Wiz Khalifa & Curren$y Collab Album Review – 2009
FAV TRACKS: Garage Talk, Benz Boys (feat. Ty Dolla Sign), From the Start, Getting Loose (feat. Problem), First or Last
2009 is the follow up to the first collaborative venture 10 years ago (How Fly) between the Pittsburgh and New Orleans rappers. The project leads off with a boom bap beat and some simple but catchy verses from the duo. On the second track, ‘10 Piece’, Curren$y interpolates the hook from Outkast’s ‘Two Dope Boyz (In a Cadillac)’ off the ATLiens album.
The album features assists from Ty Dolla $ign, a Taylor Gang signee, and Problem, a German-born, Compton raised MC. Ty Dolla’s sticky hook on Benz Boys improves the catchiness and replayability of the song. The following three cuts are a bit disappointing and nothing to write home about. The project starts picking back up on the album’s halfway point, ‘From the Start’, which features additional vocals from Tommy Girl, an unknown and uncredited Pittsburgh singer who brings a soulful touch to the hook and track. The project isn’t too long, clocking in around 40 minutes, which averages to just under 3 minutes per song over 14 tracks. There really isn’t anything flashy on this project. Most of the songs feature a single verse from Wiz and Spitta respectively, with the exception being the three cuts with features. A decent amount of these songs aren’t really fleshed out as much as they could have.
Production on this album is mostly done by Dame Grease, Cardo, and DJ Fresh. Dame Grease is a producer from Harlem who is known for making heavy beats. Having worked with a lot of rappers in the scene, he is mostly affiliated with rappers from NYC; from Dipset, The LOX, DMX, and fellow Harlem rapper Max B. Cardo is another notable producer on this project, with production credits on hits like ‘God’s Plan’, ‘goosebumps’, ‘THat Part’, and ‘100 (feat. Drake)’. DJ Fresh has worked with artists such as Freddie Gibbs and Problem.
The reunion between Curren$y and Wiz Khalifa isn’t anything to write home about, but it doesn’t really care. 2009’s best quality is that it does not try to be anything more than what it is, and it occupies its smoke-filled lane well.
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Written by: John Yu (@stimyulus)