Curren$y - Weekend At Burnie's: B

"This Is The Life"

All you will ever need to know about New Orleans rapper Curren$y and his array of albums released in the last few years is embodied in the first line of his newest full-length, Weekend at Burnie’s: “Ain’t nothin’ changed.” The man says it on the very good Pilot Talk as well as its improved sequel. He has a natural laid back flow and the kinds of songs that put him in the best light are the ones of Ski Beatz, where light jazz floats through the mist seemingly conjured by Curren$y’s THC-addled recording sessions. The man loves to talk about sports, women and pot. And ain’t nothing changed. If you’re looking for evolution, variance, it ain’t here. Curren$y enlists producer Masta Beatz to lay down the tracks, but it’s all the same. It’s even more monochromatic without the occasional pseudo-aggressive jam like “The Day” was to the first Pilot Talk. And ain’t nothin’ changed. Address, the weather, the music, the man. Ain’t nothin’ changed, ain’t nothin’ changed. 

Curren$y - Weekend At Burnie's: B

Curren$y - Pilot Talk: B+

"The Day (ft. Mos Def & Jay Electronica)"

The first time I heard Curren$y was in his guest spot on "No Wheaties" from Big K.R.I.T.'s debut album, K.R.I.T. Wuz Here. I really enjoyed that verse, the sports-related specificity interesting coming from a voice that sounded like it had no intention of leaving bed let alone picking up a football. So when I heard Curren$y was going to be releasing his debut album, I was intrigued, but was skeptical of whether he could pull off a full album of material playing off such a lazy ethos.

No matter what you think of Pilot Talk, there is no denying that Curren$y succeeds in maintaining his lethargic persona throughout the album's thirteen tracks. In fact, it often sounds like Pilot Talk was recorded directly from the man's couch, rhymes spit in between games of Madden '09. "Some of the good things weed can do," he says in the beginning of "Breakfast" and it is clear that Curren$y believes there is no such thing as too much of a good thing. The man's monotone can get so unwavering, it's often difficult to distinguish between verses and choruses. Overall, it's a pretty effective strategy. However, I will say that the moment a guest appears on Pilot Talk with any semblance of ardor (Snoop Dogg, Devin the Dude), they immediately overshadow Curren$y no matter how hard the guy tries to be spirited in his apathy.

Ultimately, the best of Pilot Talk is when Curren$y breaks his chemically-induced repose. "I'm so sorry if I don't look happy to be here," he raps in what would be his equivalent of a scowl on "The Day", "In your label office, but they say I can't smoke weed here." Hey, in this case, the ends justify the means, and if Curren$y is so eloquent roasted, I can only imagine what he's capable of fumed.

Curren$y - Pilot Talk: B+