Lyrics C+ Beats B- Flow B- Originality B- Grade B-
For most fans of the gangster rap genre,Yo Gotti is a sure shot top 5 artist. He consistently puts out quality material highlighting your everyday topics like dope, guns, money and sex. Although those topics are common in his field, Gotti separates himself from the rest with his gritty delivery and convincing presence on the microphone. The Memphis, Tennessee native released his first studio album Live From The Kitchen on Jan 10th putting an end to rumors that it would never arrive. For his long term benefit, Gotti spent the last few years perfecting the album’s blend of dope boy tales and ringtone-radio friendly sing alongs.
His cocaine music mixtape series kept his name on the lips of everyone in the industry prior to Live From The Kitchen, credit due to the success of “5 Star Chick”, his biggest crossover hit to date (a remix appears on the album). Surprisingly Gotti shows signs of true talent on this output, linking real life occurrences to exceptional production . The album opens with the DJ Montay produced “Testimony” where Gotti opens up about the transition from a North Memphis dope king into a hip hop superstar. On “Cases” featuring 2 Chainz, Gotti address the late 2010 incident Gotti was charged with inciting a riot at a Memphis nightclub. (Charges were later dropped). On the sonic side, Lil Lody’s production appears numerous times solidifying his place as gangster rap’s premier producer.
Some fans may be disappointed in the lack of trap rap throughout the whole album, but to Gotti’s defense he shows signs of substance and slight creativity addressing women. On the Lex Luger-produced “Second Chance,” Gotti hilariously raps to a woman who has cheated on him while “Go Girl,” with Big K.R.I.T, Wiz Khalifa and Big Sean, is a typical group effort to grab boys and girls from the younger hip hop generation. After taking the 11 track tour of Gotti’s kitchen, you might want to stick around and get into some dope boy mischief of your own.
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