Review - D-CoE: Caged In

Artist: D-CoE
Album: Caged In
Year: 2008

Overall View

I listened to the entire mixtape in it's entirety several times and must admit... whoa... this seriously has the potential to silence the haters.

The flow is flawless. D-CoE is seriously a talented audio cat on this site- either he is naturally talented or he has practiced extensively to perfect his flow and swagger. He holds every beat on the whole mixtape note for note.

Delivery was again brilliant. D-CoE has such emotion in his voice, and with the right direction I seriously believe he has the potential to make big moves. He makes me smile, because I imagine how much he must laugh at the haters as he hears his tracks played back seemingly effortlessly...

The beat choices for the Caged In was pretty cool throughout. Some nice recognised and mainstream beats, that allow the listener to connect with the flow. I was a little disappointed at the beat selection for the title track, because I feel this is usually the promotional one, and to use a recycled mainstream beat seems kind of ignorant. But that aside, beat selection was tight.

Lyrics were the only real issue on the mixtape, and that is only due to lack of vocabulary and lyrical content- I feel this area was kind of repetitive and could benefit from wider knowledge of synonyms. More experimental with this and he would be near perfect at what he does.

The main issues with the mixtape was the track lengths. I feel some of the tracks felt like snippets, tasters of the potential- whilst this is good for generating hype, I felt it lowered the overall power of the mixtape, as you feel like you should've got more. And obviously the cover artwork. This is pretty blatant, as this is what marketably sells the product and I feel a massive oversight on this is apparent. For the calibre of music, I can't help but feel a lack of commitment, kind of neglect for this area. Had he consulted a GFX artist to create a visually stunning cover, this mixtape could've sold easily. However the marketing game is not up to par with the audio game, and unfortunately it shows.

Seriously though, this mixtape contains dope material. I'll be keeping it on my iPod, and track 12 will more than likely appear in my Recently Played listing pretty soon.

Track Views

Track 01: Remember Me
Beat choice is siiick... the brass sounds dramatic as fuck ahaa. Expected more of an intro, the vocals kicking in at 4 seconds seems kind of premature on the opening track to a mixtape, but whatever. The flow is sweet, no complaints on that front. Delivery is sick as well, nice outro. Nice opening track.

Track 02: Stand Up
Beat is dark, the bass plays nicely against the vocals, the fragmented synths imitating D12 style instrumentals. This track is easy to nod along to, and the hook is exceptionally melodic, especially against the hard backbeat. Lyrics are aiight, flow and delivery are ill. Good track.

Track 03: This Is Why I'm Hot
Beat is meh... far from a favourite. Length is weak- the verse flows effortlessly but just like Batman's kind of tracks, it is over just as you start really getting into it. Should've been longer.

Track 04: Ounces n Kilos of Hate
The intro is cool... sounds really professional in true mixtape style. Beat is edgy, very harmonious yet still retaining that dark and dangerous anger to it. The lyrics, full of emotion are spat furiously over the top, the flow and delivery flawless again. Emotion and emphasis here was dope as fuck. The little overplayed voice in the outro is cool.

Track 05: They Know
Beat is kind of repetitive... undermines the vocals and makes them sound monotonous... towards the end of the verse, the emotion in the voice carries it off, but this could've been so much better had the flow been more experimental. No hate, still a nice track but it just isn't on par with other featured tracks.

Track 06: Making Em Lean
Beat is alright, the other artists on this have a variety of vocal styles that work well with this deep tune. D-CoE's gruff voice works well here, with powerful emotion and delivery, a lot more energetic that the previous track. This sounds almost crunk. Cool full track.

Track 07: Kiss Your Ass Goodbye
Jada killed this originally, Games remix was tight as hell too so expectations were high as the beat started. Flow was fire again, following the beat better than most of Anotha's artists, hence the hate no doubt. Sliick sounds like he has a lisp in his verse, either that or a cold. But D-CoE's verse is flames. Nice work, mixing is tight as hell with the vocals complimenting the beat perfectly.

Track 08: No One Knows
Ghetto is a nice beat for this type of track. D-CoE's voice works n every beat style and here he shines. Nice narrative and the delivery is fuckin ill. Another example of a track that feels incomplete... this should've been longer... nice easy listening though...

Track 09: Caged In
The title track inevitably holds great expectations, so to use a recycled beat is definitely questionable. Nas is cool though, and the Just A Moment beat does quite compliment the lyrics. The hook is cool, and although I expected three verses, D-CoE does actually kill it in two. Delivery is smooth, no complaints with this. Tight track.

Track 10: Get Away
Beat sounds hella familiar though I can't seem to place it... nice choice again though. The lyrics are real deep, and stick to the atmosphere that the instrumental generates. This could've been longer, but what there is of it is cool. Nice delivery and good flow.

Track 11: Leather So Soft
This beat is melodic and relaxed as fuck... damn ahaaa... Lyrics are dope, and the flow is on point as is the delivery. Shame about the length again, seems like this is just a taster track as well...

Track 12: Good Day (On My Block)
Scarface is one hell of an artist, and On My Block is one hell of a track. Lyrics here are flawless, with some noteworthy lines. The flow is tight and the delivery and emotion are timeless. The way the instrumental seems to skip at 2:32 seems unintentional but as it is the only noticeable flaw in the entire mixtape, it can be overlooked. Hands down this is the best track on the album, and an ideal closer.

Travel: Towyn, Wales

 

Conwy Castle

Conwy Quay

The Smallest House in Great Britain, Conwy

Tir Prince Leisure Park

Gwyrch Castle, Abergele

Llandudno Promenade

Oakfield Caravan Park

Rhyl Promenade

Rhyl Mini Golf

Rhyl Skytower

Rhyl Terror Tombs

The Harbour, Towyn