The Playlist: Gambino Drops STN_MTN X Kauai (Review)

Over this weekend Donald Glover, wait are we even able to call him that anymore? He’s kinda like a superhero in that sense, *smirk* But okay, Childish Gambino dropped a new mixtape and the internet went off. If you know me and the crew, we like some Gambino around here. and when I got this news I immediately went on a search for it. So this was new music after his smash hit album “Because The Internet” . But as the name states, its really two mixtapes in one. I had to figure that out the hard way, but it is a great album he put out. It shows the two diverse sides of Gambino as he is, a old-school Southern Gansta Grills Mixtape and a modern mix of original songs that are distinctively Childish Gambino. The mixtape I have is a true mix of both albums. So here is the track list.

1. Dreams/Southern Hospitality/ Partna Dem
Sober
No Fucks Given
Pop Thieves (Make It Feel Good)
No Small Talk ft. Kari Faux
Retro
Money Baby
The Palisades ft. Christian Rich
Move That Dope/Nextel Chirp/ Let Ya Hair Blow ft. Young Scooter
Poke ft. Steve G Lover III
AssShots Remix ft. R O Y A L T Y
Late Night In Kauai ft. Jaden Smith
3005 (Beach Pinic Version)
Childish Gambino @ The Atrium
U Don’t Have To Call
Candler Road
All Ya’ll
Go DJ
(elusive)

So you see I put up 19 on the list but only 18 titles…. That is because everywhere I went I was told it was an 19 track album but I could only find 18. I don’t know if it was to troll us, or if the 19th song is actually out there but. We shall see. IF I get that most elusive and mysterious track I shall update the post. But this album was great, so let’s start the review

So I told you that this mixtape was actually two in one, but you would never know unless you listened to them at two different times. You cannot tell where STN_MNT ends and Kauai begins, you can differ the tracks out by sometimes by the feel alone, but sometimes. STN_MNT is a classic southern Gangsta Grills mixtape, with Gambino freestyling over tracks such as “Move That Dope” “Throw Them Bows” “Go DJ” and other original songs like “No Fucks Given” and “No Small Talk”. It gets him back to his Dirty South roots. He grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia . He grew up listening to these mixtapes just like I did, hearing your favorite artist get on tracks and rip it. The bass pumping, hyped DJs, loud voice overs and ad libs. the type of tracks that will be talked about from now on the verses that were spit on them. Kauai has more of the end of summer, last chance to make it to the beach, lets take a midnight ride type of feel. Its more of the Gambino music you expect with him singing and rapping on the track and he has some cameos from R O Y A L T Y and other friends like Jaden Smith who gets on and spits for a bit. But in their own ways both albums have something for everybody.

With STN_MNT you can feel that he had so much fun with it, its just him doing what he does and ripping a track alive. Gangsta Grills in the background hyping up the dopeness of each verse. He gives his all and takes it straight off the dome, the freestyles were witty and gives you that spark like none other can. The mixing of the songs are seamless, the songs can feel as if they go to the next track but you’re still listening to the same song it just switched up the dynamic within the same track. Now with Kauai it is a hip-hop with a EDM feel of music at times with some modern and new influences. The producers vary from track to track so you get a diverse feel of each person that touches the background work on this mixtape.

I was reading around and looking what others felt about this, and some people say that this is a gimmick he is doing by doing a Gangsta Grills mixtape. Honestly I don’t think this is, you can’t say that he is trying a gimmick out because again, he grew up listening to this type of music. He is who he is, Childish Gambino never really wanted to be that gangsta type rapper who talks about him selling dope and his guns, he’s just a nerd who became a comedian that got to live out a dream of being a rapper. And he’s good at it, there is no lane of music you can put him in, he is blazing a trail to the top and cannot be compared to anyone in his class. I would say this album is a must listen. If you don’t get into mixtapes like that, I think this will be a good one still to download. It is a mixtape that should have been another album, but he gave it to us for free.