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This EP came out on July 17th in 2015. I’ve been meaning to get into Droog for a minute now, but I never really got the chance to check him out. He blew up in 2014 after he released a self titled project without any accompanying music videos. He wasn’t in the artwork, so nobody knew what he looked like. All they had was his music. So, they kinda… Well… He sounds like a slightly pitch shifted version of Nas, so of course everyone on the internet was like “He SOUNDS like Nas, therefore he IS Nas!” People thought that Nas released an album under the name Your Old Droog to build anticipation and mystery behind his upcoming album. I think it would’ve actually been pretty cool if Nas did that. That’s not what happened tho. Everyone was like “WHO IS YOUR OLD DROOG?” I agreed that his voice sounded like Nas, and I kinda wanted it to be Nas because that would’ve been cool, but I didn’t see how people could say that it was Nas without a doubt. That really doesn’t seem like the kinda shit Nas would do. I don’t think Nas knows enough about the internet to pull a stunt like that. It would’ve been cool tho. So, eventually Your Old Droog started doin’ live shows and interviews to reveal that he was indeed a white man from Ukraine. Weird. Who would’ve thought? I didn’t think it was Nas, but a white guy from Ukraine was just as, if not more difficult to believe than that. So there ya go. That’s the story of Your Old Droog. That’s how he quickly built his buzz. Everything I’ve heard from him has been dope af, so I figured I would go ahead and give his most recent project a listen. It’s only six tracks long too, which is dope. There’s not a lot of room for error & I already know that Droog’s a dope ass MC, so I’m expecting this shit to be dope af. I could only find the production credits for the first song, so I’m gonna assume that all the other tracks are produced by the same guy. Hopefully I’m not wrong. If you happen to have the official production credits for this project, please send ’em my way. Just hit me up on Twitter @OGNickMarsh. Alright. I’m finna start the project now. Oh by the way, y’all need to check out this Five Fingers of Death freestyle he did on Sway In The Morning. He fuckin’ destroyed that shit.

Track 1: We Don’t Know You (Prod. DJ Skizz)

This beat is nice and smooth. Huh. You know what? He really doesn’t sound that much like Nas on this one. Not on the hook at least. Goddamn. This beat is actually really dope. Especially when the first verse starts. It’s really fuckin’ smooth.  Droog’s goin’ in about how much better he is than other rappers. His rhyme schemes on this shit are so fuckin’ dope. “These cats is jaded, tryna do what Jay did / Wasting studio time, getting faded / Said you had a classic, that shit was C-graded / Get degraded and I don’t worry about karma from cats we’ve shaded.” Even the way he rhymes on this hook is dope af. “Since I knocked the world off its axis / People wanna ask us for a special kinda access.” This is really dope. The hook is great, the beat’s smooth as hell, and Droog’s goin’ the fuck in. He’s not only good at rapping; he actually wrote a great song here. He set the bar high with this intro. I’m actually kinda surprised by how much I like this. I mean, I knew he could rhyme, but this shit is REALLY good. The music video’s dope too. I definitely fuck with this song. It’s dope af. 5/5

Track 2: Through The Nose

Yeah, this beat is really smooth too. I guess this could be DJ Skizz’s beat. It gives me the same vibe as the previous track’s production. I probably shouldn’t make assumptions tho… Well, it’s a dope ass beat. On this hook he kinda sounds like DJ Khaled. I’m deadass serious. His voice reminds me of DJ Khaled on this hook. Well, only the first couple of lines from the hook. It’s cool. Not an amazing hook, but it’s definitely not bad. This production is really dope. Everything about this song is really good. The hook could be better, but that’s really the only problem I can find. The hook isn’t even bad. It’s just not great. I fuck with this song. This song is dope. 4/5

Track 3: Wave Rider

I’m not in love with this hook. It’s not horrible, but it could be better. This beat is cool. It’s real smooth just like the other tracks. He’s shittin’ on people who do shit just for fame and popularity in this song. It kinda sounds like he’s talkin’ about another rapper, but I don’t really know. It’s a dope song. Droog’s rhymes are the only thing that really stand out, but the beat and hook aren’t too bad. It’s dope. Just not as good as the last few tracks. I still fuck with it tho. 4/5

Track 4: Word

This beat is a little more uptempo and energetic than that of the other tracks. Droog starts goin’ in as soon as the track starts. This beat isn’t bad, but I’m not feelin’ it like the other ones. It’s still cool tho. Just not that great. The hook kinda sucks. “He said ‘Droog, you never gonna make it.‘ Woooooooord???” I get what he’s tryin’ to say and everything, but it’s just not that entertaining. His rhymes are still on point during the verses. “Love is shit talkin’; that’s more people that gotta eat their words, word, and I won’t be deterred from feedin’ you that turd.” Uhhh. I don’t know. I really liked the verses, but the other aspects of this track just aren’t good enough. The bars are dope, but it kinda falls flat as a song. This is okay to me. 3/5

Track 5: Listen

This beat is dope. Damn. Droog’s goin’ in right now. His delivery is more aggressive on this track. It’s great. The hook could still be better on this track, but it’s not bad. Goddamn. Droog’s really goin’ in. I wish he would spit like this more often. He usually has a more laid back flow. This is great tho. This hook lasts way too long. It kinda ruins the momentum of the track. A song like this shouldn’t have a hook. I just need these dope ass bars over a nice beat. I think the smooth production definitely has something to do with Droog not usually spittin’ with this kind of aggressive delivery. This particular track is dope tho. The hook prevented it from being dope af. I still fuck with it tho. 4/5

Track 6: Have A Nice Day

This beat is pretty chill. It’s not as smooth as the other ones, but it’s laid back and relaxing. The song is just one verse. It’s dope. This beat is so fuckin’ smooth. The song ends about 45 seconds after the last bar. I don’t mind that he left the smooth ass beat to play the song out, but the actual verse could’ve been longer. I still enjoyed the song tho. It’s dope. 4/5

Final Thoughts:

This EP is dope. It’s just a bunch of dope bars and smooth beats. Also some mediocre hooks I guess… The first one is pretty dope tho. If you aren’t really familiar with Your Old Droog’s music, I think this would be a pretty good introduction to him. It was technically my introduction to his music. You can’t really deny that he’s a good rapper after hearing this. His music may not be your style, but he’s a really dope MC and he makes it seem easy. The only time he stumbles a little bit is during the hooks, and they aren’t the worst hooks I’ve ever heard. Just not that good. The bars are undeniable, and the beats are smooth as fuck. It’s a dope EP. I fuck with this one.

Favorite Song: We Don’t Know You

Least Favorite Song: Word

Verdict:

80%

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