This mixtape was released on February 29th this year. I’m not a Pro Era expert, so I don’t really know every single member that well, but Nyck Caution always stood out to me as one of the more proficient MCs in the group. I think one of the first songs I ever heard him on was Hot Box by Joey Bada$$. I just always thought he had a great flow, and a great voice for Hip Hop. He sounds great over a beat. This is the first actual project of his that I’ll be listening to. I’m expecting it to be very good. From what I’ve seen, it’s been getting a lot of positive reception, so I’m pretty sure I’m gonna like this. I really like Pro Era. I know this is really off topic, but what the hell ever happened to Dessy Hinds? He was another one of my favorite members, but I haven’t heard shit from him in a LONG ass time. I think the next big project from Pro Era is gonna be from CJ Fly, but hopefully Dessy gets a project out soon because he’s really dope to me. Anyway, I’m pretty excited for this mixtape, so I’m gonna go ahead and get this shit started.

Track 1: The Pursuit (Prod. Rami Afuni & Chuck Strangers)

This production is dope af. The beat starts out really smooth, but once it actually drops this shit is fuckin’ great. The bass is really hard hitting. I’ve always been a big fan of Chuck Strangers’ production. Damn. This beat is fuckin’ crazy. The first verse from Nyck was dope. The second verse was nice too. Lyrically, nothing he says really blows me away, but he just rides the beat really fucking well. His flow was great. He sounded really good over the beat. I can’t really find anything negative to say about this track. If I gave this song anything less than a 5 I would be hating. This was a great way to open up the mixtape. I definitely fuck with this shit. This is dope af. 5/5

Track 2: Inspire The Escape Feat. Madison Iman (Prod. Rel & Sharp)

This beat is really smooth. Madison Iman sounds really good on this intro. The first verse from Nyck was dope. The beat kinda switches up after the first verse. I was not expecting this song to evolve the way it did. It’s good tho. I like it. The second verse was dope. I enjoyed this song. The beat was dope, and Nyck did his thing. There’s not really anything that I don’t like about this song, but at the same time I don’t think it’s amazing. It’s just a good song. Madison Iman’s vocals sounded very good. The production was good. Nyck did his thing on the verses. It’s a dope song. 4/5

Track 3: Baptized (Prod. Kirk Knight & Jake Birch)

This beat is cool. I just listened to the whole song. It’s just a good verse over a good beat. Nothing really stands out about it at all. I enjoyed it tho. It’s not the most impressive track. It’s definitely not bad tho. This isn’t gonna sway anyone’s opinion on Nyck Caution. If you don’t like Nyck Caution you won’t like this song. If you do like Nyck Caution, you probably will. The production during the outro was very good, but aside from that nothing really stands out. I still like it tho. This is dope to me. 4/5

Track 4: Crucifix Feat. Joey Bada$$ (Prod. Bruce Leekix & Jake Birch)

This beat is dope af. It’s really dark, and the percussion is very hard hitting. Nyck’s flow on the first verse is really dope. This beat is crazy. The hook is cool. Nyck’s verse was dope. Oh shit. I love the way the beat switched up for Joey’s verse. He killed it too. This production is fucking fantastic to me. Joey killed it, and Nyck did a great job too. For first time listeners, I suggest listening to this shit with the volume turnt up real loud so you can get the full weight of the percussion. There’s a lot going on with this beat. It kinda just sounds like noise when the volume is too low. I definitely fuck with this tho. This song is dope af to me. 5/5

Track 5: Basin (Prod. Kirk Knight)

The way the previous track transitioned into this one was really dope. This is one of the few tracks that I’ve already heard from this tape. The beat is fucking incredible. This song sounds kind of Trap inspired. However, unlike most Trap music, Nyck Caution is actually rapping well. His flow is crazy. The hook is dope af. The first verse was great, and I love the way the beat switched up for the second verse. He didn’t lose any of the momentum he had tho. This song is dope af. The beat is very energetic, and Nyck spazzed on it. The music video was actually pretty cool too. 5/5

Track 6: Show No Love Feat. Kirk Knight (Prod. Kirk Knight)

The way the previous track transitioned into this one was really nice. This beat is fucking incredible. Goddamn. The production on this tape has actually been really fuckin’ good so far. Has Kirk Knight always been this good? I guess I’m just not really used to hearing these kinds of beats from him. This project doesn’t really have that typical, old school sound that you’d normally expect from a Pro Era artist. It’s more hard hitting, and intense. This sound is definitely gonna be more appealing to a mainstream audience than the shit Pro Era usually puts out. The music isn’t dumbed down lyrically tho. It’s just slightly more accessible. The first verse was dope. The hook is great. Kirk’s on the second verse. It was dope. This song is dope af. The production is fantastic, and Nyck & Kirk both sounded great over it. It’s not super lyrical or anything, but they sounded great flowin’ over this shit. I definitely fuck with this track. This is dope af. 5/5

Track 7: Just In Case Feat. Alex Mali (Prod. Kirk Knight)

This beat is pretty dope. The subject matter here isn’t really for me. He’s rapping about a tough relationship. I’m not in love with the subject matter, but he did a very good job with it. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying this song. I definitely don’t think it’s as good as the other tracks, but I kinda fuck with it. The hook is alright. The second verse was cool. Meh… I’m not in love with this track. I definitely don’t think it’s bad. I wasn’t in love with the way it ended, but I still kinda enjoyed this. I just doubt that I’d come back to this. It was alright tho. I guess Alex Mali was just on the background vocals… 3/5

Track 8: Somebody Feat. Tyler Sheritt (Prod. Navie D)

This is another song that I’ve already heard before. The beat is dope af. The first verse was great. I love the way the production kinda expands during the hook. Nyck’s hook itself isn’t that flashy. He just slowly repeats a few lines. I still fuck with it tho. A lot of people are saying that this song is about a girl who he broke up with I guess. I think it’s a much better song when you interpret it as a message to Capital STEEZ tho. It just feels more realer. It’s just deeper. I love sad music, and if this is about Capital STEEZ, then this is perfect for me. You know, the first time I heard this song I wasn’t super amazed, but I wasn’t really paying attention. It was on in the background. Now that I’m actually sitting down and listening to it for real, I REALLY fuck with this shit. This is probably my favorite song on the whole tape so far. I definitely fuck with this shit. Tyler Sheritt did his thing singin’ on the bridge too by the way. This shit is dope af. I even liked the music video. That’s probably the most interesting lyric video I’ve ever seen before. 5/5

Track 9: Density (Prod. Slauson Malone)

This beat is dope af. The song just ended. It’s dope. There’s not really a hook. It’s just Nyck Caution spittin’ two dope verses over a great beat. He doesn’t really snap or anything. It’s just a good song. I’m not really amazed by this song like I am with a lot of the other tracks here, but I still really enjoyed it. It’s dope. 4/5

Track 10: Wordsmith (Prod. Kirk Knight)

Uh oh… I don’t think I’m gonna like this… I’m not really feelin’ the beat. It has this annoyin’ ass electric guitar riff—it might be a bass guitar… I don’t know my instruments very well—that just doesn’t end. It gets a little better once the percussion comes in, but I really can’t stand that guitar loop. I don’t like electric guitars at all, so I guess it makes sense that I wouldn’t like this. There are a lot of other people that seem to agree that the beat kinda sucks tho. I’m not feelin’ this hook either. It sucks because Nyck really killed the verses. The beat gets a little better during the first part of the second verse, but the guitar eventually comes back. Nyck killed this shit, but I’m not feelin’ the beat or the hook. As a song, this shit is wack to me. 2/5

Track 11: Church (Prod. Slauson Malone)

This is the final song that I’d already heard before checking this tape out. I already know that I like it. The intro is WAAAAYY too long tho. I was starting to think that this was just gonna be an instrumental interlude for a second, even tho I know I’ve already heard this before. It’s really dope once the beat actually drops and Nyck starts spittin’ tho. The beat is dope af, and his flow is great. It’s a really fast paced track. I fuck with the hook too. This song would be dope af if it weren’t for that long ass intro. I also wasn’t really feelin’ the way that he incorporated that Three 6 Mafia sample towards the end of the track. I still fuck with the song tho. It’s dope. The music video was pretty cool. There definitely needs to be a some kinda Epilepsy warning tho… 4/5

Track 12: Out Of Reach Feat. theMIND & Alex Mali (Prod. Kirk Knight)

This should be good. I’m not that familiar with The Mind, but I love the shit he’s done with Mick Jenkins. The vocal effects at the beginning of this track sound really nice. Oh shit… I guess this track is gonna be about STEEZ. Goddamn. This is really sad. He’s basically telling the story of how he found out what happened. “Then the phone rang, I think Joey answered / It’s his sister crying, no one made a noise / Dropped it to the floor; said our homie passin’ / All the brightness slightly died and was destroyed.” This is dope af. “You know I’d give you all of me / Ima always ride with you, ’til the day I lie with you / It’s called loyalty.”

I definitely fuck with this song. Nyck’s verses were great. The beat was dope af. I really liked that outro too. Something about this beat just sounds familiar tho… Oh shit. It’s the same sample from Dance On Me by GoldLink. It sounds a lot better here. Dance On Me was NOT a good song, but I like the sample, so I’m glad it was used here. It sounds great. The background vocals from theMIND and Alex Mali were great too. I definitely fuck with this. This is dope af. 5/5

Track 13: Holding Back Feat. Alex Mali (Prod. J Money & Jake Birch)

This beat is really dope. The production throughout this whole project has been very good. The first verse was great. Something about this hook sounds off to me… The vocals from Alex Mali aren’t terrible… They just don’t really seem to fit over the melody of this beat very well to me. It’s not that bad tho. It definitely doesn’t ruin the track. I fuck with this song. The beat’s dope af and Nyck went in. The hook could’ve been better, but I still kinda enjoyed it. I loved the way this song ended tho. The outro was great. This song’s dope. 4/5

Track 14: What’s Understood Feat. Joey Bada$$ (Prod. Metro Boomin’)

This should be interesting. I wasn’t expecting to see a Pro Era & Metro Boomin’ collaboration. I’m sure it’ll be dope. Oh fucking shit. This beat is fucking dope af. Nyck’s goin’ the fuck in right now. He killed it. The hook is dope af. He even threw on a little autotune. It didn’t sound bad tho. It’s dope af. This shit is so fuckin’ dope. Metro killed this beat. The hook is great too. Joey’s goin’ in now. Damn. His delivery is awesome on this shit. He has a real aggressive flow. Holy fuckin’ shit. Joey’s fuckin’ rippin’ this shit. Holy SHIT. Yo Joey just fuckin’ killed this shit. He stole the show. He controlled this shit. That was dope af. Goddamn. I definitely fuck with this song. Everything about this song is dope af. It would’ve been dope af even without the feature from Joey Bada$$. He really elevated this shit to the next level tho. Damn. It’s gonna be hard to choose a favorite song… 5/5

Track +1: World In Your Pocket Feat. Joey Bada$$ (Prod. Chuck Strangers)

This is just a loose track that Nyck released last year I guess. This beat is pretty smooth. I’m not blown away by it. It’s good tho. Nyck’s verse was dope. Joey’s verse was alright. He sounded good over the beat, and his flow was cool and everything. There weren’t any dumb lines. It’s just the shit he was rapping about that I couldn’t exactly get behind… It was basically his version of Wet Dreamz by J. Cole. He was tellin’ the story of the first time he FUCKED a girl. It’s not a bad verse. It’s just not that interesting to me. The way he ended it was nice tho. “In conclusion: I rushed it / Gave my innocence to a girl I barely fucked with / When you get that feeling in your gut you should trust it / ‘Cause you got a jewel that you got to use.” I enjoyed the song. I can see why it was just a loose track tho. It’s not overly memorable. It’s still dope tho. I fuck with this. 4/5

Track +2: Vulcan (Prod. Mike Gao)

This single was released last year on June 1st, and I remember hearing this shit and being like “goddamn…” All I remember is that it was fuckin’ crazy. This beat is dope af, and Nyck fuckin’ spazzed on it. It gives off the same vibe as Basin. The beats are very different, but they have the same level of energy, and Nyck went crazy on both tracks. His flow is great on this shit. OOooooh my fuckin’ God…

This instrumental outro is fucking unbelievable. This fuckin’ beat is incredible. This Mike Gao guy needs more placements because this shit is amazing. I definitely fuck with this shit. This is dope af. I kinda wish Nyck rapped over this part of the beat, but it is what it is. 5/5

Track +3: Rolling With Me Feat. Maverick Sabre (Prod. SoulCircuit)

This track came out last year on July 20th. The original version is technically a SoulCircuit song featuring Maverick Sabre, but I guess Nyck just really liked it, so he decided to remix it. This beat is fucking incredible. Nyck just spits on the intro. He killed it tho. The beat is so fuckin’ dope tho. Maverick Sabre did a great job too. He’s a really good singer. This is kind of a Poppy song, but I’d be lyin’ if I said I didn’t enjoy it. I think it’s dope personally. It would’ve been better if Nyck had another verse tho… 4/5

Track +4: Light Through The Cracks (Prod. Travis Scott, Allen Ritter, Frank Dukes & Mike Dean)

This track came out on Nyck’s 22nd birthday this year. It’s a freestyle over Oh My by Travis Scott. I just went back and read my review of Oh My, and I kinda tore that shit apart. I don’t take back anything I said tho. That song is wack to me. I did like the beat tho. I still do. It’s dope. I’m glad Nyck did the beat justice, unlike Travis Scott. He killed this shit in a bad way. Nyck brought the shit back to life and killed it again, but in a good way this time. His flow was dope af. I really don’t see how anyone could argue that the original version is better. There isn’t anything that I don’t like about this version. The beat’s dope, and Nyck ripped this shit apart. This is dope af. 5/5

Track +5: Nyctophilia Feat. Dyemond Lewis & Denzel Curry (Prod. Soulstruck)

Out of all of these bonus tracks that I’m reviewing here, this is the only one that I haven’t heard before. It came out on the same day as the previous track. It’s starting now. Oh. I didn’t know nyctophilia was a real word…

I thought he was just making up a dumb word with his name. Anyway, Dyemond Lewis is on the first verse. His flow is dope af. I’m gonna be honest, I used to think Dyemond Lewis was a singer. I think I just got him mixed up with Maverick Sabre tho. They were on a song together a while ago. Anyway, I really liked Dyemond’s verse. Denzel killed his verse. “Buddy you Sierra Mist / That’s compared to Dirty Sprite / I’m the future of this shit / I ain’t talking Future’s wife.” There are a lot of quotable lines. “Give a fuck about the black and white / You could be a zebra combined with a referee.” I don’t really like the reverb on his voice, but he still did a good job. Nyck Caution fuckin’ killed this shit. He definitely had my favorite verse. The beat wasn’t that good to me, but it definitely wasn’t bad. I like it. I’m just not blown away by it. All three MCs had great verses tho. Denzel’s verse sounded like it was poorly mixed—mostly because of the reverb—but it’s not that bad. I really enjoyed the verses; so much so that I’m willing to look past all the flaws and call this dope af. 5/5

Final Thoughts:

This mixtape was dope. This’ll probably end up being my mixtape of the year. Anything better than this would basically be a free album. The production was very good throughout this entire project, and Nyck sounded great over it. He’s got a great flow, as well as a very good voice for Hip Hop. The actual lyrics were rarely that impressive, but he still managed to keep things interesting with his flow, delivery, hooks, subject matter, and beat selection. Other than that I really can’t think of any consistent flaws. It’s a very good project. I definitely think it’s worth a listen for pretty much everybody. I really don’t know what’s not to like about this shit. I GUESS some of the beats are less accessible than others due to the noisy percussion, but that’s only a handful of tracks. It’s just a very good mixtape. I’m looking forward to the next project from Nyck Caution. I’m also ready for that next Dessy Hinds project. I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve heard any shit from him… Anyway, this project is dope. Definitely worth listening to.

Favorite Song: Somebody

Least Favorite Song: Wordsmith

Verdict:

85%

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