Welcome to RESPECT.’s latest feature: “Don’t Sleep.” Throughout this series, we plan on introducing you to albums and mixtapes that we may have missed, but still want to write about. Today we’ll be reviewing Rich Home Quan’s deluxe edition mixtape, Still Goin’ In Reloaded, which was released in February of 2013.
“Ok, now let’s be real. I know you feel some type of way.” – Rich Homie Quan
Rich Homie Quan’s a product of the current sing-song, autotune movement that’s sweeping through hip-hop, and particularly in his hometown of Atlanta. He’s not as well-known as some of his regional counterparts–for example, Future, who shows up to host the tape–but he’s in possession of a lot of star qualities, and they show up throughout the course of Still Going In.
Quan’s full of confidence, and that brashness is what carries the tape as a whole. You can hear it on songs like “Get It Back,” where Quan talks about losing everything from women to drugs. What does he do? He gets it all back, obviously. On the single “Difference,” he compares himself to you. He’s clearly in possession of the better qualities; he treats women with disregard while you love them, he makes money while you chase the muff*, you’re sitting around asking for handouts while Quan’s out there getting it. Even when he lets his guard down, it’s in his own type of way, like on “You Can’t Judge Her,” where he talks about the girl he’s met and her past transgressions being irrelevant. It’s “Miss Independent” for a post-Drake world.
If you’re looking for lyricism, you’re not in the right place, but that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of quotables. On the title track, he hits you with lines like “Freezer full of ni***s, she like Quan you the coolest,” and, “I got GPS bullets that go and find him / Name a ni**a better than me, I’ll sign him.” They’re not always the wittiest remarks, but when delivered with Quan’s disregard for humility, they hit their mark.
There are certainly times where the tape as a whole stalls, like on the back half of the album, where Quan’s boys get their turns to drop a verse. The production as a whole is relatively monochromatic, and it’s tough to distinguish one song from another, due to the all-out-auto-tuned delivery. Don’t worry though; Quan makes sure you never stray too far. You’ll be drifting away from songs like “Sang To ‘Em,” but just a track later, you’re hit with “Type of Way,” which is certainly a contender for single of the year.
Quan’s somewhat of a one-trick pony, with limited versatility, but he’s garnered enough notoriety to rise above the ranks of being just another rapper in the midst of Atlanta’s incredible depth of talent. He may not be as versatile as Future–who seems capable of doing whatever he wants–as prolific as Gucci, or as quotable as 2 Chainz, but he’s definitely proven that he’s capable of making waves in the game. His personality on every record has already taken him considerably far, and it also helped earn him a slot on 2 Chainz’ latest album, on the track “Extra.” When given that spotlight, he delivered one of the best verses of the entire album. It’s the sign of a great talent, making the most of his biggest opportunity to date.
As a mixtape as a whole, there’s nothing particularly special about Still Going In, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not worth a listen. In fact, it’s worth more than a few plays through. It’s certainly a polarizing tape. You may love it, like many people who are fans of the latest movement; you may hate it, like many traditionalists, who can’t seem to wrap their head around all this singing. If it will do one thing, though, it’s almost guaranteed to make you feel some type of way.
*Rich Homie Quan definitely uses the term “muff.”
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