Hit-Boy---HS87 All I've Ever Dreamed Of

Hit-Boy-HS87: All I’ve Ever Dreamed Of-(2013)

Artist: Hit-Boy  

Album: HS87: All I’ve Ever Dreamed Of

Label: Independent

Producers: artist   

All it takes is who you know and social networking to get your foot in the door. That’s exactly how it happened to Fontana California’s beat smith Hit-Boy. First got the holla from Southern producer Polow da Don on myspace and the rest is history. Hit-Boy made his mark producing for top notch artists such as Jay-Z, Kanye West, Kid-Cudi, A$AP Rocky to Jennifer Lopez and Justin Bieber to name a few. Now with the outbreak track “Goldie” that brought A$AP Rocky to the promise land of the young elite and a successful mixtape “HITstory” under his belt, Hit-Boy returns with his latest mixtape/album under his own label Hits Since 87 called All I’ve Ever Dreamed Of.

            This album has a mixture of feel good tracks and something for the radio tracks. The album starts rough with the heavy bass and kicks track Them Niggas where Hit Boy and Audio Push delivery fits the beat. One thing about Hit-Boy is that his beats can either cause head nods or booty shaking. “T.U.” acronym for turn up is a radio friendly track that keeps the attention span going. The favorite tracks on this is the Kanye West influenced beat to “Enormous” a smooth beat with the hand claps that can be played in any ride while “Make Something” featuring Chi-Town’s Common puts Hit-Boy on the map with the drum knocking production which easily puts him as one of the producers to look out for 2013.

            Just when you think there is something about the album that has a smooth ride, some things just don’t go well. Although Hit-Boy’s production is stellar and has potential, throughout the album is very Kanye West felt comparison which may divert the attention away from Hit-Boy’s identity. The other issue which is very important is the lyrics. The lyrical content on the album can be bland at times and one dimensional in which K-Roosevelt is the only person can hold it down; remember him from Kendrick Lamar! For example: “Tonight” may not be the best track but this explains great producer/artist compatibility; an unique electro R&B beat with the kicks placed at the right time that compliments K. Roosevelt’s harmonies. Throughout the album, it’s all about bragging, getting this money and females: which about majority of artists are talking about. “Shoe Money” with Audio Push and K$nt Money is a club banger about money and white girls: production wise the beat is stellar with the strong official 808 bass but make it hard to listen lyrically while 2Chainz track “Fan” is a very annoying strip club track that loses momentum. The posse cut “Cypher” felt somewhat confusion although the beat fits the bill, the season veterans easily over shine new artists. When you have artists like Rick Ross, Method Man, Redman, Raekwon and Common with artists that haven’t got their feet wet, it can be unbalanced. “Cypher” just doesn’t have that powerful impact like A$AP Rocky’s “1 Train” or the consistency of new artist blending well with veterans on a track like Fat Joe’s “Firewater” or “Wishful Thinking”.

            This is another attempt of breaking the game although the album has some flaws. Not as consistent as HITstory, the Californiaian producer still got some heat and should not be slept on. A long way from being under Polow da Don’s wing to working with the biggest artists shows that persistence is the key. Since the comparisons are obvious, this may not be College Dropout material but it definitely graduated from High School High!

            Strong Tracks: “Do Me Now”, “Make Something”, “Enormous”,

            Average Tracks: “T.U.”, “Tonight”, “Shoe Money”, “Cypher”

            Weak Tracks:  “Fan”, “Caution”

            Rating:out of