Throwback Video Swag

This is one of my favorite songs of all time.A definite classic. I never get tired of it. It's 100% about sex but not at all in a vulgar or offensive way. Note to all rappers: you can definitely find a way to talk about the obligatory subjects in rap without every other word having to be bleeped out for radio play. Ask Tribe.

Lil' Mama doesn't rap about her head game OR her ass size

In 2007, "Lip Gloss" was released, and as fans of hip hop music, we were kind of thrown off-guard. There was this rapper on the radio with this rugged flow, and despite the fact that she grew up in Brooklyn she didn't make a record about hustling on the streets. Despite the fact that she was a young, female rapper, she didn't make a record about how good she was at oral sex or how fat her ass was. Instead, she made a fun record about lip gloss.

This deviation from what we're used to hearing raised some of our eyebrows in anticipation of her debut album to be released a year later, VYP: Voice of the Young People; and for the most part, it delivers on the promise of a positive, fun album executed with style.

The album opens with the aforementioned lead single, the percussion-only "Lip Gloss" which is successfully minimalist in a way reminiscent of of The Clipse's "Grindin'". When I first heard of this track, I immediately began imagining what kind of sexual double-entendre must be at work from this new female rapper. After hearing the song and watching the video, however I quickly dismissed that notion and began wondering if the titular "lip gloss" was a metaphor for having good character or maybe it represented the silly things that kids place value on. In the end, I think Lil' Mama literally just made a song about her lip gloss. And to be honest, I can dig it; it's fun, and Lil' Mama's flow is not too shabby.

T-Pain makes his obligatory appearance twice on the album; first on "Shawty Get Loose" which also features Chris Brown on the chorus, and then on the very next track, "What It Is (Strike a Pose)". Unlike the other albums T-Pain appears on, however, VYP doesn't particularly need T-Pain's undeniable charisma, and his presence doesn't place him at the role of "album-saver" as it often does. He's limited to being a "guest appearance", which is kind of the way it's supposed to be, even T-Pain drops a surprisingly hot rap verse on "Shawty Get Loose".

Seven tracks in, you begin to wonder. Every track has been a braggadocios party track so far, and that could work if you had the spectacular production of a Missy album or the butter flow and witty lyrics of a Luda album. Lil' Mama has proved that she can rap, and her production isn't half bad, but I don't think she's on the level where she can pull off an album about nothing without getting negative reviews.

Fortunately, as the "Gotta Go Deeper" skit on track 8 implies, Lil' Mama has saved her meaningful tracks for the last half of the album. Immediately next is "Stand Up", my favorite track on the album. It sports a neo-soul sound mixed with a classical twist of flute that is made harder by a combination of a thumping kick and an ominous tuba that commands the track. The track is a tribute to her birthplace of Harlem and hometown of Brooklyn, advising the youth there to "Stand Up" despite the hardships they face. The fourth single for the album, "L.I.F.E." is a track that promotes a similar message of hope in the midst of impossible situations, told from from the point of view of a foster child and a pregnant teenager.

There are a couple more serious songs, and you start to think, 'is this the same chick who made that fun "Lip Gloss" song?' I appreciate that she approaches the serious subject matter that she does, I think she lays it on too thick on an album that was precedented with "Lip Gloss" and two consecutive songs with T-Pain on it. Just like before, a skit marks the end of this section of the album, and we finally get another fun song, "Make It Hot". It's upbeat, fun tracks like this that I think Lil' Mama shines most on.

VYP: Voice of the Young People combines Lil' Mama's gritty New York flow with the commercial synth of popular hip hop, and it works pretty well. Lil' Mama isn't the most technically impressive rapper, although she occasionally employs interesting rhyme structure, such as poetically rhyming "shadow" and "shattered" in the heartbreak-oriented track "Broken Pieces", and her flow is as good as it needs to be. The album is refreshingly clean (no swearing; only the occasional N-word) and thankfully positive and fun. The track arrangement is very purposeful, almost sectioned off; the first part being upbeat club joints (not surprisingly three of the albums four singles are found in this section), and the second part being serious in nature. The originality in production is appreciated but this separation is very forced and draws away from the album.


Production: B+
The beats are good throughout. They combine east-coast sounds with the more pop-influence mainstream sound, and others even draw from genres such as soul and rock & roll. The arrangement of the tracks is really forced, but it doesn't make the album too much less enjoyable.

Flow/Lyrics: B-
Lil' Mama's flow is solid. She doesn't have anything interesting going on with her rhymes and flow on a technical front, which is kind of necessary to make great braggadocios tracks, which she seems to like to do. However, her subject matter is fresh and positive, and I can dig that. Not to mention she sings a lot on this album, and while not the greatest singer, she does it well enough for her tracks to work.

Originality: A-
She's a mainstream rapper who doesn't rap about money, violence, drugs, or sex. AT ALL. That's not necessarily new, but it's fresh in a time like this. I never would have thought someone like her could be successful in todays world.

Overall: B
Lil' Mama scores on her debut effort, and I honestly can't wait to see if she can put her foot in her future work and blow us away.