This is the second mixtape from Denver emcee, singer/songwriter, producer, engineer and fashion designer James Garcia or the artist formerly known as Young Wicked. In 1999, he became 1/2 of the Ax Murder Boyz along with his brother Bonez Dubb. The duo released 4 albums individually before Insane Clown Posse signed them to Psychopathic Records in 2005, making their debut on the label. In the spring, “Blood In, Blood Out” was dropped to moderate reception. However, their next full-length, Hand of God, is considered by many (myself included) to be their best work, as they both greatly improved their lyricism and Otis’ production. This led to him becoming Violent J’s protege years later and dropping his solo debut album Slaughter: It’s the Best Medicine in the fall of 2015. Fast forward a few years later, and Twiztid signed Young Wicked to Majik Ninja Entertainment in the midst of a falling out with them, teaming up with Psycho for their equally brilliant sophomore effort, The Return of the Dead . But after re-branding itself on Activated three and a half years ago, the originally scrapped Young Wicked: The Mixtape sequel finally saw the light of day.
“Deep” is an aggressive rap-rock opener that addresses the fact that they’ve been waiting for him to come out of the basement and reveal his true identity to the underworld, while “Eternal” takes the trap metal route and admits that he can . Although that’s not the case with a heavy-duty auto-tune on a hook, don’t rest with these disgusting bastards on the street. “No Masters (Shake da Shit)” plays over these somber piano chords and sirens, and you’re all watching a king for everything before the rap-metal-infused “Resurrectioned” admits to feeling darkness closing in on his psyche. Come.
Meanwhile, on “Shallow Grave,” Young Wicked plays some boom bap that gives everyone a look into the mind of a murderer, and finally on “Pushing On,” he mixes some kick and snare drums with guitar , while he discussed his recent attempts to figure himself out. “Chrome” roughly pushes the bar like a weight, warning you not to get smoked to death by him, but then “Flowers” tries again with a trap metal flare, saying he’s a goat in the blood that must be sacrificed.
The song “No Slackin'” takes a high-energy trap approach and his pimp never slows down, while “Crucifix” is a throwback to the boom, reminding everyone that his last album was about radicalism, and he’s now Returned to stab the victim again. Young Wicked: The Mixtape 2 ends with “Keep Out the Cold,” the guitar ballad in which he keeps whiskey in his veins for the titular reason.
“Activated” has its moments, and while I know a lot of vaudeville people don’t feel the more commercial approach it takes, for me, it’s the best James James album since “Prodigal Son” about 7 summers ago. The best thing you ever did. It’s more raw than the last LP we got from him, and we still get a glimpse of his artistic evolution over the past 25 years, whether it’s his bars, his vocals, his ever-evolving self-made sound, or his mixing/mastering With processing.
Score: 8/10
