Hot Boys-Guerilla Warfare (1999)
(Intro/Hot and Spicy) Ha ha what is this intro? No rapping here, just Mannie Fresh thanking a bunch of people and preparing the listeners for the Hot Boys. Those trumpets on this beat are super corny. Better start overall to the mixtape though.
(We On Fire) This beat is some straight SNES lava level video game music. And already, Wayne sounds like a slightly higher pitched version of the Wayne we know and love. Don't like this version of We on Fire as much as the one on the first mixtape, mainly because of the beat, but at least they got all 4 members spitting this time.
(Respect My Mind) Juvenile bodies this track. He comes through with a story verse about growing up with his dad living a life of crime. Easily the best verse on the track. So far not feeling Mannie Fresh's beats as much here as I was on the last project.
(Help) First solo cut of the tape and holy fuck do I fuck with Mannie Fresh's production on this track. I can't even name all the layers he's got on this beat. One standout is the percussive use of a chopped-up police siren sample. That's a nice touch. B.G. is good on this. Dig the first verse where he rides an ay-ah rhyme scheme the whole time. (meaning every bar ends in something like "paid that, hate that, or take that.")
(Ridin) Damn, what is this beat chord progression also in? It sounds so familiar. Not much else I have to say about the track. They all did their thing. I retract my ambivalence towards Turk though. He's pretty dope too.
(Off the Porch Skit) What the fuck are they on about a shirt in this skit? I like the image it sets up though, with just some dudes chilling on the porch listening to music and talking to the passers-by, Friday-style. Would love to find out what the track is you can faintly hear bumping in the background
(Get Out Tha Way) I feel like the gold Mannie Fresh beats are more few and far between on this project but when he brings it, he really fucking brings it. The beat on here is so dense and dynamic, especially with the bass line towards the end. Lil Wayne fucking bodied this track. Here's an example:
"You get got, flip-flopped tossed and tumbled
I'm running wit your life in my hands, oops I fumbled"
If that isn't a classic Weezy set-up/pay-off, I don't know what is.
(Clear Tha Set) Wayne's solo cut off the tape. You can really hear how much more confident and present he is on this tape compared to the last. Starting to nail down his personality too.
(I Feel) That's two Wayne verses I almost want to rewind and play again. Destroys it. He even subverts and transcends the "I feel like x" pattern everyone was rolling with, essentially molding it's basics into a more free-form, better written version. Mannie Fresh on some G-funk shit with this, especially that cheese-ass robot voice. (Side-note: I'm not the biggest fan of Pac's California Love for this same reason. Sorry.)
(Boys at War) I just feel like Weezy is very obviously taking more creative chances with his flows already. I can't wait to see how Block is Hot from 1999 goes over. B.G. did his thing too on this track, though, definitely.
(You Dig) Juvenile's solo track. Decent. Not much I can think to say. I'm pretty sure those drums were sampled from that Long Red song, the one everyone uses, particularly in Kanye's camp, to get that guy yelling, "Yeah!" You know it when you hear it.
(I Need a Hot Girl) Mannie, you're killing me with this beat. That's like the same progression as that piece that plays at the beginning of Judge Judy episodes. Also Birdman was actually alright in this.
(Tuesday and Thursday) Why does Lil Wayne keep killing it? It really does feel like he knew what was up and that he was about to be popping off as a solo act. Also I had no idea it wasn't a good idea to sell drugs on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I appreciate the lesson there.
(Bout Whatever) Yeah this is a much better solo track for Turk than on last project. Lil Wayne on the hook and ad-libs.
(Sick Uncle Skit) What the fuck is going on? I guess the guy who wanted or was giving out Hot Boys t-shirts and got hit by a car in the last skit is like...sitting in the corner of this other dude's house with his family watching TV and speaking through this robotic modulator because I guess his vocal cords got damaged in the accident? Alright then. These dudes were high as fuck coming up with this shit. I know I'd have to be.
(Shoot 1st) Really digging the reggae-tinged hook by Papa Reu, whoever that may be, on this shit. The beat isn't really reggae but that probably would have really dated the track even more if it did, so it's solid. B.G. has the best verse on this one. Version I have cut off at the last two lines in Juveniles verse so that kind of sucks.
(Too Hot) This sounds like some definitive Hot Boys shit. This beat is big as fuck. Everyone comes through with a sick verse. The ending is kind of a cool call back to the first track on the previous mixtape. B.G. on some straight fucked up mob shit with his verse.
Closing Thoughts: I feel like the improvements in recording, Wayne's major flow improvements, and the fact that Mannie Fresh's best beats on here are better than his best beats on the last mixtape might edge this one over. The only problem is this one is kind of a slog. That might just be me burning out on Hot Boys. I can say that I'm getting a little sick of the Southern harmony flow practically everybody in Hot Boys uses at least 50% of the time. I know Wayne gets away from that flow eventually but I hope he stops doing it as soon as this next project from the same year. I'll listen again but it's not my favorite.
(Help) First solo cut of the tape and holy fuck do I fuck with Mannie Fresh's production on this track. I can't even name all the layers he's got on this beat. One standout is the percussive use of a chopped-up police siren sample. That's a nice touch. B.G. is good on this. Dig the first verse where he rides an ay-ah rhyme scheme the whole time. (meaning every bar ends in something like "paid that, hate that, or take that.")
(Ridin) Damn, what is this beat chord progression also in? It sounds so familiar. Not much else I have to say about the track. They all did their thing. I retract my ambivalence towards Turk though. He's pretty dope too.
(Off the Porch Skit) What the fuck are they on about a shirt in this skit? I like the image it sets up though, with just some dudes chilling on the porch listening to music and talking to the passers-by, Friday-style. Would love to find out what the track is you can faintly hear bumping in the background
(Get Out Tha Way) I feel like the gold Mannie Fresh beats are more few and far between on this project but when he brings it, he really fucking brings it. The beat on here is so dense and dynamic, especially with the bass line towards the end. Lil Wayne fucking bodied this track. Here's an example:
"You get got, flip-flopped tossed and tumbled
I'm running wit your life in my hands, oops I fumbled"
If that isn't a classic Weezy set-up/pay-off, I don't know what is.
(Clear Tha Set) Wayne's solo cut off the tape. You can really hear how much more confident and present he is on this tape compared to the last. Starting to nail down his personality too.
(I Feel) That's two Wayne verses I almost want to rewind and play again. Destroys it. He even subverts and transcends the "I feel like x" pattern everyone was rolling with, essentially molding it's basics into a more free-form, better written version. Mannie Fresh on some G-funk shit with this, especially that cheese-ass robot voice. (Side-note: I'm not the biggest fan of Pac's California Love for this same reason. Sorry.)
(Boys at War) I just feel like Weezy is very obviously taking more creative chances with his flows already. I can't wait to see how Block is Hot from 1999 goes over. B.G. did his thing too on this track, though, definitely.
(You Dig) Juvenile's solo track. Decent. Not much I can think to say. I'm pretty sure those drums were sampled from that Long Red song, the one everyone uses, particularly in Kanye's camp, to get that guy yelling, "Yeah!" You know it when you hear it.
(I Need a Hot Girl) Mannie, you're killing me with this beat. That's like the same progression as that piece that plays at the beginning of Judge Judy episodes. Also Birdman was actually alright in this.
(Tuesday and Thursday) Why does Lil Wayne keep killing it? It really does feel like he knew what was up and that he was about to be popping off as a solo act. Also I had no idea it wasn't a good idea to sell drugs on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I appreciate the lesson there.
(Bout Whatever) Yeah this is a much better solo track for Turk than on last project. Lil Wayne on the hook and ad-libs.
(Sick Uncle Skit) What the fuck is going on? I guess the guy who wanted or was giving out Hot Boys t-shirts and got hit by a car in the last skit is like...sitting in the corner of this other dude's house with his family watching TV and speaking through this robotic modulator because I guess his vocal cords got damaged in the accident? Alright then. These dudes were high as fuck coming up with this shit. I know I'd have to be.
(Shoot 1st) Really digging the reggae-tinged hook by Papa Reu, whoever that may be, on this shit. The beat isn't really reggae but that probably would have really dated the track even more if it did, so it's solid. B.G. has the best verse on this one. Version I have cut off at the last two lines in Juveniles verse so that kind of sucks.
(Too Hot) This sounds like some definitive Hot Boys shit. This beat is big as fuck. Everyone comes through with a sick verse. The ending is kind of a cool call back to the first track on the previous mixtape. B.G. on some straight fucked up mob shit with his verse.
Closing Thoughts: I feel like the improvements in recording, Wayne's major flow improvements, and the fact that Mannie Fresh's best beats on here are better than his best beats on the last mixtape might edge this one over. The only problem is this one is kind of a slog. That might just be me burning out on Hot Boys. I can say that I'm getting a little sick of the Southern harmony flow practically everybody in Hot Boys uses at least 50% of the time. I know Wayne gets away from that flow eventually but I hope he stops doing it as soon as this next project from the same year. I'll listen again but it's not my favorite.
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