This mixtape was released on June 3rd this year. I remember hearing a lot about Bishop Nehru’s debut album, which is supposed to be executively produced by Nas, since he signed to Mass Appeal back in 2014.

I’m not sure what happened with that project. I guess he just decided to release this mixtape for his fans to build up a buzz for the album. According to a press release from back in 2014, Nas will be a “feature on the project amongst other artists and producers,” so I guess this isn’t that album since there aren’t any features on this tape. Oh. According to HotNewHipHop, his “long-awaited debut album” is “due out later this year.” That’s cool. I guess I should probably talk more about THIS project. Uhhh. Well, I honestly don’t really have anything to say about it. I haven’t really seen anyone else talking about it. I’m expecting to enjoy it tho. Every song is self produced, except where noted.

Track 1: Did I Find It

Okay, the way this song is starting actually makes it sound like a proper intro to this mixtape. I guess it makes sense that Bishy’s B-Day Playlist was just a collection of songs quickly thrown together. It was just a “playlist” after all. Damn, this intro’s long as hell. Wooah… What the hell? The sound quality is off again… I don’t remember this being a problem on NehruvianDOOM, or even BrILLiant Youth now that I think about it. I actually think the reverb on the percussion is what’s making it sound like the sound quality is off. It’s like listening to a lo-fi Trap beat. Those two styles really don’t blend well. I’d probably really like the beat if it weren’t for the reverberating percussion. The first verse was really dope. The second verse was even better. He’s fuckin’ killin’ this shit. I just wish the sound quality was better. FUCK. The fuckin’ rhymes on this shit are crazy. He killed that third verse. “I swear that these dudes clowns thinkin’ they know me, but they don’t tho / Bozos, hopin’ for low blows / While they hoes with slow blows / Been chillin’ slow mo’ / This life, I’m livin’ solo / ‘Cause they be so low / Changin’ for everything, but mo’ dough.” He was spittin’ his fuckin’ ass off on this song, but I just can’t get past the sound quality. It really held this shit back for me. I still fuck with this song tho. I just would’ve liked it a lot more if I could hear everything more clearly. 4/5

Track 2: It’s Whateva (Prod. Tay $lay)

This beat sounds really familiar… Oh, Tay $lay sampled Untitled 7 by Kendrick Lamar. This… I don’t know if I like this beat. It just sounds like he turned the Untitled 7 beat into a generic Trap song. The first verse wasn’t bad. I’m not feelin’ this hook. The second verse was pretty good. I don’t know… Remember when I said the B-Day Playlist sounded amateurish? This song has the same problem. I’m not a fan of this Tay $lay guy. I don’t think this song is terrible; the verses weren’t bad at all. I just don’t think I’d ever wanna listen to this again. It’s alright. I guess. The music video is way more interesting than any of the videos from Bishy’s B-Day Playlist. He definitely loses points for dabbing tho. Also, whoever was in charge of the cinematography made the same typo THREE times. I’m assuming that’s the cinematographer’s fault. I don’t really know who’s in charge of the text… 3/5

Track 3: Cake Up

Uh oh… Wow. This beat is really bad… Same goes for the hook. I wasn’t expecting to hear anything this bad on this mixtape. The verse wasn’t terrible, but this fucking hook is just awful. This beat would probably be tolerable if the primary loop wasn’t as loud. It’s really annoying tho. Oh. It just ended. Yeah. Nah. I can’t fuck with this one. The hook and beat were so bad. I didn’t even really even enjoy the bars that much. This shit is wack af to me. 1/5

Track 4: Sacred Visions

Man, the production has been pretty bad on this tape so far. Hopefully that changes soon. Oh shit… Okay, here we go. This beat is dope af. It’s really smooth. Man, this whole tape sounds unmastered. The first verse was great. The hook is actually decent on this song too. This is really good. I’m really enjoying this song. Bishop Nehru fits much better over this smoother production style, rather than the trendier, Trap inspired sound that he usually ends up making with Tay $lay. I think he fits better over his own production, even tho the previous track was kind of a dud. There’s not really anything that I don’t like about this song aside from the poor sound quality. This is dope af to me. 5/5

Track 5: Tu Tienes Que Saber (You Should Know)

Huh. Maybe I spoke too soon when I said that Bishy fits better over his own production. I’m not really feelin’ this beat. It’s got that trendier sound that I mentioned when I was talking about Tay $lay. Ugh… This subject matter really isn’t for me. “Baby girl, lemme change your mood / I’ma hang, and show you a thang or two.” His flow is kinda cool, but other than that this really isn’t doing anything for me. “Enough of me, it’s right back to you, boo.” It’s pretty ironic that he would say that because the next line is literally all about him. “I’m controlling like it was voodoo.” I’m really not feelin’ this beat… The hook is pretty bad too. Damn. This is really bad. What the fuck is happening? This just goes to show how even great MCs can make bad music. I can’t get behind this shit. This song is wack to me. 2/5

Track 6: He The Man (Prod. Bilbo)

This beat is really simplistic. I can’t decide whether or not I like it. It’s kind of annoying. Nah… I’m not feelin’ this beat. It’s not terrible tho. The first verse was great. The hook is kinda underwhelming. The second verse was dope af. Damnit. This beat is really bad. Fuck. The verses on this song are great, but the production and hook are really holding this track back. As a song, this isn’t very good. The verses from Bishy were good, but other than that I’m not feelin’ this. It’s alright I guess. 3/5

Track 7: One Of A Kind

God. Why the fuck is the sound quality so bad? This hook is wack. I’d probably enjoy this beat if the sound quality was decent. The first verse was dope af. I think I’d like the way the beat is switching up if I could hear it properly. It sounds like it was really windy in the studio. Damnit. This is so annoying. The poor sound quality really ruined this track. I can’t fuck with this. I WANT to fuck with this. I just can’t tho. This shit wasn’t mastered properly. This is wack to me. 2/5

Track 8: Highs & Lows

This beat is actually pretty dope. The hook is wack. The first verse was cool. Despite the fucked up sound quality, I’d probably be able to fuck with this if the hook wasn’t wack. This is definitely one of the better tracks on the mixtape so far, but the hook really holds this back for me. Anytime this guy sings it just really decreases my enjoyment of the music. I think this is a decent track. The hook and sound quality just really make it hard for me to call it good tho. I don’t see myself coming back to this. It’s alright tho. 3/5

Track 9: I Know (Angel Of My Dreams)

WHAT THE FUCK???? Wow. Jesus Christ. This beat is fucking horrible. The hook is awful too. What the fuck is this shit? Man, this is hard to listen to. I like Bishop Nehru, man, but this is hard to defend. Even if the beat was listenable, this hook is just awful. The verses aren’t even doing anything for me. The subject matter isn’t for me. This song is awful. I hate to do this, but I have to tell y’all exactly how I feel about this. I think Bishop Nehru is an amazing MC, so it’s hard for me to say this, but if I’m being completely honest, this song is fucking dogshit. 0/5

Track 10: How It Goes

I’m not really feelin’ this beat. It’s alright I guess. Oh. I’m not feelin’ this hook. It’s not horrible, but nah. I just listened to this whole song. It’s not good. It’s not terrible, but it’s just not good… It’s very underwhelming. It’s not like he isn’t rapping well. The verses are fine. It’s just the music. The music isn’t there. I can appreciate Bishy’s skill, but as a song this is very underwhelming. I’m not feelin’ this. 2/5

Track 11: Midnight Reflecting (Prod. Ricky Reasonz ☥ & GRiMM Doza)

Oh shit… This beat is dope af. Bishy’s goin’ in now. There are thankfully no signs of a sung hook yet. The sound quality is still pretty bad. It’s not bad enough to make this song completely unenjoyable tho. Oh. The song just ended. It’s just one dope ass verse. This is great. I actually really fuck with this song. There wasn’t a wack hook to ruin it. The sound quality was still bad, but I think the more mellow, laid back production style makes it less of a hindrance. The beat was dope af, and Bishop Nehru killed the verse. I fuck with this song. This is dope af. 5/5

Track +: Love What You Do (Prod. DJ Jazzy Jeff)

This is a remix of DJ Jazzy Jeff’s song, For Da Love Of Da Game. The beat is of course dope af. Bishop Nehru sounds perfect over it too. He fits really well over this smoother production. He fucking killed the first verse. I’m glad he left the hook from the original song on here too. That hook is great. If Bishop Nehru can make his album sound as complete and cohesive as this one song, then I’m sure it’ll be great. This sounds like a full song from an actual artist. I definitely fuck with this shit. This is dope af. 5/5

Final Thoughts:

Nah. I don’t think this is a good mixtape. It’s not wack tho. Bishop Nehru is still a great MC. He hasn’t fallen off or anything. The production on the other hand… It’s wack. The production on this mixtape is really bad. There are obviously a few exceptions, but for the most part these beats are flat out terrible or just underwhelming. That’s not even the main problem tho; the sound quality is so poor that the mixtape is damn near impossible to enjoy. A lot of these songs probably could’ve been dope if they were properly mixed and mastered. This shouldn’t be a problem for someone who’s signed to Nas’ label. Speaking of Nas, I’m still looking forward to the debut album. I’m sure that the sound quality will be better on the album; if it isn’t I’ll be more disappointed in Nas than I will be in Bishop Nehru. So, yeah. I actually enjoyed his B-Day Playlist more than this. This mixtape isn’t good in my opinion. In terms of the lyricism, it’s dope, but as a complete project, this is mediocre.

Favorite Song: Sacred Visions

Least Favorite Song: I Know

Verdict:

54%

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