Nowhere Near the "End of the Line" MixTape
So I was recently asked to review a new mixtape and write an article on it for this website. I usually don’t do the whole mixtape scene because personally, I feel as though there’s a new mixtape by “Rapper A” and “Rapper B” every day. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s great to see people staying out of trouble and trying to “make it big,” but please guys, it’s not for everyone.
Who cares if you have a mic at home, and can write some words that rhyme? That does not mean you should be “chasing a dream” that every other person in the world is chasing.
Now that that is out there, let me move forward. Before agreeing to even bother writing this, I asked to hear a sample of the mixtape that I would be writing on. Within the day I received a link to a song “Lights Out” by J Star. Now I don’t know if they chose to send this song because they thought that as a female, it would catch my attention easier. If that’s the case, then they were totally right. The slow and sexual ambiance to the song most definitely catches your attention, and can surely set a mood. More interested in J Star’s music, I got in touch with his “right hand man”, Mark Kurian, and asked for a copy of some more songs from the mixtape. With no delay I found an email in my inbox with 3 songs and a “teaser.”
Just like that, I must say that I’m hooked. In the email Mark wrote “I’m sending you these 3 different songs just to show you the diversity and then you can listen to the teaser for a taste of what else we got in the works.” He did just as he promised. With each song he sent, I saw a whole new side to this artist. “Clean It Up” featuring a talented vocalist named Charli, is a song that a good majority of people can relate to. A lot of men mess up in relationships but notice their mistakes and just want to wipe the slate clean and start fresh with the woman they love. This song portrays that message through J Star’s lyrics and Charli’s amazing voice on the chorus. I followed that up with a song for “the streets.” Now personally I’m not one who listens to the whole gangster rap genre, but his song “Until I Die” can change one’s mind. It starts off with someone that sounds straight out of the movie Transformers talking, and jumps right into J Star flowing. I use the word flowing cause that’s exactly what he does, unlike a majority of so called rappers. The way he rides the beat is amazing, and it’s definitely a song you would want to blast loud as you’re driving down the highway.
I then listened to the song “Lick ya Body.” Warning, this is not a song to listen to while trying to get work done. I spent the rest of the night with this song on constant repeat. The beat will have you moving, and the catchy chorus will have you singing along within the first minute of hearing it. There’s also another artist on the track by the name of Pav Bundy. I didn’t get much info on him but he’s some one to keep your ears open for as well. After listening to this one song on repeat for atleast 20 minutes, I finally got to the teaser track. Although a little long, at about 12 minutes, it basically played 30 second clips of every song on the mixtape. While listening to this I truly recognized the diversity that J Star takes on this tape. From nice smooth songs like “Pretty Little Flower” which actually features the platinum recording artist, Ashanti (and can also be found on Ashanti’s album “The Vault”) to a little mix of punk rock/ hip hop on songs such as “King of the Stage” and “Don’t Let Her Fool You” this mixtape is looking like it could possibly be a success.
The fact that I was so surprised is definitely what made me want to write this article. I was getting way too used to having friends and random people send me new music that they just made, and it honestly being trash. I’m sure I don’t speak for myself when I say that we all get a million and one messages from new artists that just want you to take a second and listen to their music. Now adays we are quick to delete those messages simply because we are used to the epic fails that those songs turn out to be. If you took time to read this article, I’d like to say that this is one artist that you don’t want to just skip over. He surely has a talent in making music, and not just writing rhymes.
The mixtape entitled “End of the Line” will be released on datpiff.com on May 27th. It will be available for free download. There will also be physical copies available for a price of 5 dollars. With that said, I hope you guys are anticipating this mixtape as much as I am. Go download a copy when it comes out and if you really want to support go and buy a physical copy too. If all works out I will also be getting an interview with J Star within the next few weeks so you guys can look forward to that as well.
Lights Out
Until I Die
by Michelle Wright
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