Back in January, Wes Fif, one of the most popular rappers in Orlando, dropped a mixtape entitled "International Drive". The mixtape is "Named for both the happening Orlando entertainment strip - and Fif's goal to be a household name worldwide". If I was grading names of Orlando music releases, this would get an "A". I'm a sucker for double meanings, especially if they mean something special at the local level.
(I know I am crazy late in reviewing this. But I've been busy with the whole Afghanistan thing here.)
Having downloaded Wes Fif's previous mixtape after someone on twitter clued me in to his localness when I asked who was doing quality hip-hop in Florida, I decided to download "International Drive" and check out Wes Fif's latest after he talked about it on his twitter feed.
There are many things I liked about "International Drive". The beats for one, were very catchy. And Wes Fif has a Too Short-type flow that goes nice with the music. Most of the songs have a Florida theme, and I am always about supporting the local scenes of the state. And the production is a lot nicer than his previous offering. If given the chance, I would like to see Wes Fif in concert.
That said, I felt like "International Drive" was very one-dimensional. It's typical southern rap with braggadocio lyrics. There are songs about "hustlin", "cruisin"", being out with his boys, slaying other MCs, his haters, and trying to earn money. That's the whole album.
As I played "International Drive", I started think that there was no way this was an accurate reflection of Wes Fif's life. Perhaps coming from the home of Disney World and Universal Studios, Wes Fif was giving us another fantasy to admire. I'm not surprised, given the state of hip-hop today, and the amount of rappers who lean on these tropes, but I felt like there should be more substance than just materialism.
Wes Fif has a platform I think he should use for more than just fantasy rap. Chuck D once called hip-hop "the black CNN". Here is an MC who lives in the same area of Florida where Trayvon Martin got shot, the same area where Jackie Robinson was once kicked out of town, and an area still strife with racism. And he is rapping about how good he and his crew have it. Escapism rap at it's best. Like a romance novel written by a desperate housewife.
It's ok to have a club banger, a radio song, and maybe even also a song to cruise to on your album. But don't let the only song about a woman be about a girl you slept with who you want nothing else to do with ("Never In Love"). Biggie's "Me and My Bitch" and Apache's "Gangsta Bitch" will never be compared to Shakespearean sonnets, but they do show a level of positive attachment.
I'd also like to hear about Wes Fif's past on a song. What was it like growing up in Orlando? Give me some lyrical versatility. Maybe even some word play, some odd rhyme schemes, something. It's music, not life or death. Have fun with it. Unless the "G"-personality fantasy is Wes Fif's sense of fun.
It might seem like I am down on Wes Fif. Totally not the case. I liked "International Drive". But from Wes Fif the Orlando artist, I wanted more.
