ChaseTheMoney & Valee Enter The Winner’s Circle with VTM

Since their breakout performance on Valee’s 1988 mixtape, the Chicago rapper, and St. Louis producer ChaseTheMoney, have set a precedent of creating pure magic whenever they combine for a record. Yesterday, they took this chemistry a step forward with the release of their first collaborative project, VTM.

The 11-track tape has a sound that is reminiscent of a lifted Super Sport that is fresh off a thorough hot box. Through the combination of ChaseTheMoney’s intricate but bass-heavy instrumentals and Valee’s unorthodox melodic rhyme pattern, VTM gives the listener a smooth but rugged feeling, like riding on 26 inches with the thin tires.

By choosing to open with “Started Off My Day (Hey),” VTM purrs to life at a relaxed pace that characterizes the whole of the project. However, just like the vehicle it parallels, VTM has the capability to take off, which is witnessed on songs like “Acid” and “Bad B***h.” While these tracks show the versatility of both artists, the song that speaks to their true potential is “Window Seat.” This trippy rendition of Erykah Badu’s hit song of the same name shows the musical influences of both Valee and ChaseTheMoney, as well as the unique direction they are taking their art.

From start to finish, VTM delivers accordingly. Although the short tracks leave the listener craving another verse or feature, VTM has paved a strip where the careers of both ChaseTheMoney and Valee can take off at drag racer’s speed. Throughout the project, both ChaseTheMoney and Valee went their pace and won out, making it feel like the end of Talladega Nights. ChaseTheMoney turned 21 the day this project dropped; add in the victory that is VTM, and it’s definitely something worth spilling a bottle of champagne over.