In the past week and a half there were numerous mixtapes released from some big-name artists. This mixtape roundup will give you that heat for that moment you’re passed the aux cord on the way to Atlanta this weekend for the Southeastern Conference Championship.
Waka Flocka Flame
"Flockaveli 1.5" — 11.25
Waka Flocka Flame dropped his highly anticipated mixtape "Flockaveli 1.5" on Nov. 25. "Flockaveli 1.5" is a follow-up to Waka’s debut album "Flockaveli," which was released back in 2010.
Atlanta producer Southside handles the majority of the production with help from Metro Boomin and TM88, and the mixtape only has a few features most notably from Quavo on "Hit A Lick." "Flockaveli 1.5" is full of bangers and is a must-listen.
Lil Wayne
"No Ceilings 2" — 11.26
Out of the three mixtapes released on Thanksgiving, "No Ceilings 2" wasn’t one that stood out to me. It’s no secret that Weezy isn’t what he used to be. He practically owned the mid-2000s, but he’s fallen off big time in the past few years.
Besides a good verse every now and then, Wayne has yet to show he still has what it takes to be considered one of the best right now.
Making a sequel to possibly the best mixtape of all time was a mistake. Tunechi should have left the "No Ceilings" name alone.
NC2 has its few moments but, for the most part, you should listen solely because it’s Lil Wayne, but you aren’t missing anything if you don’t.
Fabolous
"Summertime Shootout" — 11.26
Fabolous is one of the few rappers who have stood the test of time, and he continues to excel on "Summertime Shootout." Fabolous dropped the tape on Thanksgiving and has now released an album and two mixtapes within the past year, and he still has "The Young OG Project 2" coming out Christmas Day.
"Summertime Shootout" is straight fire; the beats are super dope and his wordplay and flow are impeccable. Fabolous remixes a couple popular songs including The Weeknd’s "Tell Ya Friends," Bryson Tiller’s "Sorry Not Sorry" and, of course, Drake’s "Hotline Bling."
Fabolous links up with Nicki Minaj, Trey Songz and Rich Homie Quan on some of the original songs as well. This mixtape is really good and I guarantee you’ll have it on repeat for a while.
Rick Ross
"Renzel Remixes" — 11.26
Rick Ross dropped a two-part mixtape on Thanksgiving titled "Renzel Remixes" that has 26 songs in total with features coming from Nas, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Meek Mill, Wale, Fat Trel and more. "Renzel Remixes" include a number of popular songs such as "Where Ya At," "Hello," "White Iverson," "In Da Club," "Flashing Lights," "Can’t Feel My Face" and "Jumpman." Rozay has been one of the best rappers of the past decade and he never disappoints.
Chris Brown
"Before The Party" — 11.27
About a month before his next album "Royalty" is scheduled to be released, Chris Brown blessed us with a 34-track mixtape: "Before The Party." The tape is about two hours long and features Rihanna, Wiz Khalifa, Wale, Tyga, French Montana, Fetty Wap and others. It’s amazing that these artists give all these great songs away for free, but I’m not complaining. Just go ahead and click that download button on "Before The Party."
Lil Bibby
"Free Crack 3" — 11.27
Lil Bibby dropped the third installment in his "Free Crack" mixtape series on Nov. 27. Lil Bibby was a member of the 2014 XXL Freshman Class, and he continues to make noise in the game. The 21-year-old from Chicago worked with some big-time artists and producers on "Free Crack 3" such as Future, Common, R. Kelly, Jeremih, Southside, Metro Boomin, Young Chop and Jake One. Lil Bibby is slowly but surely gaining a following, and if you haven’t checked him out yet now is a good time to start. "Free Crack 3" is pretty good, and I think a lot of people could vibe to it.
Trey Songz
"To Whom It May Concern" — 11.28
Trey Songz surprised everyone with a mixtape on his birthday, Saturday. Hosted by DJ Drama, "To Whom It May Concern" has 12 songs with only a couple of features. Trigga has always put out quality music so this mixtape is a gift to his fans. "To Whom It May Concern" is Trey Songz’s first project released since his "Intermission" EP, which came out in April, and his first mixtape since "#LemmeHoldTheBeat2" in 2011.
Fetty Wap
"For My Fans" — 12.1
Fetty Wap unexpectedly dropped five new tracks on his SoundCloud page (username: FettyWap1738) on Tuesday. To be honest, Fetty Wap’s music is starting to sound like the same song, but the "For My Fans" extended play is only about 20 minutes long so you might as well listen.
