Don’t sleep on this collaborative EP from MC Young Zee and producer Flu. I’m familiar with Young Zee because he’s a member of a group called the Outsidaz alongside artists like Pacewon. If you’re a big Eminem fan you’ve probably heard of them. Apparently Young Zee & Pacewon were supposed to be on the Marshall Mathers LP, but Dr. Dre complained that there were too many features, so they got taken off. On the other hand, Flu is a producer with whom I had only a little experience with. They had a beat on a project entitled LUPARA last year that I enjoyed, so that was my introduction to them. Anyway, this was my first time actually listening to a full project with Young Zee, and after I listened to it I tried to lie to myself and say that I didn’t need to cover it on this blog. However, this has been bugging me ever since I heard it, and I can say with all sincerity that I one hundred percent have to tell people to listen to this.
The first thing that immediately stood out to me about Young Zee was his voice. I had trouble pinpointing exactly who he reminded me of at first, but then I started believing that his voice is a combination of Fatboi Sharif & Vast Aire. However, the more I listen to it, the less confident I am about that comparison. It’s probably gonna be an acquired taste for a lot of people, but I personally love it honestly. The first highlight I wanna talk about is called Monkey Bars, and it features Vinnie Paz. All of the beats on this project are really dark and sinister sounding, and I like them a lot. This one in particular is really nice. Not only does Zee have a super distinct voice, but he also has a really unique way of flowing and rhyming that I think is dope af.
I’ll make a Mazda drift off the side of cliff
Into the ocean, jump out of it, climb onto a pirate ship
Pretty much every line he spits has me on the edge of my seat wondering what he’s gonna say next.
My rhyming hits wetter than the vagina is on a Chinese bitch
I'm Mike n' Prince in '96 at rhyme events
Off Heinekens I'll battle any guy he gets
Old men, even little kids nine and ten, and Siamesе twins
Just with a knife on him I'll walk into a lion's den
And come out with a brand nеw outfit of tiger skin
It seems like everyday I'm fighting men
'Cause I climb in their wife like I was Spiderman on Vicodin
The dude is super technical with his rhymes. I love how he jams so many internal rhymes in each bar. The second verse from Vinnie Paz was solid I suppose. In all honesty, I feel like Vinnie Paz has been on autopilot for the last few years, at least when it comes to features. He wasn’t bad here though. He’s just far from the main appeal of the song for me. Young Zee definitely held my attention more. I just wish he rapped for a longer amount of time. It would’ve been perfect if he came back in behind Vinnie Paz to spit one more verse. The song is still dope as hell as it is though. It’s followed by the title track, Scumbag, which is another highlight for me. I think this track is even better honestly. Once again, the dark production is very good. The selling point is really just the rhymes though. He slaughtered this shit.
I had a 1961 shag, I'm a scumbag I fucked then mailed her panties and a cum rag to her son's dad I fucked all the female MCs in my younger days Dyke girls from Young M.A.s to Mother Rage They had me on TMZ in Cabo With a Rican model drinkin' a bottle of pink moscato I'm the GOAT, Capricorn, four-leggèd Horn-headed, born naked, corn-fedded
The way this song is structured is kind of strange, but I got used to it after a couple listens. I think this is definitely one of the best tracks on the project. It’s dope as hell. The last highlight I wanna mention is called Go Fund Me. It features an MC named Rafael, of whom I’d never heard prior to listening to this project. He rapped super well on this track. I was definitely satisfied with his performance. Young Zee though? That motherfucker absolutely snapped on this track.
The bombest rappers, I drown them like John the baptist
I'm an Islamic Catholic, but I smoke ganja, fat spliffs, jaws at practice
You wanna start a war? Please, por favor
I got a smorgasbord of .44's
A call on the horn'll have all 'em gone
Buried on the part of the lawn my dog shit on
I think this is the best song on the album, and definitely his best overall performance on a track here. He killed this shit. The song is dope as hell. I love it.
This project is great. Young Zee’s rapping is absolutely enchanting, and the dark production from Flu sounds really good. I think this project’s weakness is probably its hooks, but if you can look past that it’s a super fun listen. There’s not a single track on this project that I don’t like. I’d love to hear a full solo album from Young Zee, so I’ll have to look into more of his work, but this was a pretty good entry point in my opinion. I enjoyed the hell outta this thing. Do not sleep on it. You’ll be missing out on one of the best extended plays of the year. It’s really goddamn dope.
Favorite Song: Go Fund Me
Least Favorite Song: Tonight
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