Domo Genesis, member of Odd Future and all round musical cool cat dropped Under The Influence 2 the other day. I’m gonna expand in to putting some words together about a few of the mixtapes that get dropped on a regular basis on top of the albums. It’s hip hop and hip hop is in a special place, so the mixtapes are worth me sharing my experience in a written form.

First one up is next to die let me testify, feel electrified
Man I never learn cause in a loss is where the lessons lie
Flawless how I bless 'em you ain't get the steps to mess with Gods
Peasants, we on a bubble like effervescence
Everything I got is just a product of raw finessing
I menace fam
Me and money going hand in hand
Went in circles snapping pictures for the camera man

Domo Genesis serves up a crisp tape that is evidence of today’s hip hop getting back to its funky, creative roots with a wide range of samples and unique sounds. I mean it’s got Mike Tyson opening Rare From Doms describing how he feels before a fight, apparently he’s really scared but slowly builds in confidence before he believes he’s a god as he stands in the ring.  There’s plenty, they all fit perfectly and just add to it being that extra bit more interesting.

If you were a bit iffy on Odd Future - just a group of young attention seekers, you’re sleeping on some of the best young rhymers in the game. We all know how amazing Earl is, Tyler does what he does while Hodgy Beats spits fire and you can add Domo to that list. Under The Influence 2 is funky as much as it is ruthless, obviously Odd Future don’t really give a flying fuck so they spit rawness but offer a wee bit of humour as well.

All the tracks (14 of em) are pretty upbeat and get you in some sort of mood. X is just straight hart hitting fire from Domo, the type that only hip hop can offer. Just one of those tracks that you can flex on, I’m this, you’re that type of shit. It gets you vibing but makes you try your hardest to keep up with what he’s saying because you don’t wanna miss a thing.

The slowest paced song – Follow Me, that offers the greatest reflection and is the most sombre starts off with “I know this feeling like my right hand”. I don’t want to under sell it, but the topics etc are the same as what’s widely used in hip hop but it’s delivered in a way that’s completely unique to Domo.

There are some solid contributions besides Domo on the tape. A fair amount of the production is done by Left Brain, Odd Future comrade and one half of MellowHype. The other half, Hodgy Beats also features on the bomb The Sundance Kids where he maintains his consistency with some lively bars. Mac Miller, if he’s not in your top 10 you’re a racist, he pops by for This Is 15 Bars I May Be Wrong I Gotta See for some of the usual swift, clever, funkadelic bars we expect from him....

It's the, the uncomparable, who do you compare me to?
The candy paint cherry and the punch is raspberry blue
I rap circles 'round y'all this shit is spherical, hysterical
Flow creatin' burial scenes Mac Miller

Wasn’t really a fan of Iamsu! but on Go Outside he drops a verse worthy of its place on the tape.

In fact, Go Outside is probably my Bang Up Banger for this tape. Everything about it is cool, like chilled water not ice cold because the flow is impeccable. The drums, the “Oh,ooh baby” sample, the “even though it might seem strange, I got to go outside in the rain” sample and the increase in tempo that slowly gets you up out your seat  provide a great platform to flow. Which Domo Genesis and Iamsu! do.

What is it? Another example as to why I love hip hop.