Lou-Kang...Mayhem....and J20 are back once again with their 3rd mixtape "Respect Iz Earned 2". Their last outing "Respect Iz Earned" was my introduction to the trio and off the rip I heard the cohesion and understood what their sound was and what they were trying to achieve. I was a bit miffed by the lack of original beats the first time around...although that was my only complaint, when I was presented with the sequel, I was anxious to hear if they decided to stick to a certain formula (Industry) or if they became more comfortable with their own sound (Original).
"Nosey" answers that question with thumping, pulsating authority courtesy of IZ-RA-EL. The menacing beat provides the perfect backdrop for the crew to take the haters, groupies and jack boys to task. This song serves a dual purpose, first to reacquaint previous listeners and second to serve as a introduction to the new-comers...excellent opener guys.
"The Gang" ft. Try-One keeps the same tempo and doesn't detract from the first track. The song really allows the trio to open up more and you can really hear they are more comfortable with their respective voices and as a collective they are like well greased machine. "Still At The Bottom" uses Drake's "Started From The Bottom" instrumental, normally I would skip a song like this but I can't even be mad at it. The actually make they the song their own and in the end that's all the listener can really ask for.
"Go Get It" ft. Papi Storz and Iz-Ra-El returns the crew back to the original production (awesome). Every one here shows up and trades verses seamlessly on the 2013 version of the boom-bap. "Top In Tha Whip" is self-explanatory... meaning that if you have Baby-ears, I wouldn't recommend this song to you as it gets pretty raunchy at times. Then again Baby-eared people shouldn't be listening to rap any way but I digress.
"Boyz N The Hood" is another industry track but I must admit I have always loved The Easy-E version so this version comes at a pleasant surprise. And again the Boyz surprise me with their ability to take a song and turn it into a entirely new(original) song...Kudos. "Tip Her" is another song not for the Baby-Ears. To me it seems like "Raunchy Ratchet" is the Party Boy lane and I absolutely have no problem with that. This song screams "BET UNCUT" and trust me this song would fit in perfectly with that line-up. Mayhem did his name justice with his opening verse. He went absolutely H*A*M and gave the Lou and J2O the proper energy to keep the song riding.
"Really Really" has to be played loud...no exceptions....the beat is chopped something serious and puts them into their pocket...You Like up-tempo?...Party Boyz is who you would want to hear. I'm gonna go on record and say that "We Came To Party" has to be my FAVORITE IZ-RA-EL track that I've heard thus far. The menacing track really allows the Boyz to get OPEN. Everything works on this song..The Hook....Ad-libs...Doubles...Accents...everything. I'm gonna personally request that this be their next single.
"R.I.E 2" goes to the Bay-Area (San-Fran..Oakland What Up Tho!) Don't worry West Coasters...This song is genuine in its approach and does not set to make-fun of the Hyphy sound in any way...Mac Dre, E-40- And Too-Short would all be proud. "Turn Up" borrows G-Unit's "I Like The Way She Do It". The funny part is that it actually sounds like a original song...the beat fits the group's sound and style perfectly as if Iz-Ra-El or Jay-Gee produced it. You'll understand what I mean when you hear "Track Manipulation". If Respect Iz Earned 2 taught me anything...Is that they were able to clearly carve out THEIR sound and separate themselves from the pack.
"Beat It Remix" closes out the mixtape and to me anyway sounds as if this could lead into what the future may hold for Party Boyz. The songs sounds like the listener just walked into the studio and overheard what Lou-Kang was working on. Is it a possible solo effort? or will they all have solo songs on the next project so they can showcase each of their voices to the fans? Either way its something to look foward to.
In the end this mixtape is a win for the trio and all that was involved with the making of this project. Everything sound updated and will be sure to gain some new ears as well as keep those in the know satisfied. There was a even mix of original songs and industry jack moves, but they were sequenced properly so every thing flows ever so nicely. My only problem with the mixtape is the title. It actually kinda pissed me off a little...It should not be known simply as Respect Iz Earned 2...It should be Respect Iz Earned 2.0 because this project was definitley an Upgrade...Well done guys...You've Earned It.
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