Mozzy: Gangland Landlords Album Review

Story posted October 10, 2018 in CommRadio, Arts & Entertainment by Jibril Washington

Mozzy, a semi-new rap artist, has dropped his new album Gangland Landlords. Since his last album, 1 Up Top Ahk, Mozzy has expanded his reach and range on this new album. He has his hits on this album, but he sticks to his roots throughout and recollects on his gang ties coming from Sacramento, CA. Growing up in a rough area in the city, he harps on his losses and wins from that environment and he even talks about the underrated status that still circles him. He was able to hit on every part from, R&B and hip hop (conscious & somewhat unconscious) to make it a complete album.

In an interview with the Atlantic, Mozzy says that 1 Up Top Ahk was “the growl” and this album, Gangland Landlords is “The Bite”. He feels that he owes this one to his hometown. He wants people listening to feel his pain, happiness and everything in between. The 18-track album does just that. For Mozzy, music is his way of escape. He points to West Coast rappers such as Messy Mavand the Death Row Camp and New York’s DMX and Southern Lil Wayne as some of his influences in his music. One rapper he particularly points to is Tupac, as being the most influential of them all for himself.

It comes as no surprise as Mozzy reportedly paid $10,000 for a Tupac sample in his dedicated, “Thugz Mansion” song. In this album especially, he says that he can see some of the Pac coming out of him. Songs such as “Dead Homies” and “Tear Me Down” emphasize that. Most songs on the album come across as gritty but soft in tone. With his lyrics of gang ties, having money, loved ones gone, and growing up as a young black male in the hood, the beats are more mellow and at times saddening. With only about two R&B type songs, both seem to fit in perfectly with the album.

The mellow tone from the beats makes both songs easy to blend into the album. His west coast, California sound is prevalent from the smooth beats to his west coast slang. He, like most gangsta rappers on the west coast, heavily include the many referrals to gang life, which is where it is most prevalent. While this album cannot be assumed to be a bad album, there is also room for work from Mozzy. The flow from song to song is phenomenal and it doesn’t go super up-tempo and then a sudden drop in tempo, but some of the songs could have had better hooks that complimented the verses. The hooks on some of the songs such as “Who Want Problems” could have been better. He could find a more creative way of talking about the shooters.

There also could’ve been a song or two that could’ve brought out more of the motivational words of Mozzy which he is capable of. Yes, the album is more storytelling than anything, but within that, he could’ve even inserted some motivational hooks or bridges within the album’s songs. The thing that makes this album respectable is how he was able to have so many features but infuse them well with his mission of the album. Every feature form Dej Loaf, Yo Gotti, Rayven Justice, Too $hort and many more are timely and meaningful in the album.
Moving forward, it will be interesting to see where Mozzy goes from here as he has a steady fan base that wants to see if he’ll continue to grow as an artist. As most of his fans know, he’ll be back on the scene soon with new music.

Rating: 6/10

 

Jibril Washington is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email at jibrilwashington@gmail.com.