It’s been a busy year for Juicy J, he released a sequel to the original Rubba Band Business not to mention quite a few guest appearances, and managed to make some relevant friends along the way. “Blue Dream & Lean” is twenty-eight tracks of Lex Luger style 808s and slap. It’s as loud, intense, and repetitive as you’d think that would sound.
To start off with the only exception of to the intensity rule, “Stoner’s Night 2” is a different type of track that features the Wiz Khalifa that we first grew to know and love. As a very laid back (and of course weed focused) joint, this somewhat sounds like a Wiz/Curren$y collaboration leftover. On a sidenote, apparently Uncle J is now a member Taylor Gang which makes a lot of sense considering the music he’s been doing in the last year, so it was only a matter of time. Sonically, the other left field banger break is the Kreayshawn featured “U Trippy Mane”, a low frequency trippy ode to smoke and lean which serves as a nice contrast to most of the tracks that came before it. A bit under three minutes, it thankfully doesn’t overstay it’s welcome with a single verse from Juicy and Kreayshawn. There’s a A$AP Rocky feature a bit later on “Real Hustler’s Don’t Sleep” and it’s serviceable but it’s the Space Ghost Purp feature on it and the following track that are actually memorable. Following “U Trippy Mane” and bringing the tape back up are two great bangers are “Gotta Stay Strapped” produced by Juicy himself and the Lex Luger produced “I Don’t Play With Guns.” Both feature noteworthy guest spots from Project Pat and Alley Boy, the latter having a pretty great year with that feature/spot on Freddie Gibbs’ “Rob Me A Nigga” from earlier this year and the mostly stellar “Definition of Fuck Shit Vol. 2”.
Stream: [wpaudio url=”https://truantsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/22-Juicy_J-Stoner_s_Night_2_Feat_Wiz_Khalifa_Prod_By_Harry_Fraud.mp3″ text=”Stoner’s Night 2 feat. Wiz Khalifa (Prod. By Harry Fraud)” dl=”0″]
While everyone should know what to expect from Juicy J at this point, it’s a pleasant surprise to hear him behind the boards again and not just in front of a mic. Quite a few of the highlights on here are either co-produced or entirely produced by Juicy if tag credits are to be believed. “Errbody Wave” is a catchy tune, beat and hook wise; “Turn a nigga house to a cemetary/ leave him dead in the dirt, now his ass buried/ now he in his front yard, that gon’ be his grave/ Say goodbye to the haters/ Errbody wave.” Staying on a relevant tip, there’s even a Weeknd sample (“Loft Music”) on the short track “Lucky Charm”, but if any producer steals the show here it’s the often undervalued and severely underrated Drumma Boy. “Big Bank” grabs you immediately from it’s infectious and simple hook to the magical synths going on in the background. If one track has legs on this tape, “Big Bank” is definitely it; it’s one of the shorter tracks on the mixtape and it will continuously have you wishing that it wasn’t. While it might not be as catchy as “Big Bank”, the second Drumma Boy track “Countin’ Faces” that’s placed near the end of the album is up there with the rest of the quality tracks on the tape.
Stream: [wpaudio url=”https://truantsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/06-Juicy_J-Big_Bank_Feat_Key_Prod_By_Drumma_Boy.mp3″ text=”Big Bank feat. Key (Prod. By Drumma Boy)” dl=”0″]
“Blue Dream & Lean” will stay in your mind as a lengthy mixtape from Juicy J that will get on your nerves just as much as you enjoy it. It’s a bit too long for its own good (again, twenty eight damn tracks with 808 percussion on almost all of them) and an idea that Juicy J has already been through, twice. It would have been nice if he took the time to put a bit more polish on this one and cut some of the fat but it’s free so you can easily do the trimming yourself. Somewhere, there is a mind-blowing undiscovered mix/playlist waiting to be found within “Rubba Band Business ½” and “Blue Dream & Lean”.
