Cruise Control Mixtape, Vol. 1 – Copywrite

As this Ohio-based indie rapper waits his turn for a ride on the major label merry-go-round, he takes one more spin around his old indie hip-hop hood with this mixtape that features his tough-guy-in-a-party-mode-rhymes with some of the best producers on the boards, including Blink!, J Dilla, Jake One and J-Zone laying down beats that range from genius space-crunk to classic remodelings that could be parody if they weren't done with such a straight face. From Stevie Wonder to N.E.R.D. with a mere push of the fast-forward button, these good-times chasers will drop an "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" or the theme from Cops. Of course, Jay Dee delivers the hottest beat, with "Clap!" just begging for heavy club spins with it's monophonic synth squelches and digital symphony but J-Zone makes a solid run with the Eastern-flavored (and typically titled) "Happy Hour." As far as Copywrite is concerned, his lyrics are abundantly clever, tossing out rhymes like "You got the same TV/I'm stealing the remote" on the Jay Dee-laced "That's a Wrap." This is the perfect ball-grabbing CD for kicking it with your boys. But if Copywrite is really gonna jump to the big leagues, he might need to find some more profound topics. Or at least talk about his money. ~ Joshua Glazer, All Music Guide