Mixtape: EST 4 Life
Artist: Machine Gun Kelly
Released: August 13, 2012
Cleveland native, Machine Gun Kelly is making sure he stays established with his latest release EST 4 Life. In the midst of his debut album Lace Up dropping October 9th, “EST 4 Life,-hosted by DJ Whoo Kid, DJ E-V and DJ Xplosive– showcases the rapid fire rhyme delivery that he is best known for. MGK is the most creative artist on the Cleveland hip-hop scene. He stands above the other artists that make up the city’s hip-hop scene-but that’s no slight to Kid Cudi, who has made a name of his own with 3 successful studio albums. Cudi just isn’t a Cleveland MC. His emo-driven alternative sound is perfect for the hipsters in New York, which is why I’ve always considered him to be an NYC artist. Got mad love for Kid Cudi though and respect his creativity, but his sound doesn’t incorporate the blue collar griminess of a city like Cleveland, and that’s where Machine Gun Kelly takes the baton. Now MGK serves as the main bill on this project, he also features the first artist from his EST 19XX label, Dub-O, along with track features from Pooh Gutta and Young Jeezy.
He is still a ‘Wild Boy’ at heart as he explodes early with the tape’s title track EST 4 Life . “I can’t take it, everybody better get in their places/ me and all of mine are looking like gorillas/ we fitted in all black you would think we racist/ l-l-light it up like its Vegas, sh-shuttin’ down all that fake shit/ and not a damn one of these haters show they faces they like Craigslist…” . His rapid flow continues on tracks such as “Police,” and “Get Laced”.
Now for that late night mobbing track “Hold on (Shut Up)” is indeed that cut. Kells spews out that fire and Young Jeezy adds to the flame. “ … See a sound of me, that’s hate/ say you wanna rap about me, wanna talk about me, now lead the city, that’s fate/ say it’s coming back and this locking up sound like me, that’s fake/ say you don’t rap with me, you don’t fuck with me, Instead you fuck around me, that’s great.” Jeezy’s husky flow contrasts perfectly with MGK’s gritty delivery creating a record that’s easy for both the male and female fans to embrace.
His stoner fans are going to need a track to light up to and what better than a song laced with the themes of Women, Weed, and Cash. On “Blaze Up” Kells raps “order up a quarter my connect is on the phone/ mix the purple with the lemon og kush and get stoned/ god damn it im gone, blowin with the wind/ Cleveland is the city,see it showin on the brim…” this song is chill and the beat behind it adds to the fact that this is best enjoyed in an elevated state.
Also included on this tape are some of his latest freestyles like “Rucker Park Freestyle” and the “Highline Ballroom Soundcheck” which he flows over Notorious B.I.G.’s hit “Dead Wrong”. You’re likely to find MGK’s emotional side with just a pinch of wild boy on tracks such as “Her Song” and “now I know” where he raps about his come up. “Damn come up from where we from who woulda thought we’d be this famous/ critics hate us promoter played us, rappers copied what I created/ signed to a major that ain’t change shit, one year later damn I made it.” The loyal fans who have been rocking with Machine Gun Kelly from the beginning have heard a few of these tracks already, but the new cuts have just enough fire to clutch new listeners and reel them in. What he’s got behind him is more than a fan base; it’s a tribe that is rapidly increasing and MGK will not be satisfied until he’s got everyone in the country screaming LACE UP!
-Courtney Deleon
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