Review: Jitta on the Track - Bipolar
By Tony Cardwell, Contributor
[Self-released; 2014]
Rating: 5/10
Key Tracks: “BiPolar,” “Another Weed Song”
In the world of hip-hop there seems to be a big divide in what’s popular. You have the conscious rappers, i.e. Killer Mike and Mick Jenkins, whose content is mostly based on social and moral issues. Then you have the Young Thug’s and Migos’ of the world who make great party tracks. Jitta On The Track seems to be making up his mind on which camp he wants to set up shop in.
With Bipolar, Jitta mixes introspective beats with surface level rhymes and bars. The production on this tape left me hoping Jitta would speak his piece on being a rising performer in hip-hop or even his ideas on fame in general. Tracks like “BiPolar” achieve this; he actually discusses pouring his heart and soul in this particular tape.
“I’ve been blessed / I’ve been cursed / Going bipolar… My management didn’t do shit / Got up out that contract.”
Jitta relates all the trials involved in recording the tape and even goes a bit into losing two of his friends and not knowing his father. Delving into the idea of sudden reshapings, “BiPolar” also delivers a very well executed beat change.
However, beyond “BiPolar” the majority of Jitta’s lyrics all pertain to how much better his life is in comparison to others and of course, his affinity for marijuana. Jitta goes into this on the track “Don’t Care About Yah” on which he preaches he just doesn’t care about those haters!
“If you ain’t making moves don’t care about yah / Those sneak disses don’t care about yah / My stacks bigger and her ass bigger / Don’t care about yah."
Though this isn’t the most contemplative track in the world, it happens to be the most contemplative track on the tape outside of “BiPolar” which speaks volumes with the rest of the work here.
The introspective production on this track leaves much to be desired. With the start of each track one would expect a very contemplative look on culture, yet we’re assaulted with silly lines like, “I got tree up in my house like it’s fucking Christmas day,” featured on the track “Completely High."
When Jitta seems to be in on his own joke with “Another Weed Song,” he ruins the idea with a frustrating intro. He does, however, address his affiliation with pot and harkens it too a decompressing agent and something he needs on “Another Weed Song.”
As a lyricist, Jitta has chops. He spits in such a way and actually mixes up the speed of his flow which leaves a listener compelled. The chorus of “2 Dope Girls” really speaks to this idea of a word for word flow. His voice carries rhythm even when he is just speaking, something I found incredibly interesting.
The mixtape Bipolar is an amalgamation of trying to be introspective while still pandering to those looking for something that will just “bump in the whip.” The production value on the tape is great; beyond the terrible Star Trek and Guns N’ Roses samples on “KEWL” the beats are all stellar. Jitta has a great flow and the features all add instead of subtract. The tape just seems to a bit bipolar itself; Jitta truly can’t decide which path he wants to take.
