Team-up albums aren’t new ground for hip-hop. From Mos Def and Talib Kweli’s landmark 1998 Black Star album to Jay Z and Kanye West’s Watch the Throne in 2011, from Future and Drake’s What a Time to Be Alive to Lil B and Chance the Rapper’s mixtape of freestyles from last year, the all-star team-up projects are becoming increasingly popular for mainstream and independent artists alike.
On a local level, we have Christian rap artist and MTSU alum nobigdyl. teaming with Jarry Manna, an Oklahoma rapper and fellow indie tribe member, for the new mixtape No Dillons. The title is a play on Lil Wayne’s No Ceilings mixtape series and, like Wayne does on those projects, we hear the artists rapping over some of the most popular beats in hip-hop and pop. Beats popularized on tracks by 2 Chainz, Fetty Wap, Ty Dolla $ign, Dej Loaf and even Justin Bieber make the production on the project.
nobigdyl. takes the same approach to hip-hop as he did on last summer’s Summer Camp Sessions EP: positive, Christian themes with a bit of wordplay mixed in for good measure. Manna follows suit in this same style, but overall, things just don’t hit home as well as Summer Camp Sessions songs do.
While the themes are positive and appreciated, the remixes of Ty Dolla $ign’s “Blasé” and Jeremih’s “Planes” are pretty forgettable, with a distracting production and unfocused lyrics, respectively. The final cut, a remix of Bieber’s “Love Yourself,” has some interesting anecdotal lyrics, but the slow, pausing guitar that provides the beat just doesn’t mesh well with the verses.
The other remixes fare a little better, though. The duo references Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, Kendrick Lamar and Earth, Wind & Fire over 2 Chainz’s “Watch Out” production to kick the mixtape off, flipping the original’s “Watch out lil’ b—-” hook into “Watch out lil’ sin.” On the remix of Dej Loaf’s “Back Up,” nobigdyl. references the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis, and Manna addresses rappers who would put up a façade instead of keeping their lyrics real (using a flow that reminds me of Young Thug at points).
However, the remix of Fetty Wap’s Top 40 hit “My Way” exemplifies the goals of this release. It spins the original’s hook into a positive message (Hatred don’t you come my way), and nobigdyl. steals the shows with clever wordplay, referencing a friend battling cancer and rapping the lyric I could probably make a million plus, but eternal life is priceless, which exemplifies the rapper’s mentality.
As a whole, No Dillons is a fun, easy listen and could be a welcome alternative for hip-hop listeners who want a positive spin on recent hip-hop hits. But, besides the well-rounded “My Way” remix, the average rap fan won’t find a solid enough flip they’ll want to keep in their music library.
nobigdyl. and Jarry Manna’s No Dillons is available on Soundcloud and Rapzilla.
