention of onlookers with her singing/rapping style. One of those onlookers happens to be an NFL player with a love for Hip-Hop who discovered her talents and took her under his fold.

AllHipHop.com spent some time with newcomer Guyana recently to see what sets her apart from the field, and find out why we should look for her upcoming DJ Drama-hosted mixtape:

AllHipHop.com: Hi, Guyana. Thanks for taking a few moments to introduce yourself to the AllHipHop.com readers who don’t know you yet.

Guyana: Hi, Seandra! Thanks!

AllHipHop.com: So, your name – Guyana – says to me that you have a West Indian background – where are you from and how did you come about your unique sound?

Guyana: I mean, I’m originally from New York originally. I was born in Queens, and my entire family is Guyanese actually, so I’m considered to be American-Guyanese. I lived [in Guyana] for three years, from 10 to 13, and so yeah, the culture has definitely influenced me – enough for me to name myself after the country, for sure! [laughter]

AllHipHop.com: Well, one thing I noticed, especially out of New York – there are a lot of New York rappers who have that West Indian/Caribbean background, either in their family or somewhere in their music. Why do you think that the West Indian sound and rap go so well hand-in-hand?

Guyana: I mean, it’s just…wow, I don’t know how to answer that one for you. It’s good music, and reggae and soca are like forms of rapping, you know? And they have the accents, so it gives their flow a little extra spice. It’s like, it’s like rapping with a few extra things – just a good vibe to bring something fresh to Hip-Hop.

AllHipHop.com: I definitely would say the beats – beats are just as important in reggae and soca…

Guyana: Definitely! We gotta make you move! Make you feel something.

AllHipHop.com: Exactly. So, I wanted to ask you about your affiliation with B Major Music Group headed up by Bryan McKinnie, but who the audience may know as a player for the Baltimore Ravens. Tell me how you got affiliated with him.

Guyana: You know, I actually knew Bryan from past experiences, and at the time, he had a few other artists – Freddy P and Jordan Hollywood – and I would come by and do some vocals for them, some hooks and stuff like that. And, working in the studio with them is when he realized I do more than singing, ‘cause I was in Pretty Money so he was kind of aware of some things.

He was interested in whatever I could bring to the table, and he asked me to be the First Lady of B Major Music, so of course I joined on immediately. Good look, you know? He’s a very good boss. Most people or companies pick you, and they try to mold you into something that they want to make. But here at B Major, you get to be you and do you, you know what I’m saying? I’m blessed.

AllHipHop.com: Do you see any of the work ethic and the discipline that he has in sports sort of trickle over into how he deals with his artists?

Guyana: Definitely. We, as artists, see how hard he works out, being on the field, and then he’s so dedicated to us. It makes us motivated to be on ourselves even better, because he handles everything so well. He’s dedicated to football, but then he’s dedicated to the music. It’s like, when do you sleep? [laughter] And now, actually, we don’t sleep, you know? That’s what it is.

AllHipHop.com: So, I know as far as females in the industry, a lot of people act like there are two, maybe three female rappers that exist. But, as we know, there are a lot more out there.

Guyana: There’s way more!

AllHipHop.com: Yeah! And I know you’ve gotten some co-signs and have also had some good things to say about some of the other female rappers out there. Tell me your thoughts on Lil Kim, Trina…

Guyana: Kim? Wow, I love Kim! Just watching her growing up, she’s one of the people who inspired me to do what I’m doing right now. My family didn’t really approve of rap music and the way they speak and what they’re talking about; it wasn’t really accepted in my family. So I used to go in the bathroom with the hairbrush, and pretend to be her. [laughter]

And to meet her, she’s such a beautiful person on the inside and out. And then she blessed me on one of my tracks called “Money Hungry” we got together coming out soon. I love her so much. And Trina, you know, Trina is a BEAST in the studio! She’s beautiful and fly and all these things, but she’s takes the studio seriously. It’s about the relentless grind; she’s in there for as long as she’s gotta be in there for it to be tight.

I’m blessed to be around people and see these females who work hard and strive and grind.

AllHipHop.com: And that’s good to see you building good relationships with some of the legends. And what do you think about this beef that has been going on between some of the ladies in the past few years?

Guyana: I really don’t like jumping in people’s sh*t, you know? It ain’t mine to do that, but I wish it wasn’t like that. As females, it’s already hard being out here dealing with the men, so it’s dumb for us to be finding amongst ourselves. It’s just like, ‘Why?’ If we could join together and just be positive and be a force, we’d bulldoze over everything, you know what I’m saying? So it’s sad to see, but it’s just the reality of the situation.

AllHipHop.com: Right.. So tell me about this new mixtape of yours. I heard that DJ Drama hosted it, so that’s pretty big.

Guyana: Yes! How lucky am I for that? [laughter] I’m still thinking of a title right now, but I think I’m going with I Am Guyana: Vol. 1. I have my first mixtape out – it’s called Princess Guyana, and that was moreso me introducing myself like, ‘Hey, I’m a rapper; let me in the game, I does this, too. You know what I’m saying?

On this mixtape, you’re gonna get it all from me, my singing, my rapping, my flavor, and you know, the streets of course. So you get a lot more of me in this mixtape – should be by the end of January or by the middle of February.

AllHipHop.com: Yeah, and I know you’re one of those double threats we keep seeing in the industry – both the singer and the rapper. But which one did you start doing first and you feel that it’s your real skill?

Guyana: Ummm, I’d say my real skill out of everything is my writing. Before anything, there was that. That’s how I express myself, through my writing, and then I started with the singing. I think both, you know? I just love music so much, and I wanna say even my reggae, I want to say all of it. My favorite out of all would probably be my singing.

AllHipHop.com: OK, so I remember I listened to a few tracks of yours, and then I actually looked at a picture of you. It was kind of interesting because the picture didn’t really match what I heard at first. You have a sexy vibe going, but then it’s kinda hardcore, too. How do you match what we see with what we hear?

Guyana: You know when I match it? I match it when you see me in a show. It all comes together. You know, that hard side of me, that street side of me is there. It’s New York, it’s my roots. You can’t get rid of that. [laughter] My sexy, I guess it depends on who’s looking at me to determine if I’m sexy or not [laughter], but it pretty much comes together when you see the show. You see it all together, and it sums it all up.

AllHipHop.com: So, last question…as a relative newcomer, why are you the MC people need to watch out for this year?

Guyana: They need to watch out for me because I have a lot to say. You know, I have a lot of style. I’m here to relate to the people, to say what the people want to say who don’t have a chance to. And, I’m bringing versatility, you know what I’m saying? Something fresh to their ears – that’s why they need to check me out.

AllHipHop.com: Well, if they want to check out more, you want to shout out a Twitter handle or webpage?

Guyana: Yes, on Twitter it’s @ImGuyana, and I have a YouTube page as well – it’s www.youtube.com/imguyana, and on www.Facebook.com/BMajorGuyana.

AllHipHop.com: Thanks for taking a few minutes with us, Guyana. Best of luck ‘cause I want to see some women do big things this year!

Guyana: Thank you, Seandra! I want to see that, too!

Exclusive Video: “Exit Strategy” Capitalizes on YouTube Craze Via the Film’s Annoying Girlfriend

In response to the current YouTube craze, the filmmakers of the film Exit Strategy have given AllHipHop.com an exclusive video montage of annoying clips of what the character Kim says:

In Exit StrategyJames (Jameel Saleem) gets evicted from his apartment and moves in with his girlfriend of three months Kim (Kimelia Weathers) and quickly discovers she’s everything he never wanted in a woman. He enlists best friends Carville (Quincy “QDeezy” Harris) and Leona (“Noellle Balfour”), plus high-schooler Scoop (Nick Sinise) and strangers Big Boy and Kevin Hart, to find a relationship exit strategy; but for Kim, breaking up just isn’t an option.
Exit Strategy will be released at AMC Theaters Cherry Hill (New Jersey) and Franklin Mills (Philadelphia, PA) on February 10.  Additional releasing cities and locations TBA.

Hip-Hop Rumors: 2 Chainz Secretly Signed To Def Jam!

2 CHAINZ!!!!!!!

You heard it here first, people! It looks like 2 Chainz is officially down with the team that’s Def. That’s right, AllHipHop Rumors has officially discovered that the rapper once down with Ludacris, the man that once had one of the worst rap names  ever is down with Def Jam!

Shout out to Tity Boi!

Tity Boi Ft. Bun B & Big Krit - Pimps Lyrics

Hip-Hop Rumors: Behind-The-Scenes Edition With Busta Rhymes, Freeway, Wale, Big Sean & More!

Behind-The-Scenes Edition!

This post is a collection of behind-the-scenes videos released over the past few days, containing exclusive access to video shoots, recording sessions, tours, and more, with the likes of Busta Rhymes, Chris Brown, Freeway, Travis Porter, Big Sean, A$AP Rocky, Theophilus London, Teyana Taylor, and Wale!

We wonder what the cameras DIDN’T catch…

Busta Rhymes – “Why Stop Now” ft. Chris Brown:

Courtesy of GoogleMusic

In the Lab With Freeway: 

Courtesy of ForbezFinestSouth

Teyana Taylor – “Make Your Move” ft. Wale:

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/35771554]

Courtesy of CLCTVE

In the Lab With Theophilus London & A$AP Rocky:

Courtesy of DJCarnageBased

On Tour With Travis Porter & Big Sean:

Courtesy of WhoIsTravisPorter

Exclusive: Rock City Explains Split From Akon; Name Change To Planet VI

(AllHipHop News) Rock City has officially changed their name to Planet VI, in addition to splitting with Akon’s Konvict Music.

The group, which included brothers Theron a.k.a Da Spokesman and Timothy a.k.a Don’t Talk Much, have created a sound that blends Caribbean twangs of consciousness is currently celebrating the success of their most recent project American Dream, which has garnered over 30,000 views in less than a month.

“We are working on everyone’s album from Justin Beiber to T.I. to B.o.B. We are on the writing scene in Atlanta,” Da Spokesman told AllHipHop.com of the release under the new alias “Planet VI.” “We dropped on December 30th we are at about 30,000 downloads in less than thirty days, so we are proud of that

Whiile many fans may remember Rock City from their signing to Akon’s Konvict Music, the group sees a different direction in terms of the kind of music they look to put out in the new year.

“A lot of our old fans might have known us as Rock City, we were songwriters on Rhianna’s ‘Man Down’ and Justin Beiber’s ‘Run Away Love,’ and bunch of stuff like that and we were artists trying to find our place and everyone wanted us to write songs like that for ourselves,” Da Spokesman explained. “We wrote songs for Rhianna becuase thats what she represents, but that doesn’t mean we represent what she represents. So with this project we felt it was time for a change, we didn’t put our picture on it and we just put it out, we just put it out and wanted to people who heard it for the first time, to hear it and just nothing else.”

When asked about the transition from going from Akon’s Konvict Music to an independent, route the group alluded to the politics of the music business as the reason for their fallout with Akon.

“I would say the transition of going through music business politics and us being non political people, we just didn’t fit in and now that we are able to go create our own world, our own vibe, our own language, our own slang, and our own sh*t. This is the sh*t we been preaching since we came into the business.”

In addition Planet VI’s production for some of the biggest acts on the planet, the group is working on their own material.

Tickets For Jay-Z’s Benefit Concert At Carnegie Hall Go On Sale

(AllHipHop News) Tickets for Jay-Z’s two Carnegie Hall concerts to be held on February 6-7 are now officially on sale.

Tickets for the concerts will benefit both the United Way of New York City and the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation.

According to Carnegie Hall’s website, “Concert goers will get a once in a lifetime experience as Jay-Z takes the stage at the New York landmark to raise dollars that will help fight poverty, boost on-time graduation rates in underserved New York City schools, and put college within reach for low-income students across the five boroughs.”

The tickets, which range from $150 to $15,000, can be purchased two ways. For high-end boxes starting at $15,000 and tickets priced from $2,500 to $5,000, contact **************@***yc.org“>ww**************@***yc.org. For all tickets under $1,500, visit the Carnegie Hall website.

Exclusive: Chris “The Glove” Taylor Talks Death Row, Aftermath and Dr. Dre (Part 2)

Part 2 continues with AllHipHop.com’s exclusive interview with Chris “The Glove” Taylor, a former producer for Death Row and Aftermath Records, who worked with Dr. Dre on his some of his biggest hits. In the first part of our interview, The Glove details his beginnings and leads all of the way up to his work on Snoop Dogg’s debut album, “Doggystyle.” Be sure to read Part 1 here to get caught up, and then come back to here for the conclusion of this special interview:

AllHipHop.com: What other songs were you not credited for?

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: I played the keys on 2Pac and Dre’s “California Love” and I never received credit or recognition for that. I had to ask what was going on? Am I just an invisible studio guy? “California Love” was the last song that I worked on before I left Death Row. Then later on there was a song on The Chronic 2001 album for Aftermath called “Xxplosive” – that was my track!

AllHipHop.com: Did you ever ask Dr. Dre why you never received the proper credit on these tracks?

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: Actually I did. I was really upset with what happened on the Snoop album. I didn’t even get my name in the “Thank You” section. My name was erased on that album. Like how some producers receive a co-production credit nowadays, that’s what I should have gotten. And I should have six or seven “mixed by” credits on that album too. It’s not Snoop’s fault. He even tried to put my name in his raps but Suge would be there like, “Change that.”

I was the second producer signed to Death Row Records, counting Dr. Dre when they first started. Suge used to tell me all of the time that I was going to be the next Dr. Dre. But how can I be the next Dr. Dre when you’re leaving my name off of everything? I took issue with all of that and those were times that I took breaks from working with Dre. I would just go focus on something else. As a matter of fact, I didn’t get back with Dre until he left and started Aftermath.

AllHipHop.com: Why did you go work with Aftermath after that bad experience with Death Row Records?

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: I had to be convinced, actually, but honestly I figured all of that happened because of Suge. It was just Dre running his own company now so everything seemed to be all good. I worked on The Firm’s album, and I co-produced the song, “Phone Tap.” I got credit for the song and I got paid. I came up with the concept of having a “phone voice” for the song and did the beat but Dr. Dre really did take that song to the next level – and that’s what he does.

AllHipHop.com: Since you bring up The Firm, what went wrong with that album in your opinion?

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: “Phone Tap” wasn’t the first single. Do you know how many people would have ran out to buy that album if the first thing they heard was that song? They chose “Firm Biz” to be the first single and I was like, “You’ve got to be kidding! That’s not Mob music!” There were problems with that project from the beginning.

We had to replace Cormega with Nature and there was a bunch of label in-fighting. If you look at the back of that CD, you’ll see like 50 logos on there [laughter]. Every label and company involved wanted a piece of that project. Plus the album was rushed because it was done in Miami. Nobody wanted to come to L.A. because Biggie had been murdered and we didn’t want to go out East.

AllHipHop.com: You also worked on the Dr. Dre Presents Aftermath album, which was widely panned. Why did that album fail?

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: People were upset because they wanted a “Dr. Dre” album. They weren’t looking for a compilation album. That’s what messed that up. Plus the single “Been There, Done That” was cool, but it was taking away from the gangster style that people wanted. As you saw with the next album Chronic 2001, he returned to the gangster style. People checked out “Been There, Done That” and when they went to see out what was next, they found that Dre wasn’t on another song.

AllHipHop.com: What did you work on after the Aftermath compilation?

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: I did some stuff for Xzibit, a rapper named Saafir and a group called The Militia. They (The Militia) took out a 4 page ad in a magazine and it mentioned the work we did together – and Dre got p##### about that. What happened was that I had just renegotiated my deal with Dre and I was going to make some cool money. Then he cut my salary in half after 6 weeks so I left to work elsewhere. That ad came out before I could talk to him and tell him that I wasn’t going to be around though – but he knows me. If I’m unhappy then I just disappear. I felt like I was missing a lot of money from the Snoop album and points from “Stranded on Death Row.” Between those 14 million albums sold, I should’ve had at least a million dollars from it. I always had that under my skin.

I had brain surgery in September of 1998 and when I recovered, we reconnected and did some work together again.

AllHipHop.com: And of course that leads to the “Xxplosive” song on Chronic 2001.

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: I got burned again too. Let me tell you about that song. We went up to Reno, Nevada to work on King T’s album because that was going to be the next album on Aftermath. I did that “Xxplosive” track for King T. As a matter of fact, that track and the one used by the reunited N.W.A called “Hello,” were done at that same session. Those were both originally for King T. “Hello” was a track that me and Dre both worked on together. He did the drum beat and I put everything else on top of it. “Xxplosive” that was some sh*t that I did.

Mobb Deep had an Issac Hayes sample for a song and I wanted to flip that – and I turned that in to “Xxplosive.” We would generally take the sample off and play the instruments slightly different so that it’s not an interpolation or a sample at that point. I had to get my lawyer involved because I didn’t even get paid the bare minimum that I should have been paid for my initial work.

AllHipHop.com: You got your lawyer after him?

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: I had to! He tried to tell me that he was still recouping from The Firm or some kind of bullsh*t. He had all of that money and he didn’t want to pay the basic $1500 fee for the track. I had to fight just for that and I still didn’t get credit on the album.

One good thing that came out of that though, is that if I didn’t stand up like that, Mel-Man would have never received his co-production credits for the tracks that he worked on.

AllHipHop.com: I feel bad for you. I’ve interviewed other artists from that era and it seems like everybody got ripped off by someone.

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: We all got screwed. Nate Dogg, Jewel, Rage, RBX and The Dogg Pound signed their contracts on the same day. We were getting ready to go on The Chronic tour. Dre and I were putting the tour music together at Trax Studios and Suge had them all sign their contracts. They got $5,000 each. When I signed my deal I got way more than that. I was like, “Damn. Y’all got $5,000? That’s f***ed up.”

AllHipHop.com: What was your friendship with Dr. Dre like?

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: I used to be in the inner-circle and I went to Jimmy Iovine’s house several times with Dre. I went there for a birthday celebration one time and and he (Jimmy) had a tent set up that had a musician playing “The Godfather” theme song on his violin to welcome his guests. I was hanging out with Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Nicks, Eddie Murphy, and all kind of other celebrities.

There was this other time Dre was thinking about doing something with Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails, and he asked my opinion. I told him we should consider it, so we went to the studio that Trent was working it and it turned out to be the house that Sharon Tate was murdered in! This guy rented that house and had a studio put in there – the place where the Charles Manson family committed all of those murders. That’s a memory that I’ll never forget.

AllHipHop.com: And you guys haven’t spoken since the “Xxplosive” situation?

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: Not since 1998. I went on to work with a group called Chico & Coolwadda and we had some heat on that album. However, MCA was just stupid and they blew it on that project. I then became the DJ for Tha Pharcyde on one of their tours, and we did a show out in the East Coast.

As the group was being introduced, the host stopped and started talking about me to the crowd, and they all started cheering for me. I was just expecting them to just bring out the group. To me, that was the great big “Thank You” that I had been looking for. I had to get that from the East Coast! I never got that from the West, except for my neighborhood. This was at The Goodwill Games with 10,000 people in the crowd.

I don’t have any regrets. I think I’ve made some miss-steps but everybody makes those. After that, I moved on to television music and made a career out of that. At one point every Monday on the UPN Network, my music was played on every show that came on from the evening until the news came on. I’m talking “Girlfriends,” “One on One,” “The Parkers” – I scored “The Parkers” for over four years. A lot of that was ghost production too.

AllHipHop.com: You’ve got to be kidding me!

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: Let me ask you, who painted the Sistine Chapel?

AllHipHop.com: Michelangelo.

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: That’s who got the credit but it was a bunch of guys like myself. I found out that throughout history most of these great people didn’t even do the f*cking work. The Sistine Chapel was painted by a bunch of guys. Michelangelo taught them his strokes but they did the work and he would come in and just touch up a few things – the same with Dre. One dude could not have painted all of that! This has always been going on. It’s been like this forever. Michelangelo was the person connected to the Vatican that could get the money. Dre was that guy connected to Jimmy Iovine that could get us all paid.

AllHipHop.com: After all of this, would you be up for reuniting with the Doctor and making some music again? And if so, what’s stopping it?

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: The only thing stopping it is a phone call. If he needs me to come in to the studio and help get it in, then I’m there. This is about the West Coast. I’m sure this time it would all be done the correct way. The past is the past. It’s all about now.

AllHipHop.com: What do you think about some of the recent tracks that he’s put out?

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: I think he needs to call me. He needs to call The D.O.C and everybody else who worked on those first two albums – and let’s get it in on this last one – the last ride.

AllHipHop.com: Are there any special projects that you’re working on right now?

Chris “The Glove” Taylor: I’m doing music licensing right now, but I’m also working with Asphalt Entertainment on this project called “Independent Grind” that helps independent artists on what they need to do to get on. It’s about showing how hard you have to work in order to make that dream come true.

Story Of Full Force, Hip-Hop’s First Vocal Band, To Air Tonight

(AllHipHop News) Veteran Hip-Hop band Full Force will be the subject of a special episode of “Unsung” tonight January 30.

The history of Full Force’s impact on the music business will be explored during the one hour special, which explores the careers of group members Paul Anthony, Bow Legged Lou, Baby Gerry, B-Fine and Shy Shy.

The Full Force “Unsung” focuses on the legendary career of the family oriented group, who got their start opening for stars like James Brown and The Jackson 5, at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem.

The hitmaking family group is credited with helping to pioneer the “New Jack Swing” style of R&B/Hip-Hop music, based on hit singles like “Roxanne, Roxanne” by UTFO, “Alice Can’t You See,” “Unfaithful,” “Temporary Love Thing,” “Your Love Is So Def,” “Aint My Type of Hype” and others.

“I think people are going to see our episode and say to themselves, ‘wow..I didn’t know that they worked with that person,” group member Baby Gerry told AllHipHop.com. “Hopefully people realize that we were kind of the ‘proto-type’ for today’s younger crop of producers- that kind of ‘Wild Style Hip-Hop,” with melodies and real songs over the top.”

Full Force’s rise to stardom as producers is chronicled as their work with artists like Backstreet Boys, Lil Kim, Lisa Lisa, Britney Spears, Rihanna, James Brown and a young Nicki Minaj is highlighted, since she was part of the group Hood Stars with Lou $tar, Bow Legged Lou’s son.

In 1990, the group experienced success on the big screen, as the villains in the classic Hip-Hop movie, House Party, which starred Kid-N-Play.

“Alway dream big and never give up on it. Also being able to humble yourself to situations,when you humble yourself all good things will follow and fall into place,” group member Curttt told AllHipHop.com.

The episode will also delve into group member Paul Anthony’s battle with an incurable form of cancer.

“I looked at my Blackberry and there were words like no cure, fatal,” Paul Anthony revealed. “The first thing I said, is I respect cancer, but I aint changing s**t. Me and my brothers went on a whirlwind adventure to find doctors. We went to one hospital and when we got there, the doctor introduced himself and said ‘I am Doctor Paul Anthony.’ I felt like it was a message. I looked at my doctor and I said ‘all of my life, I have bet on Paul Anthony. So I tell you what, I am going to bet on Paul Anthony.'”

Full Force “Unsung” debuts tonight (January 30) at 10:00 PM ET on TVOne.

Non Hip-Hop Rumors: SIGNS the World is Coming to an End…The New Thug???

OK, see, sometimes things happen in life that are just, well… unexplainable. But, seriously, WHAT HAS THUGGIN’ COME TO???

We found the little gem below on Twitter, and, well, umm, we don’t know what to make of it. With all of the tats and the fitted, we’ll assume he’s a thug model for some ‘hood campaign that Frito Lay is currently running.

Take a look for yourself, and then go rinse your eyes out and take a nap:

And really??? We have no words at all for the cheetos.

Mixtape Review: Chip Tha Ripper’s “Tell Ya Friends”

Rating: 8/10

Looking to add to this month’s hottest releases, Chip Tha Ripper drops his latest tape entitled Tell Ya Friends. The smooth-flowing Cleveland rapper has brought forth another solid project, with features from Wale, Bun B, Krayzie Bone, Kid Cudi, and more. Tell Ya Friends also features high quality production from Lex Luger, Boi-1da, Hi-Tek, and Chuck Inglish, as Chip looks to follow up on his highly praised 2011 release, Gift Raps.

The opening track, “Good Evening,” is a microcosm of Chip Tha Ripper’s smooth signature style as he speaks on women, his city, sippin’ on syrup, and his favorite drink: Jameson. He raps about his rides on the hook, highlighting one in particular as he repeatedly lets it be known that his “Chevy sittin’ on 24s.” The song topics continue in this manner until listeners get a surprise on the Lex Luger-produced “Out Here.” Demonstrating his versatility, Lex provides the perfect instrumental for Chip to shine on. The beat, which strays away from the popular trap sound that Lex gained popularity on, still features Lex’s signature snare and bass, but slowed down and mixed with synths and strings that are audible enough to keep the beat laidback enough for Chip’s smooth flow.

Chip takes a different approach on one of the mixtape’s top tracks “25 Wives,” as he ponders what life would be like if he could have 25 wives (“If I got all ya’ll, there won’t be no sense in cheating). Not to be outdone, Wale jumps on the track and voices his thoughts on the possibility of having 25 wives in his life. In addition he shares that he enjoys a woman with a natural body: “Silicon b*tches got the confidence / but natural b*tches get all my compliments.” The Boi-1da produced track also features an eastern, almost snake charmer-type flute sound that provides a hazy, laidback vibe.

As the tape progresses, Chip is joined on the song “Stay Sleep” by Cleveland-native, Krayzie Bone, as Chip raps about being overlooked in the game, despite the popularity of his previous mixtapes. Krayzie Bone speaks to the city of Cleveland on his verse, telling the people to “Go get it and quit blaming sh*t on LeBron.”

Chip Tha Ripper’s Tell Ya Friends definitely has what it takes to be mentioned among the top releases of this year so far, even in a release-heavy month. The tape will also have fans anticipating the release of his album, Charles Worth, which is rumored to drop sometime this summer. In the meantime, Tell Ya Friends is impressive enough for listeners to share with their friends, just as Chip The Ripper had hoped, as he looks to continue to add to his underground buzz.