Album Review: Sicko Mobb - Super Saiyan Vol. 3
By Nichole Moorman, Contributor
[RCA; 2016]
Rating 3/5
Key Tracks: “Expensive Taste,” “Spazz On Ya”
As of late, Chicago hip-hop’s main export has been drill music. Drill is the aggressive trap-influenced subgenre that has made Chief Keef and Lil Herb popular, first locally then nationally with what felt like overnight success. Drill has since birthed “bop” (think drill’s much more laid back younger cousin), pushed by artists like Lil Chris and Sicko Mobb.
Sicko Mobb’s third installment of Super Saiyan is fun, boisterous, and carefree--all typical of bop. Their auto-tuned rap-sung delivery is reminiscent of the sounds popularized in Atlanta’s trap music by Migos and Future, heard especially on the track “Throwin Money.”
“Spazz On Ya” and “Out West Chicago,” among others, are chorus-focused, melodic tracks unlike anything to come out of drill. The mixtape’s standout track, “Expensive Taste” featuring Jeremih, is of the same bouncy and boastful sound, with unsurprising subject matter from a couple of 20-something drill rappers: “My diamonds started switchin' up / It's like they're from a different set / Molly's so amazing, purple in my double cup.”
But where Sicko Mobb falls flat is where artists like Migos and Future shine. Trap’s pioneers have a certain authoritative sound; They know their reach and their strengths, and the wide respect they have commandeered over the years can be heard in their music. Much of Super Saiyan Vol. 3, though easily fun and agreeable, sounds a lot like mid-2000s Soulja Boy or Travis Porter. Sicko Mobb are still just messing around, but the other guys are ready to play.
