What do you get when you mix one of Atlanta’s most influential rappers with one of the most talked about up-and-comers alongside four more hungry rappers? Bankroll Mafia.
In recent years we’ve seen Grand Hustle grow into Hustle Gang and with that has come a new group of rappers that are priming up for their time in the industry. The grand hustle gang mafia features Tip (of course), Young Thug, Shad Da God, PeeWee Roscoe, London Jae and MPA Duke. We’ve seen T.I. try the group thing before, so let’s talk about this time.
Strong Moments:
- T.I.P. and Young Thug are the obvious driving points of the album but I won’t disrespect the younger, unknown guys by not giving them credit.
- Songs like “Hyenas” and “Out My Face” hold up the first third of the album with strong performances from all of the artists.
- For those being introduced to London, Peewee, Shad and others, there’s little room for complete disappointment. They all perform well on a number of tracks with chemistry across the track and individual delivery.
- Quavo (Migos), has proved to be the standout brother of the three-man group especially on features and “Up One” is no exception.
- “Screwed It Up”
Weak Moments:
- The inaudible mumbles of Young Thug isn’t always a clever escape. Songs like “I Want Her” show Thugger carrying the hook responsibility but we lose wording in the chorus.
- Production is the life and death of the album. Sadly, there are a lot of heavy drums and bouncing synths with little variety for tempo or diverse sounds.
- Content lacks. Not that I expected a lot of diverse stories or perspectives but the money/hoes/hustle talk gets old swiftly.
- Too many songs. The majority of the good songs are on the first half of the album leaving the second half as rather forgettable.
Overall, I’ll give the album a 6 out of 10. The album had its share of bright spots but not enough to keep the mafia on a consistent roll. The downfall of the album came more from tiresome content and the delivery of such than anything else. Bankroll Mafia is a family and they have potential to thrive and make a few more dollars together but it’s going to take a little more time to work the kinks out. We’ll keep an eye on things to see what comes next.
