Review Summary: It's calm for the most part but has moments of excitement via experimental production decisions.
I will admit that this is the only album I have listened to by Dizzy Wright. I have heard quite a few tracks off of The Golden Age and SmokeOut Conversations, but I have not listened to either LP in their fullest. I started this review establishing that, because I won't be making comparisons to Dizzy's previous work when discussing this EP. I respected Dizzy as a rapper before this album's release and as Funk Volume started building up hype for this EP on all of their social media I got excited.
The first single released for State Of Mind was track two "Everywhere I Go," and it is a great song. The lyrics are fun, the rhyme schemes are sharp, the hook is extremely catchy and the production is handled very well by MLB. The production on the entire EP is handled really well. It's diverse, mature and layered. The self titled track, which is also the album opener, is one that I am a bit mixed on. The lyrical content is mature and the production is tasteful, but his flow is off and the hook sounds like it was lazily mixed. My favorite song on the EP is track three "Reunite For The Night." The production is handled by Roc N Mayne and the scratches are provided by Funk Volume's most prominent producer; DJ Hoppa. The two of them do a solid job of giving the track a sincere and catchy atmosphere, and Dizzy's delivery is the better here then on any of the other 6 tracks.
The only feature on State Of Mind is done by Rockie Fresh on track four "Too Real For This," and it is executed with a good amount of synergy. Dizzy and Rockie adapted well to MLB's calm and stripped back beat, while delivering mature verses discussing not selling out and staying "Real." Track five "Nuttin Bout Me" and track six "New Generation" are more energetic tracks in the same vain of "Everywhere I Go," and they are the weakest tracks in my opinion. I don't necessarily think this EP has any bad songs, but if I were to rank them I would put the aforementioned "Nuttin Bout Me" and "New Generation" at the bottom. They feel a bit more generic and somewhat hinder the cohesiveness of the overall album. Although they feel generic they are also executed as good as generic tracks can be and might make for good singles (especially "New Generation").
Now six tracks in Dizzy had to make a decision; does he end with another banger or does he steer back to the vibe delivered at the beginning of the EP. Instead of making the album end with a trio of fun and energetic tracks he has the last track appropriately name "Calm Down." Produced by 1stBorn with scratches by DJ Hoppa, yet again, this track is in the same vain as the album opener and "Reunite For The Night." Dizzy's delivery is good and he exploits a fair amount of double-tracking as he does on most of the songs on this EP. The song really ends the album well and is somewhat of a microcosm for the entire project. It's calm for the most part but has moments of excitement via experimental production decisions.
Overall I would recommend fans of Dizzy Wright check out this EP, but don't be shocked by the experimental approach he takes. I am excited to see how this transfers to his upcoming LP and look forward to exploring the rest of his discography further.
