J. Cole’s Dreamville Records label is setting itself up to be a hip-hop powerhouse. Its first mixtape, “Revenge of the Dreamers,” was released on Jan. 28, and showcases a bastion of talent. The mixtape, although short in my opinion, gives the listener 11 tracks that showcase the talent and diversity that each Dreamville artist brings to the table.
To start off the mixtape, J. Cole starts by rapping a short but lyrical 50 second verse. Combined with a beat that wished it had been rapped on longer, “Lil’ N—-z” is a song that hits hard and gets its message across in a remarkably short amount of time. The next couple of songs are by relatively unknown artists Bas and Omen. Although they are not yet household names, these two artists hold their own on the tape in their own respective ways. Bas sticks with his traditional style when it comes to the beat, using beautiful percussion and high-pitched synths to create a beat that is mystifying and encasing. He backs this up with a more fast-paced rapping style that compliments the beat quite well.
The next artist, Omen, uses a production style similar to Bas, but his rapping style is completely his own. Omen uses a slower rapping style to really get his rhymes across, painting a clear picture to the listener about what he is rapping about. Treasure Davis is another unknown artist and Dreamville signee. Her voice packs a punch and she is really able to hit high notes that leave a nice first impression on a listener.
The mixtape complements each artist and gives each individual room to shine in his or her own respective way. The compilation track titled “B-tchez” has all three rappers (Cole, Bas and Omen) spitting verses that really hit hard and show some friendly competition with attitudes that say “I’m the best at what I do.”
Another great part about the tape (besides the fact that it is free) is that, with the exception of “Lit,” each track is completely new and has not yet been released to the public. This is awesome because it gives both newcomers and veteran listeners a chance to listen to some new material, and not be forced to listen to the redundancy of songs that have been overplayed on the radio.
Overall, the tape is a nice surprise and a solid listen. J. Cole does what he does best as a lyrical genius, and his Dreamville Record signees do a nice job of not being outshone, holding their own throughout the tape. I’m excited to see what will happen with this group of artists in the oncoming months, but for the moment I will be happily bumping “Revenge of the Dreamers” on my way to class.
You can download the tape at http://dreamvillerecords.com.
Andrew Kratochwil can be reached at [email protected].
