Cap 6, Cap 6 !!! We back in here, and I’m glad to say that I have a new full length from Capital 6 to review, Summer Jelly Vol 2. Capital 6 is a dope collective of lyricists coming out of Tallahasse. Crew member Intricate explains perfectly how to describe the sound of Capital 6 in his track “Heads Up”. Here he delivers the lines “My crew lane is like the Pharcyde meets Wu-Tang”.
You have Crimson who delivers so many bars in each line sometimes, I wonder how he is even breathing. Even more amazing, Crimson has the uncanny ability to stay perfectly in pocket . You have an Intricate, intense aggressive lyricist who has some of the most quotable bars and rhyme schemes out of any one in the crew.
You have Donny Bransco, who without a doubt has the hypest choruses of anyone in the crew. Don’t let that hype box him in, Donny is no stranger to singing on his tracks as well. You have Rob Ohtis who sings the most in the crew. He has one of the dopest outlooks on love and life I’ve ever heard on wax. Finally you have Hakeem Furious ,who is like the ODB of the crew. I’ve listened to a lot of hip-hop and I’ve never heard anyone with a style like this dude, he comes from somewhere else, but it’s always dope none the less.
Summer Jelly Vol. 1
Now that I have the crew introduced let’s get back into this review. It has been quite a while since we have seen a true Capital 6 project. The individual members of Capital 6 have been slowly releasing music. We haven’t had a proper Capital 6 project since August 2014. Which although that isn’t that long ago, the group has grown a lot in that time span. Since the Release of Summer Jelly , we have seen Cap 6 develop. They have improved their songwriting, they have better production, and more individuality between the group members. With all of all the improvements that the group has made before. I can’t help but feel this is going to produce much better results now and into the future. I was really excited to listen to this album.
Backpack Beatz
So going into the project, I will say that the productions was both dope and disappointing (at the same time). I say that because, although there are a lot of really cool instrumentals on the project, songs like“Social Commentary” and “Mighty Healthy” aren’t original instrumentals. This doesn’t take away from the tracks’ quality being good, but it does kill some of my excitement to hear it.
We do see some new production from dope producers close to the Tallahassee scene, such as Backpack Beatz and Chef Gold. It’s hard to give a concise description of the instrumentals on this project though. All of the members of cap 6 have their own style, and that’s reflected in the beat choice. The project is more like a Wu- Tang album than like a Bone Thugs record. The album feels more like a compilation of solo tracks than a true cohesive group. From my experience with Capital 6, I can tell who chose what instrumental.You have some instrumentals with heavy electronic elements. You have more down tempo jazz flavored instrumentals. you also have a Wu Tang beat, to go along with some other ‘Golden Era‘ style production. Additionally, you even have a J.Cole instrumental.
The only feature artist on the album is M.E.R.C. of Vintage Tux. One of the dopest MCs I’ve ever seen(performance ability). He doesn’t disappoint on his track “Been There, Done That” . It is a dreamy, smoky, and laid back track, with him Hakeem Furious and Rob Ohtis. The track is an interesting blend of consciousness, self- deprecation, and comedy which comes together well for an enjoyable track.
The lyrics on this album are quite outstanding as well. Tracks like ‘Never Heard of Ya’ and ‘7 Chakras’ give the album a good mix of bangers.We have some thoughtful tracks in ‘Chocolate City’ and ‘Social Commentary’. Tracks like ‘Heads Up’ and ‘Mighty Healthy’ show that Cap 6 has lyrical assassins.
As a whole I do wish the project was a bit more unified.The song “Party on Perry Street ” was referenced in two other tracks. For the most part the album felt more like a collection of songs, than an album. I know this is a strange thing to want, but I wish the project had some skits, interludes, and or explanations to tie the album together more.
Overall I think this is a dope listen that you will enjoy if you’re a fan of ‘Golden Era‘ hip-hop. Even if your not, you should leave this album with a lot of dope singles that you can listen to. Although I don’t know if there was enough of an atmosphere in the project for me to keep to listening to the album as a complete body.
Listen Free:
https://soundcloud.com/capital6/sets/cap-6-summer-jelly-vol-2
My last hip hop review: Mac Miller – GO:OD AM – Album Review
Thanks y’all see you in space