Treece's Rap Up: Mozzy - Beyond Bulletproof

Published on 2020-05-14 00:00:00 by Treece

Treece is back again for the third edition of Rap Up, introducing you to his favourite new wordplay. If you missed the last edition, he reviewed Big Moochie Grapes debut; ‘Eat or Get Ate. This time round, heading to California, he chose the Sacramento rapper Mozzys most recent release: ‘Beyond Bulletproof…

Although keeping a relatively low profile in the mainstream, the controversial West coast rapper has had a roller coaster career thus far. An impressive run of over ten album/mixtape releases between 2011 and 2016 led to Complex naming the rappers performance; ‘the best of 2015. A high work ethic is something hes managed to maintain throughout his tumultuous career, releasing five projects last year alone. However, Mozzy is possibly best known for his gang ties, bleak lifestyle and letting his music beef bleed on to the streets. In 2014 Mozzy released a diss track aimed for another local rapper ‘Lavish D. The track entitled ‘Im Jus Bein Honest led to a gang war between Mozzys ‘Guttah Team & Lavishs ‘Starzup Gang; eight shootings associated with the incident followed.‘Unethical and Deceitful not only reads but sounds like a statement, it opens up the tape with intent, the flow and vocals are raw, Mozzy tells stories of court cases and betrayal, whilst the beat enters with a bang; reminiscent of classic mixtape intros. Although its only been six months since his last release, there is a clear progression in the ambition of the overall sound and structure of the project. Tracks such as; ‘Cant Let You Go, ‘I Aint Perfect and ‘So Lonely (although not to my taste) have a major mainstream appeal, whilst still sticking to his West Coast roots infusing Latin and West Coast Bounce sounds with more of a polished R&B production.Theres still plenty for rap fans here, ‘Price Tag and ‘Body Count being what I would call the ‘hardest moments of the project. The latter featuring a seriously catchy hook and an always faultless feature from Chicago legend ‘G Herbo. ‘Betrayed follows, its a straight hood banger, one to make ya head nod and one for the whip. Although the hook sounds as if Mozzy could be nursing a broken heart with his cracking voice, the track is a cold hearted letter addressed to an exbrother, the bars here are seriously cold, showing off the diversity in his content and most probably his finest lyrical display. ‘The Homies Wanna Know is a standout track and obvious single choice, hinting towards a more complex side to Mozzys mind state, the track is a heartfelt message to those hes lost, including Nipsey Hussle and his own Grandmother. This track sees the artist take on a Tupac style teachers narrative with his delivery; this out pouring of emotion is rarely something other Gangsta rappers in his field touch on.“Granny left a voicemail ill never delete, she said she proud, I know she forever in peace.”‘Beyond Bulletproof is not a classic album, nor the best rap release of the year, but you cant knock the versatility shown throughout, nor the consistency of the work rate and thats why its got the pick. Its clear to see with lyrics such as; ‘How am I supposed to tell my youngen to go to his school, when they cut him at the lights and they strip him of his jewels.‘ That Mozzy is a young man driven to get his life and career on the right track and if he keeps on releasing numerous projects like this year in year out, then its most certainly within his reach.As always support the artists, buy the music and follow Rap Up every other Tuesday!Producer: VariousLabel: Mozzy RecordsArea: California