I love free music. Unfortunately without the help of illegal download sites (which I would never do working for a record company and everything) or the occasional generosity of friends or co-workers, I’m left with the glory of the mixtape. Granted, those are often a mixed bag. They tend to have as much garbage as they have music. Mixtape dudes are always coming in and plugging their crews, producers, barbers, drug dealers, etc. And that’s where this new one from Das Racist deviates. Much in the same vain as The Cool Kids, these guys are all about wordplay and mixing pop culture with high culture (or low culture in the case of throwing in an Anne Coulter mention) in a nice hipster package that most likely appeals way more to white guys like me (though younger) than it does to true hip-hop heads. To their credit, there is little junk thrown in here through 20 tracks and it’s instantly catchy and entertaining. It’s not often that you find an Indian dude and Cuban/Italian guy from Wesleyan getting together to make a decent rap album (in fact, probably never), but these guys are the real deal. With their slightly lazy delivery and goofy subject matter, they may appeal more the white college stoner crowd, but not everyone can be… Wait, who the hell DOES have street cred these days?
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