[mixtape] swim class - young mike

A lot of people are digging this, and I think it's a good tape overall but I'm gonna be critical just so you can get some varied feedback. Note the criticism I'm giving you is coming from my perspective and a lot of the stuff I'm gonna say applies to me too.

I don't think this is something I'd come back to. That's mostly cuz of the mix, it's just not where it needs to be if you want to be taken seriously. Atm, to me, instead of looking like an artist who's taking this seriously you're kind of coming off as a better than average internet rapper.

I think if you're going to take this shit real serious you're going to have to put some real effort into your songwriting. You're not saying much on many of these tracks, it's just random bars and some people can get away with that (Action Bronson) but that leads me to the next point.

You don't really have a defined aesthetic (which doesn't really exist as is apart from 'something something wavy'), tbh a few of these songs it sounds like you're following a formula for what you think a rap song should be like. On a lot of this tape I get vibes of Yung Lean on the hooks and someone like Bun B in the verses, and that's just pretty fuckin weird to me haha.

Also, I can't take some of the braggadocios bars seriously at all over these trap beats and that's just a personal thing cuz of your voice honestly, I think you still need to find a defined sound that really compliments your voice. Also I think your voice shines the most when it has no vocal effects on it, the autotune works for some people but in my opinion it really doesn't do you any favours.

This is a good tape though, I really like the first verse of please dont get me started and id probably listen to Bubble Boy a few more times as well as some other tracks. Basically I think you're halfway there in finding your sound, I personally don't feel the trappier tracks, it just doesn't seem genuine.

/r/makinghiphop Thread