Review Summary: Now that you know him and you know his style. A mixtape that is every bit as good as the first if not even better.
11 of 13 thought this review was well writtenIn 2011 Clams Casino delighted us with a mixtape and an EP that showed that he was the main reason behind the success of rappers like, ASAP Rocky, Lil B and Squadda B. Fast forward to 2012 and you see that Clams Casino has produced for even more artists such as, The Weeknd and Mac Miller, and even remixing tracks for Lana Del Rey and XV, to name a few. Over the past year Clams has become the go-to guy if you want laid back and atmospheric beats and this mixtape shows exactly that.
While this mixtape only sports one unreleased track, “Human”, all the tracks feel new due to the lack of a sub-par rapper, all but ASAP and The Weeknd, to hold the tracks down and stop them from reaching their true potential. A great example of this would be “One Last Thing” by Mac Miller. Without Mac Miller on this track you hear a more serene and peaceful sound that was previously lost underneath Mac’s nasally sounding voice. Another thing to note about this mixtape, or any of his mixtapes really, is the fact that the tracks hold their own even without the original performer which sets Clams apart from most other hip-hop producers.
The mixtape showcases the best Clams Casino has to offer. With tracks like “The Fall”, “Human”, and “Swervin” you hear the more relaxed, dream like Clams from his EP, “Rainforest”, while with tracks like “Bass”, “Angels” and “Palace” you get his more bass driven signature hip-hop style. Clams also experiments a bit on this mixtape with the remixes, “Amor Fati”, “Swervin” and “Born To Die”. On these mixtapes he proves he is good at not just producing his own tracks but also remixing others and making them his own. But the real gem on this mixtape lies in the track “I’m God”, a track produced for Lil B, that basically takes all the best parts of his more lush and dreamy tracks and mixes them with an incredibly catchy, up-tempo beat...this seriously one of the catchiest beats I’ve ever heard. The best part is that unlike a lot of catchy beats it never seems to get old and is good time after time. This is where you start to realize the huge amount of potential that this guy possesses and why he is such a crucial part of today’s hip-hop scene. While “Instrumental Mixtape 2” isn’t a masterwork it is a step in the right direction.
