Review: South-Florida based rapper and producer Antagonist is back with his latest self-produced mixtape effort titled “International”, this time presented by DJ Ames. Ant’s talents and abilities as a producer once again take center stage, but his versatility and rhyme schemes are also commendable. Most apparent is Antagonist’s ability to mimic and emulate other prominent rapper’s styles and systems of composition while simultaneously contributing his own flavor. Listen to C’est La Vie, one of a few auto-tune tracks where Lil Wayne’s influence can clearly be heard. When Ant isnt crooning auto-tune style, he puts a more southern slang type of rap on deck, such as on the track Caught Up. The Intro to the tape is a real dramatic, church-sounding piece where Antagonist flaunts a relationship with the recently launched Jim Jonsin effort beatbakery.com. Rock Star finds ANT making an attempt at the newly popular rock / rap hybrid sound. A producer at heart, Antagonist is very good at vocal production, at times blurring the line between the underlying beat and his effect-heavy vocals, such as on the track In The Streets. There’s also a higher intensity, Spanish dance track called Dulce Como El Azucar, which stays true to the International theme of the mixtape. The beats are all over the place, from southern-style bangers to pop to even rock, dance and some slower rap tracks as well. You can clearly hear Antagonist’s influences on many of his tracks and Ant’s ability to mold certain tracks to fit a particular mood or musical style is undeniable. His overall style can be characterized as a rough medium between Paul Wall and Bubba Sparxxx, but the variety of material he drops and his dual role as a producer set him apart from similar dirty south emcees. Only time will tell what direction Antagonist ultimately decides to pursue and it should be interesting to hear his debut release, whether it be a street album or official debut. www.crediblemusicreviews.com
No comments:
Post a Comment