AS A KID — MOOSE RAJA

Just cause they the homies, MOOSE RAJA, Prod. FURDAREPUBLIC (LUIS GARCIA), don’t mean I ain’t gunna keep it 100 on this! These are the top 5 tracks we got on rotation since the tape dropped:

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5. “CURVED THOUGHTS”
“Right in the feels // Feels like ya life is depletin’ // Every part of ya being”

Ok I’m sure there’s someone out there reading these and going “Really again? Why Cal always gotta have some intro/outro on his top 5’s?!” And the answer is, cause I like em foo! The objective of an intro or outro is to set a certain mood — something that draws you in from the jump or offers you a sense of closure. Now “CURVED THOUGHTS” is technically the interlude but I dig it cause it sets a nice tone for the tape. Coupled with the instrumental, MOOSE’s echoed vocals give off a smokey cloud rap flavor, something which I feel, is representative of a sound he enjoys doing. Spacey and sleepy however, his strong delivery keeps us from knocking out from it. It’s chill.


4. “A CALL”
“I shout out the adhan from the top of ma lungs”

Speaking of intros! “A CALL”, the first track off the tape is dope as well. What I dug most about this was MOOSE’s nod to his middle eastern and muslim background right at the start of his tape. From the vocal sample at the very beginning to his bar about an adhan (a muslim call to prayer), MOOSE let’s you know right away where he comes from. It’s real. Something that isn’t in much excess today in the rap world. Instrumentally, the looped horns also give the track a nice amount extra depth.


3. “CARD GAMES”
“Ridin’ round on a real chill night // Tell em what it really just feel like”

As you’ll come to find out as you make your way through the rest of this review, I’m not exactly the biggest fan MOOSE’s more quiet soft spoken lyrical deliveries. (I like the hard shit!). On this track however, I dig it. Although the track posses a deep and introspective narrative, it’s still meant have an easy-listening relaxed sound to it. This is a spot where MOOSE’s softer spitting plays well into the picture — helping to maintain that mood throughout the track preventing from feeling too heavy or melodramatic. The hook on this is also solid and ties it all together. One of my favorite hooks off the tape.


2. “NO TWINZ”
“Flip to col. 9 of the NY Times // gon’ be ‘be bout me if you doubt me // cause I already made the cover page”

NO TWINZ! This one’s was a bit of a no brainer for me. It’s funny cause I’ve heard MOOSE spit parts of this track in verses many times before the release of this tape. That said, it’s one thing to hear it on the fly in random freestyles between friends, and another to hear it done on top of an OG hip-hop beat. Just wish there was more to it!


1. “CHEVY IMPALA”
“Mistaken for false prophets // They ain’t care unless it brought them profits”

“I’m smellin’ the green in the air, bewa—” Sorry it’s catchy as fuck. Catchy but, by no means is it a bad thing. Easily my favorite track off the whole tape, MOOSE comes with the complete package on this one. On top of the already well written and executed hook, MOOSE is aggressive. He shows not only the versatility of his flow but that of his rhyme schemes as well. Do yourself a favor and just set this on repeat cause you’ll for sure need to run it back.

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Like I said all the way at the top of this post — just cause MOOSE and LUIS are the homies doesn’t mean I’m not gunna keep it a hunnid. Being truthful, I would have liked to see more versatility from MOOSE and more perhaps a few punchier beats from LUIS as there we’re some tracks that just felt a little too sonically similar. Despite that however, I do enjoy the tape. It’s cohesive in both it’s sound and direction.

Overall, it’s a great first project and I support the work these guys are out here doing. (The disk itself is actually cellophane-wrapped! Tell that too all the other mixtape rappers on 34th street.) Jokes aside, check out the tape. This one’s for sure worth a listen!