Nothin' But Greatness Music

Artist: Caly Cal Project: Better Now Than L8ter (hosted by DJ. Wade Banner) Genre: Hip-Hop Release Date: 1/1/2016 Favorite Song: Put it Down (ft. Sani Solo) Least Favorite Song: M.O.C Rating: 7/10 On Better Now than L8ter, Caly Cal proves that while he specializes in Turn Up party music, he can rise to the occupation when a song calls for a different subject matter. With dialog from North Carolina’s DJ Wade Banner, it gives it a throwback feel of how DJs & rappers use to collaborate on mixtapes on Better Now Than L8ter which is a huge plus. While examining the YIKES movement, it’s easy to see that it’s all about having a good time and that’s exactly the message that comes across for most of this 8 track mixtape. Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, Caly Cal’s influences from his hometown and state are all over this project in various spots. Songs like “Home State (prod by MMD)” gives you the good time vibe with the help of a Camp Lo sample that puts you in the scene of a nice sunny day in the Sunshine State.  The good times continue with “Roll 1 Light 1”, the lead single from this mixtape with a beat produced by Lexi Banks that gives you the vibe of a throwback to early southern hip-hop legends like Three Six Mafia and 8 Ball & MJG while staying modern in a sense and that is a common thread with a lot of the production here on the tracks like “Fidel” and “Hernandez”. The favorite from this mixtape has to be “Put It Down (ft. Sani Solo)” which is a love-ish song attempt that comes across surprisingly when considering the content from the other songs on the mixtape which could be contributed to in-part by the guest rapper and singer Sani Solo as well as the production by MMD. A really nice move left in the track list is the track “The Field (ft. Money Makin’ D)” which is a sort of South meets North/East with a traditional New York hip-hop style beat produced by Klae Green which Caly Cal comes across really comfortable and no out of place with some really great lyrics alongside a really good verse from MMD.

The cons of this mixtape are what drag this tape down and the biggest being the lyrics at times. While most of the songs start off great with good opening lines and most of the time a good first verse, the chorus and the next verses that follow can fall flat. The chorus on “MOC” is the reason it is our least favorite track on Better Now Than L8ter. While the song has good verses and even the first verse being one of the best on the entire tape, the chorus kills the vibe of the song and the beat gets a little tiresome to listen to sometimes. The production the project is done well and they fit the overall vibe Caly Cal is trying to get across but after the first half of tracks like “Roll 1 Light 1” and “Fidel” for example, the beat makes the songs sound repetitive without much change which could kill the songs staying power in the long run.