Yoo, what’s good? Today I have a joint review with Jesrill. We reviewed one of Hoodie Allen’s first mixtapes: “Pep Rally”
Pep Rally - Hoodie Allen
JP: I’m pretty sure that everyone who reads this blog has heard at least one song by Hoodie Allen, because I’ve had some of his songs in my Top Ten lists. His new album should be coming out next month or so and I think it’s gonna be hella trill. Also Jes is reviewing this with me, so that’s cool...I guess.
JV: Hoodie Allen should change his name to Booty Allen, first of all. Just kidding. I’ve never really listened to Hoodie Allen before this so I’m going into this review kinda blind. Should be fun though… I guess
Look At What We Started
JP: I really like the beat to this song. It’s upbeat and energizing. I enjoy Hoodie Allen, because he uses pop culture references and great word play. Homie has lines like:
“ I got buzz for light years, aren’t you the astronaut?”
I think that’s a sick line, because he’s basically referencing Toy Story and if you watched that movie when you were a little kid and it doesn’t bring nostalgia to you than you are lying.
This song is basically the intro to his mixtape and is supposed to hype you up for the rest of the mixtape.
JV: Okay, well, I’m not gonna lie. I’ve never cared for Hoodie Allen much but I’ve got to admit he’s very catchy. He’s got fun beats and decent lyrics so yeah, he’s not too bad. It makes sense that he starts off his mixtape with this track. It’s a good opener and you get a good sense of what the rest of the mixtape is kind of going to be like, as it should be. But honestly, I think his pop culture references are stupid and he could do so much better.
“JK, I could wife you up. Promise I ain’t trippin. Hoodie Van Halen baby I am
always riffin.”
Come on, you could do better than that Hoodie. You are better than that.
Swimming With Sharks
JP: This song is hella catchy as most Hoodie Allen songs are. I think that’s what draws people to him.That and the pop culture references and that he actually makes sense when he raps. You can really tell that he is having fun with his music and that he is passionate about it. He is similar to Childish Gambino, but Hoodie Allen’s references sound more childish ( See what I did there? I could tots write raps for Hoodie Allen).
I make fun of it, but I can’t forget that this is Hoodie Allen’s second mixtape and the first one he had a serious rapper tone, which didn’t really suit him. So he’s really just finding himself right now, but I must say that nowadays he is completely different than he was during this mixtape.
Regardless, I still like this song, it’s super catchy and you can’t help but kinda smirk at some of the lines.
I also think it’s super funny that he references Amanda Bynes in this song, but it was the young Amanda Bynes before she came back as a psycho.
JV: I think that Hoodie Allen is so successful because he perfectly fits the college music scene. He’s the type of music you’d hear at a party for sure. Which is cool, I suppose. His music is fun and it’s obvious that’s exactly what he wants his music to be. Just something for everyone to enjoy and groove to. This song is literally just a bunch of pop culture references made into rhymes that kind of make sense but mostly are just made to fit the sound correctly. He isn’t as clever as Childish Gambino (like James said). So overall I’d say he’s mediocre at best. At least the song is catchy and fun, he does the job well.
Tighten Up
JP: Black Keys sample, what up? I don’t know how I really feel about this song, because it just sounds like the previous two, just with less energy. I mean it’s not a bad song or anything like that, it’s just meh. He references Community AKA the show that Gambeezy is on, so he gets plus points for that. I’m gonna start a theory that Hoodie Allen copied Childish Gambino, although Gambino blew up way faster and is way more known than Hoodie Allen, because Gambino just did it better. I mean nowadays Childish Gambino is still better, but Hoodie Allen has a way better sound to him now. I feel like Hoodie Allen used to be for the people, who couldn’t fully understand what Gambino was saying or were intimidated by Gambino’s language. So far in the mixtape Hoodie Allen hasn’t said a single profanity. I’m not saying that you need that or anything, but I feel like that’s another reason why people listen to him. He used to be like the PG-13 movie that your parents let you watch, because it didn’t have anything bad in it.
I’m gonna try to not reference Gambino again, it’s just hard because of the similarities.
JV: I actually like this song. I don’t really know why because I don’t like the Black Keys and it really isn’t lyrically better than any of the previous songs. But somehow it just works, I think. I just wish he didn’t say the phrase “tighten up” so much. It makes me uncomfortable.
January Jones feat Chris Wallace
JP: I really like this song. I think it is super catchy and a happy sounding song. I just kind of noticed that until now every song has been the same pretty much. Catchy beat, pop culture references. Regardless, I like this song a lot.
JV: This song is super cheesy. Also January Jones is so plain looking, she seems super boring. But if that’s what he’s into I mean whatevzz. Really though, I see the appeal of this song but I’m just not digging it.
You Are Not A Robot
JP: This is the first Hoodie Allen song I ever heard and it will forever be my favorite Hoodie Allen song. I pretty much know it by heart. It samples a song by Marina and the Diamonds. It’s catchy, has a great beat and has some really good lines in it.
“They telling me to take the safe route, this is the detour.”
“ So if we more legit they treat us like a compound.
Yea they wanna break us down, never gonna stop now.
Cause being scared will only eat you like a cop out.
Life’s a haunted house, I’m ready to pop out.”
I think those are some dope lines.
JV: This is also the first Hoodie Allen song I ever heard. James told me to listen to it. I didn’t like it too much at first, but the more I’ve listened to it the more I started to like it. I actually really do think it’s a good song now. And I like the Marina and the Diamonds sample.
Party At The Beach House
JP: This is just an average song really, I don’t really think it’s anything special. He has like the dumbest line of the mixtape in this song so I can’t really take it seriously.
“Friend’s telling me I’mma pop like soda.”
Ummm, ok.
JV: Yeah I don’t care for this song that much but I don’t think it’s terrible. Hoodie Allen is really the kind of music you’d listen to while driving to the beach with some friends. It’s socializing music.
So Much Closer feat Rocky Business
JP: I really like the beat of this song. It’s not another upbeat song and I like how he doesn’t have a redic amount of pop culture references again. He still has a lot, but not as bad as a few of the other ones. I really like the Death Cab For Cutie reference, because DCFC is hella dope.
This song is super catchy, but so is like every single song off of this mixtape.
JV: I think it’s really weird that he decided to rap over a Death Cab For Cutie sample honestly. But that little line where he says “cause you a cutie and I need you in my death cab” is kinda cute though.
Words Of Wisdom
JP: This one sounds completely different than the previous one. It’s a more mellow song. The sample is from Two Door Cinema Club and is super sick. I have to say that my favorite line is:
“I do it for the babes, but I swear I’m never ruthless.”
He’s making a play on Babe Ruth’s name, but I think it’s just a dope line. I know a lot of people that only think about girls and are hella ruthless. I also feel like “I do it for the babes” was the precursor to “I do it for the ratchets”.
JV: This is a good sample to use, it really works for this song. I like this song to be honest, this might be my favorite of the entire mixtape. It’s way chill and it’s the first song so far where it doesn’t seem like Hoodie Allen is trying to do the most to make some kind of party fratboy song.
C.R.A.V.E
JP: This is one of my favorite songs off of the mixtape. It’s upbeat and again catchy. I have to say even though I kind of made fun of him for his gracious amount of pop culture references and how they aren’t all the smartest, homie has a mean flow and like I said he’s way better now. That third verse is so dope though.
JV: I don’t like the use of the sample for this song. It throws me off because I expect the song to go a certain way and it does the exact opposite of that. I also expected C.R.A.V.E to stand for something. You know, kinda like C.R.E.A.M. Or am I just missing it? I don’t know but I doubt it.
Joy And Misery
JP: I really liked this song until he referenced Yu-Gi-Oh. Homeboy shouldn’t have any streetcred after that line. In all seriousness though, this song is dope. The beat is good and his flow is also pretty swell. I like that it’s like a short song, but he raps faster than usual and it’s a good change up.
JV: Okay first of all Yu-Gi-Oh is cool. This song is good though, I like it. Everything sort of just works together perfectly, which isn’t something I can say about his other songs. It could be because it’s so short that it’d be impossible to screw up. He had some decent lines that I liked though:
“Too young to know enough
Too old to play the part
Too cool for showing up
Too dumb to say whats smart”
Get It Big Time
JP: This is the perfect ending for the mixtape. I mean it’s still the same as the rest of the mixtape, but that’s ok.
JV: Didn’t care for this song very much. I guess it’s a good ending, it kind of sounds like a song you would hear at the end of some rom-com movie.
Verdict
JP: I have some problems with this mixtape. First off, a lot of the songs sound similar. Usually that wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but the pop culture references got hella annoying at some points. That brings me to my second point, some of those pop culture references or play on words are just straight garbage. I know he was just starting out and whatever, but still. I’m a Hoodie Allen fan, but I’m really not that impressed with this mixtape, besides a few songs off of it. He has gotten way better though and his new album comes out soon, which I am hella excited for.
I would give this mixtape a 6.5/10.
JV: I don’t think that Hoodie Allen is a talented rapper at all. He just knows how to make rhymes that are relevant to his fan demographic. He’s just party music for college kids and frat boys to listen to. Not that there’s anything wrong with that at all. It’s just not something I’m into. I think his pop culture references suck too by the way. But he has fun beats and at least he has some flow. So even though I am not at all a Hoodie Allen fan even after listening to this mixtape and these songs several times, at least I see his potential and understand why other people enjoy his music so much.
I would give this mixtape a 5/10.
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