They’re left dangling in the wind like mismatched car dice, two colorful halves that are part of a different set.Born in the gritty South Bronx during the 1970s, hip hop culture emerged as a voice for the marginalized, with park jams and block parties serving as the stage for its rapid growth. Unlike that duo, Juicy and Pi’erre’s chemistry is off at a base level. Juicy J and Pi’erre Bourne clearly had a great time making this project, but Space Age Pimpin falls short of the 8Ball & MJG song for which it’s named. Whether this was by design or coincidence is beside the point. It’s a shame that one of the most influential producers of this generation has little presence behind the boards here, because the zany pop of Pi’erre’s solo and production work is nonexistent on Pimpin. This is especially strange since Pi’erre and Juicy share production credits on every song. Sometimes, it even sounds like his vocals were ripped from a different project entirely and retrofitted onto leftovers from Juicy’s The Hustle Continues. There’s a handful of moments where his voice assimilates to the track, including his verses on “BBL” and closer “Unsolved Mystery” but for the most part, his presence is bizarre and distracting. The melodies he chooses often match the the beat exactly (“Uhh Huh”) or, like on “Who Get High,” they attempt to harmonize and meander aimlessly through verses. Pi’erre’s croons are quickly swallowed by the drums, crumpling like a used candy bar wrapper. Take “Smokin’ Out,” which opens with pitched-down Juicy vocals barreling through synths and a punishing low-end.
On the other hand, Pi’erre’s airy melodies and pun-heavy bars don’t fit over this kind of production.
Juicy is in his comfort zone-which isn’t surprising, considering he’s the album’s executive producer-and he floats stories of gun-running and silly sex puns (“She a good girl so before she eat this dick, she gon’ say grace”) across these beats on autopilot. Songs like lead single “This Fronto” and “Uhh Huh” are expansive and gritty, with bass deep enough to power blast the grime off a dirty car. Juicy’s been playing with hi-hats, claps, bass drum, ominous samples, and MIDI instruments for decades, and here they appear on nearly every track. Atmosphere is a big element in both men’s music, and while Juicy has slotted himself into Pi’erre’s hard-hitting dreamscapes neatly before, Pi’erre struggles to stand out over the gothic bounce that dominates this album. But it’s hard to ignore that the album’s stylistic trappings heavily cater to Juicy’s sound over Pi’erre’s. Lyrically, they’re at the same eye level-smoking copious amounts of weed, lounging with women all over the world, stiff-arming people trying to mess with their money.
Unfortunately, their debut collaborative project Space Age Pimpin proves that Juicy and Pi’erre-who raps on every song-are an awkward match.
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