Gunplay - 601 & Snort
Self-released: 2012
These days, when you see the word “mixtape” attached to a hip-hop project, you’re going to assume that it’s more like a free album than your typical, well, “mixtape.” But some rappers haven’t forgotten about the days when they would just go in over some of the hottest beats of the moment. Gunplay is one of those rappers. On his newly released 601 & Snort—I know, it’s one of the worst names ever—he shares what is essentially a lengthy freestyle of shit-talking, coke rhymes, and self-aware bars about his life, which seems insane, by the way.
But wait, according to Gunplay, “My real life realer than my songs are” As such, we’re to believe he actually does something crazier than, say, getting head three ways after not washing his genitals in three days while counting his paper? OK. How exactly do you get realer or, rather, more absurd than that? You see, it’s just that, his absurdity, that makes the wilder-than-fuck Maybach Music Group spitter so goddamn endearing. Yes, he raps about some of the most ratchet shit around, but there’s this side to him that is beyond conscious of what he’s doing.
Gunplay’s approach finds a middle-ground between Danny Brown and Pusha T’s wilder and, at times, introspective moments. Like those two MCs, Gunplay can be almost disgustingly over the top with his lines (no pun) about bitches, drugs, and that thug life. But he also weaves in rhymes about paranoia, something that’s sure to run through his brain given his affinity for cocaine and other narcotics. This is particularly evident on standout cut “Bible On The Dash”, a still-hype, and slightly ethereal, rundown of his regrets.
Here’s the thing about Gunplay: you either love him or you don’t. Dude’s as ridiculous as they come and he doesn’t give a fuck if you care or not. He’s going to talk about snorting molly, getting with as many females in the most repulsive ways possible, and, interestingly enough, sound pretty good rapping alongside Trina and a stripper-turned-sorta-rapper Tip Drill (“Naan N***a”).
As for the highlights on here, well, Gunplay pretty much bodies every industry beat, from “Pop That” to “So Sophisticated”, because he actually sounds like he’s having fun when he raps. Are his rhymes something we’ll remember for the ages? Maybe not, but should we fault him for it? Nah. We also shouldn’t fault him for putting out a mixtape full of raps over industry beats. He’s got to focus on his Medellín after all and shit, that shouldn’t be something he puts out for free.
3 out of 5
