Reviewed this jokey, James Ferraro side project…
Inhale C-4 $$$$$ finds Ferraro developing a mutant strain of mainstream rap and R&B. Auto-Tune is mimicked, the skittering snares of radio rap show up, and there’s special attention paid to the sloppy mastering and obnoxious DJ drops common on mixtapes. It turns out however, that hip-hop actually takes some finesse and knowledge to recreate– and Ferraro just doesn’t have the skills.
“Maccau Celebrities” cribs its melody from T-Pain and Lil Wayne’s “Can’t Believe It”, and though it captures the sound of Wayne’s syrup-drunk croons, there’s no emotive charm. “#GRINDLYFE” has some of the demonic guitar-crunch grandiosity of Flockaveli but does nothing with it, and “H20″ squiggles around like a Timbaland rip-off. Then there’s “Street Dream$$”, a failed attempt at giving Gang Gang Dance’s “Glass Jar” the sample-slicing, drum pattern piling, AraabMuzik treatment. It features hi-hats and hand-claps, an airhorn, a dripping water sound, and some Drake-like Auto-Tune– and it’s a mess. Perhaps that’s the point, though…
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