At the turn of the century–maybe as late as 2006, when Nas dropped Hip Hop Is Dead…–your average rap fan from either coast might have lumped rappers from south of the Mason-Dixon line into one amorphous blob. But as the years tick by and rap music coverage becomes (slightly) less New York-centric, a funny thing is happening: rappers from different Southern cities are enjoying symbiotic relationships in a way they didn’t before, at least not on a mainstream level. Enter Young Dolph, a rising star out of Memphis who marries his hometown’s penchant for floating, technical flows to the vocal inflections and lyrical signifiers from Atlanta. Having churned out a steady stream of collaborations with some of today’s biggest names, Dolph is here now, one day after he promised, with a new mixtape, 16 Zips.
The 14-track set features contributions from T.I., Jadakiss, Slim Thug and Paul Wall, among others, and is a showcase of Dolph’s vocal dexterity. Production comes courtesy of Zaytoven, Drumma Boy, TM-88 and more. Stream 16 Zips here via LiveMixtapes. You can check out the tracklist below; note that “No Matter What” was the name of a single from T.I.’s 2008 album, Paper Trail.
1. Boyz In Da Hood
2. Skit #1
3. 16 Zip
4. Ask Your Bitch
5. No Matter What (f/ T.I.)
6. Skit #2
7. Money Power Respect
8. Back Against the Wall
9. They Watchin
10. All She Wanna Do (f/ Jayfizzle)
11. Everyday 420
12. Down South Hustlaz (f/ Slim Thug and Paul Wall)
13. Addiction (f/ Jadakiss)
14. Trap Nigga
