Review: Sicko Mobb - Super Saiyan Vol. 2
By Eli Schoop, Contributor
[Self-released; 2015]
Rating: 3.5/5
Key Tracks: “Kool Aid,” “Penny Hardaway,” “Rolling Stone”
The sequel to Super Saiyan Vol. 1, Sicko Mobb's Super Saiyan Vol. 2 album cover features the duo drawn as the titular Super Saiyans from the anime series, Dragonball Z. The most notable feature about this art is simply how terrible it is. Lil Trav and Lil Ceno look like a middle schooler’s original characters on DeviantArt, and it's honestly astounding as to how that was even approved for mass consumption. Thankfully, this is probably the worst part of the Chicago upstarts' second mixtape.
The cover art is an apt point because it serves as a perfect metaphor for Sicko Mobb's philosophy about its music and Super Saiyan Vol. 2 in general. While amateurish and simplistic on the surface, its flaws can be made up for with charm and conviction, traits the duo have in abundance. Singing/rapping hybrid tactics have been made mildly popular by Future in recent years, but Sicko Mobb takes the concept to entirely new heights, committing to its potential and succeeding in delivering unhinged craziness by way of glossy bubblegum rap mixed with an intensity reminiscent of Rich Gang.
This is a seemingly lengthy release, but almost a third of the tracks are skits that don't drag the pacing down and are actually funny. That's a refreshing change of pace from rap today, where skits have been all been cast aside. Seeing as how manic and frenzied this compilation is, it's only fitting to have some form of relief. Relief, however, is not what you'd go to a Sicko Mobb album for.
Instead, we're treated to syrupy flows, a bevy of bass-boosted beats and a particularly high-energy mode of rapping. What Trav and Ceno lack in coherency and lyricism, their enthusiasm and infectiousness remind you of Migos and fellow young guns Rae Sremmund. Exciting cuts like “Kool Aid,” “Rolling Stone” and “Penny Hardaway” are boisterous, fun notices on how to do pop-rap right, and accentuate the value of having an identifiable style.
Make no mistake--this is, without a doubt, a staple of self-promoted rap in 2015. Cut your unique niche, fill a mixtape with a craft that is certainly yours, but not unreflective enough to be not anyone else's and cash in on a plethora of hits. It makes sense, as the playbook of fellow youthful rappers has shown, but the ambition isn't quite there. And honestly, that's okay. Sicko Mobb truly delivers what it promises, and executing on ethos is the most important part of a successful rap group.
