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Swazy Styles

By Jonathan Cunningham

Published on June 25, 2008 at 11:11am

Sometimes rap music is like an ice cold glass of lemonade on a hot summer day. If you're going to be out cruising around in the sun, it's best to have some driving music by your side to help you not think about the heat. Fort Lauderdale's Swazy Styles recently released a three-track EP, Pocketts Full of Green, which, aside from the misspelling, isn't as ghetto or as hood as it first appears. Swazy's definitely got more of a street appeal than most underground rappers, and there's no two ways about that. But when teamed with Mike Beatz, one of Broward County's best underground producers, his sound takes on a different tone. The title track is all club-style rap that initially seems mundane if you're listening to it through computer speakers. But pop it in your car stereo, hit the accelerator, and it could become your summer anthem.

The best jam here is "Pop Off," which is essentially an ode to fast girls and fast living. It's here where Beatz's production supersedes the lyrical content, which can get a little nasty. Throughout the three tracks here, there are plenty of jokes, funny moments, and banging production. For summertime driving music, what more can you ask for?