| lil wil- dolla$, tx |
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In the rap world, there seems to be two distinct paths an artist can take when recording a debut full length album following a regional hit single that breaks nationwide. I’ll call these the Rich Boy Route and the Soulja Boy Route, using two recent examples from the South. After the mega success of “Throw Some D’s,” Rich Boy released a debut album on which his hit stood out as something of an anomaly compared to the harder, more serious-minded fare of the rest of the album. Soulja Boy, on the other hand, followed up “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” with a debut album full of formulaic rehashes of his hit single, dooming himself to being seen as a “one hit wonder" despite the fact that the record produced several more hits.
So, the question becomes, which path has Lil Wil chosen after his “My Dougie” has become perhaps the biggest rap single Dallas has ever produced? Is Dolla$, TX a bid for critical respect that refutes the easily digested poppiness of his big hit, or is it a bit of a pander to an audience he fears losing as quickly as he won it? Although the bosses at Asylum Records might not like it, I’m glad to say that Lil Wil has followed his single success with, for the most part, a trip down the Rich Boy Route-- a debut full length that eschews the easy cash-in of a “Dougie Girl” or some other ill-fated attempt to start another dance craze in favor of a statement from and for the streets that positions him as a strong contender for longevity rather than a flash in the pan.
Setting the record off with a bang, the title track and “Money On My Mind” both find Lil Wil rapping a metroplex-referencing “Get Money, Fuck Everything Else” statement of intent over a beat that I would venture to include in the “Can’t really describe it but I know it when I hear it” Dallas sound built around stabbing synths and rolling drums-- both tracks stand out as two of the album’s strongest. “Move It” follows as the obligatory rap album “track for the ladies," saving an eye-rolling hook from Lil Wil (“First I hit you with the Dougie, Now my pockets gettin’ chubby”) with a backing track tailor made for skating rinks and a celebratory Akon-esque vocal hook from Papa Reu. Why it hasn’t been pegged as the follow-up single is a mystery to me. “Move It” is also the first taste of the interesting Caribbean influence Wil’s Rude Bwoy Entertainment partner Rude weaves through the album, most explicitly on “Straight Up” and “Thug Thang,” where his dancehall-style vocals are prominently featured.
After a pointless drug selling skit, Dolla$, TX hits another strong but oddly paced run of tracks starting with the paranoia of “Look At What The World Made Me,” which, along with the later track “Focused,” stand as Wil’s biggest argument for “serious artist” consideration, as well as the biggest backup for his recent assertion that he is “more T.I., than Souljah Boy.” Sadly, this is followed by “Stacks On Deck,” which, despite being a good strip club tune with a fun T-Pain-sans-autotuner turn from Deonte, sounds really off sitting next to the hard luck tales of its predecessor. Next up, the song that made it all possible, “My Dougie,” swaggers through still sounding great after a million spins while providing a perfect lead in to the “dressing up for the club” designer name checking of “Grown Man.”
Of the last few tracks on the album, “Bust It Open” makes the biggest impression. Described as Lil Wil’s second hit by Asylum’s marketing department, it is hard to imagine a track based around the phrase “Bust that pussy open, then I tell her bring it back” having a wide crossover appeal, regardless of the contagious beat provided by Liqwid Entertainment’s Big E (who also provided the beat for “My Dougie”). The aforementioned “Focused” and “I Feel Like” bring the record to a mellow conclusion before giving way to a bonus remix of “My Dougie.”
All in all, the album proves that Lil Wil is capable of getting out from under the shadow of a leftfield hit and creating a lane for himself and the Dallas hip hop scene that should last past the next YouTube video dance craze. Old heads may grumble and true schoolers may mourn, but if artists like Lil Wil have any say in the matter, Dallas Got Next.
(3 of 5) |
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 stonedranger |
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