The hip-hop interwebz are flooded with hundreds of mixtapes on a daily basis. A collection of random new songs by a particular artist, homage to an artist or label’s history with a track list spanning years of music, and maybe even random groups of tracks thrown together by some dj-slash-iTunes-playlist-jockey. Every now and then, though, you come across a free collection of music with so much time put into it, you wonder what you’ve done to receive such a gift. Mood Muzik 4 is one such gift. This collection could have been released as a retail album and easily warranted a $10-$15 purchase, yet we receive this free of charge.
“Success breeds change, but so does the lack of it.”
I’ll be honest; Joe Budden is a hard artist to push. Not everyone is hip to the quality of music that misses the mainstream spotlight. Sadly, most fans only know what’s played on TV and Radio. So, the second the name “Joe Budden” leaves my mouth, most immediately rewind back to “Pump It Up” and I have to swiftly correct them. Joe Budden has seen much evolution since then, personally and, as a result, lyrically. I’ve missed out on a couple of his releases, but I like to think this particular one is a crowning achievement.
"How can fans thinks us rappers are invincible? Can’t find anything about that logic that’s sensible. I’m thinking they should know better off of principle. To them we're action heroes. To labels we're expendables."
In my opinion, Joe Budden stands within an under populated bracket of artists exuding a higher level of honesty and passion in their craft. Few artist put emotion into music as efficiently as Budden. Each bar shines light on internal and external struggles and leaves listeners with a new understanding. You can't help but be drawn into his story. Even the songs with heavyweight features, like “Dessert For Thought” or “Remember The Titans” are filled with quotables. Each song represents another branch in his journey and I’m enjoying the trip thus far.
“Prideful, I don’t even succumb when defeated. All that do is get me mad, and I’m comfortable heated.”
I’ve read a couple reviews where Budden’s beat selection in past projects was seen as questionable and I was definitely inclined to agree. Lyrics are a higher focus for me, so it was an issue that didn’t bother me as much as most, but it definitely stuck out. It may possibly have been one of the only things holding him back from an even greater following. I think it was only a matter of finding a balance with a good producer; someone that could reflect the emotion of the words accurately in the music.
Verdict: This mixtape is probably the best of the year. Followed closely only by Wale’s More About Nothing. It’s definitely worth the listen. It’ll only take a couple of clicks to get you in the mood. Get to it.
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