Review Summary: A surprisingly bangin' trap album.
Fredo Santana is a rapper from Chicago, which has been a trending area for trap rap recently. Fredo Santana is in the same group as Chief Keef, Lil Reese, and other "Drill Rappers" on the scene. While "Trappin' Ain't Dead" isn't the best trap rap album ever to come out, it definitely is a good start for anyone entering the genre.
Fredo isn't much of a lyricist; he's more known for his banging beats and memorable flows. His lyrics are pretty brutal and straightforward about violence and other "G-***." Therefore, you shouldn't go into this expecting Nas or Tupac. His lyrics are simple, but effective over the (usually) great production.
The intro "Trap Boy" is a good intro, with Fredo Santana introducing the subjects he's bound to talk about the whole album. "Growin' up, I was just another black boy, so I grabbed some work, and hit the trap boy" over a badass, cinematic beat. It has a dark feeling, and most of the album has this movie-soundtrack, creepy atmosphere.
Some great examples of this dark atmosphere are "Gang Bang," "Ring Bells," and "Clockwork." All three of these songs have violent stories about killing and selling drugs, with some excellent beats by top-notch producers like Young Chop and Lex Luger.
Some songs have more energy and bang in the car, rather than make for an intense listening experience. Some of these songs are "Trap House," "History," and "Playin' Wit' A Sack." They all bump and are great tracks and fun to listen to.
However, the best track on the album is "Jealous," a collab with Kendrick Lamar, the master lyricist of today. The eerie feeling and strange flow of the song might turn you off at first, but a few listens will guarantee goodness. Kendrick spits a weird, but awesome verse with great lyrics, while Fredo Santana does autotune to add variety to the beat. The song is full of changing up flows and the beat, making the song sound full and complete.
Not all the songs on the album are good, though. "Givin' Out Smoke," "She Down For Me," and "I Don't Know About You" are full of really bad singing and autotune and are really unenjoyable to listen to. The beats are also uninspired and boring. There is one other truly bad song on here, "Ova Here," because it's boring and has some of the lamest lyrics in trap music history.
Overall, "Trappin' Ain't Dead" is a great start to Fredo Santana's library, considering the other mixtapes are very acquired tastes.
BEST TRACKS: Jealous, Ring Bells, Trap House, Clockwork
WORST TRACKS: Givin' Out Smoke, She Down For Me, I Don't Know About You, Ova Here
