F is for Franklyn - The RemixTape (UPDATED)

This is an update on the review I originally did the same period Franklyn's project (the RemixTape) dropped, sometimes around May of last year. Here is a video for one of the tracks on the project - called Hometown Glory - below:

My original post below:

I’m devising a review code that I’m deciding to name CORE. I intend to use this code to review books I read, music, albums, whatever.

CORE will be approached from two perspectives, one from the author/artist, and the other from my perspective.

It’s explained thus:

For the author/artist: Content/Originality/Relevancy/Eligibility

From the reviewer’s perspective: Cohesion/Opinion/Response/Expectations

So first review I’m doing is Franklyn’s mixtape called “The Remixtape”. This guy is not yet 18 and he’s doing wonderful stuff. He’s lyrically talented, I mean mad talented. Before now though, he released his debut mixtape  Just Being Frank ,nah, it’s more like an album,  on December 1st 2010 with production from Victizzle, The Confectionery,  and Alfa Mist. Visit http://franklynmusic.co.uk for more info about this guy.

Anyways, he’s back again this time with collaborations from Brewer, Guvna B, Utter Once, Cadet, Barney, and Alfa Mist.; Victizzle who is Franklyn's creative director and mentor this time helped by engineering the project and providing creative input. [Click on the names of the artistes to follow them on twitter and get more info about them]

So let’s put the CORE code to use.

CONTENT

The Remixtape is a collection of remixed songs of established artists. The name even speaks for itself. It contains songs from Adele, Kanye West, Mac Miller, Nas, J Cole, Lupe Fiasco, etc. The songs touch on very dear to heart, emotional issues. Society, Pain and Suffering, Perseverance, Desperation, Hope, and some of the themes that are explored. It’s noteworthy to say that the array of beats used on the mixtape help to further his messages. Nice choice! The beats are mellow, and soft, and emotional and it fits him perfectly.

ORIGINALITY

Most times when I hear remixes of other people’s song, I feel like the artists have to depend on the original artists for inspiration often. What do I mean by this? Some people even follow the same rhyme scheme the original artist used. AWFUL! For some reason I hate that! Where is the invention!? The innovation! I’m like, you’re supposed to make it yours, give us another interpretation. But thank Goodness, it’s no the case with Franklyn’s The Remixtape. He used the beats in ways that are authentically his. You even almost forget the beats have been used before, and you get a feeling that the beats were produced exclusively for him. Enough Said! Oh and noteworthy to say, the tracks were written in ONE DAY, and recorded the NEXT DAY! Enough Said!

RELEVANCY

The RemixTape is very relevant to this time. In fact it couldn’t have come at a better time. The issues of society are not really being addressed enough, and maybe this will be an eye opener for more people to pay attention to society. Truth is the world we live in is rotten. We need message of hope, and redemption.

ELIGIBILITY

Age is not a very good indicator of telling if someone is eligible to tackle some subjects. Think of his age, and you’ll be wrong to conclude he ain’t experienced enough with the subjects he’s tackling. He does and talks about these issues far better than some grandpops even could. Age is nothing but a number they say. Just because he’s done it makes him eligible.

Now from my perspective:

COHESION

I feel like the transition from one song to another was not att all distracting .Each song flowed nicely into the other. Nothing seemed amiss to me. It doesn’t seem like a song doesn’t need to be there. The whole tape was held together nicely with a SUPER GLUE, lol. Good job to whoever did the song arrangements.

OPINION

As you can tell, I love the tape already. Now let me talk about each specific track.

The mix tape started with a remix of Adele’s Hometown Glory. It features Brewer (who is an amazing MC. He’s released two mix tape now. Alone with my Thoughts, and Alone with my Thoughts Part 2. I have both of them and whoa dude is talented. Ok, enough about Brewer, lol. Oh and by the way, visit http://itsbrewer.com/ to download those two mix-tapes free ALBUMS, you need them, and you'll enjoy, trust me)

The first track is a homage to London where both of them reside. They speak of the goods, as well of the evils of the city. It’s a tribute to represent the city, and accept its flaws as well as its beauty. Both of them go back to back, finishing off each other’s thought and starting where the other one finishes off…They display their lyrical skills here. Dudes are real MC’s.

..This is my home (Franklyn)

And let them know that I’m proud and everywhere I go (Brewer)

I’m holding it down (Franklyn)

The capital so magical (Franklyn)

Some move holes in the ground for the capital (Franklyn)

And get locked up for a lower case (Brewer)

The city ain’t perfect no it ain’t (Brewer)

But I like it here… (Franklyn)

Adele’s hauntingly beautiful voice finishes off the song in such a crescendo that you want to stand up and salute, or at least say repeatedly say the pledge of the country you come from.

The 2nd track starts with a pounding organ/piano sound. It’s inspirational. It’s a message of hope for everyone to keep dreaming and chasing after those dreams. “...if we dream, we could even defy the odds..” , “…And now I dream big to touch the world, I know failure will not prevail.” Life will be better, SOME DAY. It features Utter Once on the Hook, and Guvna B on the last verse.

Hook:

Some day, some day

We’ll all make it

But we can’t be in one place

We gotta move

Some day, some day

We’ll all be where we wanna be

And do what we wanna do

We’ll be living our lives (reaching our goals)

Achieving it right

Some day some day

Some day, some day…

Again, here Franklyn doesn’t hesitate to display his skills, especially his use of metaphors. Dude is blessed!

Examples:

“..We gotta wear shades cos the futures bright…”

“…If you’re not short sighted raise your glasses,

Let’s toast to a brighter day…”

Guvna B finishes the track off. “…some call me the poster boy of gospel; I put a bible in an envelope, seal it with a stamp and post the boy the gospel…” MAD!!! The track features an amazing production from Damonoway. Love the guitar riff towards the end too. This track happens to be the only original track on the tape by the way.

Next is I’m So Appalled, which he calls an audio take of his diary. “I’m so appalled with my society, there’s no variety…” he starts with. He further display his lyrical dexterity (double meaning and metaphors) as he laments over the society – “I ain’t tryna see shells (sea shells), nah I’m so sure (shore)”, “..Tryna multiply the ps they add the weed just to take away the pain, did you catch the math, trigger-nometry…”

To top it all off, he finishes with:

..I ain’t no politician

Or an obnoxious Christian

I’m just a kid from the block who watches and listens

And learns lessons

Straight A Student

But some peeps ain’t gonna pass, they’re not prudent

Some girls ain’t got class, they play truant…

Words I Never Said comes up with Skylar Grey singing the Hook. “It’s so LOUD inside my head…”. I just saw the video about two days ago…WHOOO! Anyways, back to Franklyn’s take on it. I feel like this is not his best. At first listen, I felt this song was out of place, it didn’t help that he didn’t keep the rhythm of the beat in the first verse as well. But thank Goodness, he redeemed himself in the second verse. After a couple listen, I love it more, and I’ve come to see it’s one of the most important songs on the tape. He starts off with “..I’m unemployed, my character needs work, and I’m cleaning up my act cos I’ve been feeling like dirt….” Dude is crazy! And thankfully, he rode the beat until the end of that verse like the cyclist he is. He speaks of selfishness, and self-centeredness here. We need to take action. “I’m aiming to make a change; no way, nah my brain can’t stay the same. I’m saved by amazing grace, and I wanna aid the world in a crazy state” We can’t just sit with our arms crossed, with all the people dying, crying with no place to sleep. Do something, and that’s the challenge, cos we all are guilty.

Next, are Franklyn and Alfa Mist displaying their skills over “Back to the Topic” beat from J Cole. There are too many lines to quote on this one. They talk about their love for music, and their talents. And of course they should, cos it can’t be ignored. Some of the lines from Franklyn: “..It’s an Alphabet Heist, I got away with words, and when Alfa gets mic, he’s a dangerous person...” Alfa “love[s] music, [cos] it was love at first kick”, and he wants to “invent flows that could resonate, make the heaven shake, send souls to a better place”. MAN, see bars! Franklyn says “…endless bars flow from [his] brain, pendant bars cos the flows off the chain” Alfa spazzes on the beat like he’s got epilepsy for the next verse. Franklyn finishes it off.

“Good Evening” or morning, or afternoon! Barney, the featured artist on this track, is CRAZY let me just say. Franklyn starts this off, “…tryna clean up my act, maybe sweep off awards, every time I write to a beat and record, I’m just tryna kill beats, man I’m leaving a corpse...” He continues, “I’m solo, so low with my own zone, ozone flow yo cos it’s so cold…” Just like the previous track, this track shows Franklyn and Barney displaying their skills, and their love for music, “…I ain’t losing, I ain’t living in fear, I’ll always make movements, I ain’t chilling in here, I live to make music, it’s a living career…” < Franklyn, “Anti-aircraft bars, cos they ain’t as plain (plane)”; and random topics in the course, sometimes spiritual… “Thank you God daily grateful I’m alive” < Barney “...This is what life is like as a pilot, cos I feel fly every time I’m reminded what Christ did…” < Franklyn. Barney continues “..the flow’s awkward, believe that it’s queer, but yeah I’m straight, the flows they levitate, and so I sit and wait concentrate on keeping the faith, but yeah it’s difficult, hard work physical…” and he finishes off the track.

Next song, The Last Hope clearly talks about what the title suggest. The track contains a message of hope. Cadet, the featured artist announces that “this ain’t the kind of song that fills the domes; it’s meant to touch hearts, hopefully just feel your dome” We gotta spread love, his advices. Franklyn comes up in the next verse, “I’m a royal mail, that’s delivering hope, Every letter that I write is a letter from Christ...” Even this message of hope doesn’t stop Franklyn from putting his metaphors to usage, “...we gonna blow like a canon, get the cameras out, and wow we tryna bring hope to your speakers, or your headphones and you soul’s the receiver…” Hang on to Hope, just cling to God is the final advice. The track’s hook serves as a back drop for the two verses.

Now, we are getting in to storytelling mode. I love telling and reading, and hearing stories. He tells the story of a boy whose Dad is dead, and raised by a single mother, on this take of Nas’ One Mic. Franklyn is a farmer trying to sow seed, and he needs only one Mic. Franklyn challenges us, ‘…I hope that you know, we got a job to do, if we don’t contribute, we constitute the problem too...”

Next is “The Plight”. This track is haunting! The pounding instrumental and orchestration of The Beatles’ ‘Eleanor Rigsby’ I would say is very appropriate for this song and it does furthers the message absolutely. The background voices talking, crying, shouting, coughing, whispering, and reaching out for help makes us aware that yes indeed these are lost souls. We have to reach them. “They’re calling, they’re crying, they’re calling, they’re dying, they’re begging, they’re yelling, please help them”. He tells the story of two individuals; a homeless man, and a prostitute.

He finishes The REMIXTAPE with “The Process” on a more spiritual and optimistic note. God is here with us protecting us from all the dangers all around us. He reminisces on childhood and growing up with his brother, and cousins,. “We’re alive let’s celebrate, no worries man, I feel blessed today. Tomorrow will soon be yesterday, God’s taking the stress away”

The last four tracks after this are bonus tracks; freestyles (2) and two other songs he was featured on. One is on Brewer’s Alone with my Thoughts Part 2, and the other is on Guvna B’s SCRAPBOOK. (Click on title to download)

Barney and Cadet also do have mixtapes out, “THE FREESTYLE SESSIONS”, and “THE VENDING MACHINE” respectively. (Click on title to download). Heavy dose of music for you , and FREE too! :)

RESPONSE

Need I say more?

EXPECTATIONS

Of course I had high expectations from this mixtape, considering what he did with his first mixtape album “Just Being Frank”. Thank Goodness I wasn’t disappointed.

And that’s The REMIXTAPE guys.

Till next post...