Mixtape Review: 'Under the Influence' by Domo Genesis



Domo Genesis
Under the Influence

Domo Genesis is the mellow, pot-smoking member of the rap collective Odd Future who for the most part avoids the lewd extremes of his friends Tyler the Creator and Earl the Sweatshirt. He's also not quite as lyrically talented, but Domo is no slouch. His second mixtape since last year's Rolling Papers, Under the Influence is 35 minutes of the 20-year-old rapper demonstrating he can hold his own against the meteoric rise of his peers.
Domo is fast becoming a capable rapper with a great taste for beats, qualities which may draw comparisons to those of New Orleans' stoner emcee Curren$y. Like the latter, Domo favors soulful, jazzy samples and spins his yarns through the perspective of an unapologetic pothead. The resulting mix is a compilation which, true to its name, mixes stoned-out demo sessions with earnest outpourings of truth.

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“Mission Statement” announces Domo's “perfect blueprint” for his career against a backdrop of wailing organs. The lyrics are your average rap bravado, but he comes on strong and sets the tone for the rest of the mix. “Boss' Life” describes the fast success and money of his past year. Domo isn't going to let a little thing like pot kill his ambition. “Guess Who's Back” uses the same beat as the Scarface song of the same name. Likewise, “We Major” follows Kanye West and “Benediction” takes over the beat to Mobb Deep's “Hell on Earth.”

Guest-starring New York rapper Remy Banks, “More Clouds” sounds like a classic '90s hip-hop track replete with organ sample and jazz vocals, while Tyler the Creator, performing as his alter ego “Ace,” steals the show on “Whole City Behind Us” with his trademark meanness: “Dope is what I been spark / Second then my pin start / Bringin' back that crack shit like Amy Wine's skidmarks.” Filler tracks like “L-Boy Interlude” and “Smokemon” remind listeners that this is just a mixtape and Domo is still a kid, but the half-hour overall is a formidable preview of another Odd Future rapper's promising career.

'Under the Influence' is available free at www.livemixtapes.com.

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