No, not in any way relating to the type of music Doom deals with, but rather, the ability to release album after album in a short period of time. What's funny is that Curren$y planned to release this as his fourth studio album, not his third. Originally, Muscle Car Chronicles was supposed to be hitting shelves at this time, but due to a departure from Def Jam and a massive leakage of Chronicles, Spitta decided to push it back and push Burnies forward instead. It's also the first album to not have Pilot Talk in the title for Curren$y's career (although there's already rumor of Pilot Talk III for 2012).
Not much has changed since Curren$y's last release (remember, Pilot Talk II was out just seven months ago), so that makes it easier to jump straight into the review this time. Does Burnie's succeed in separating itself from Pilot Talk I & II? Here's my review of Weekend at Burnies.
1. #Jetsgo
I was waiting for Curren$y to title a track from his Jet Life Recordings, and, as expected, he did just that. Rhaki's beat here is average, to say the least, but the sections that were probably the most enjoyable to listen to were the ones where the actual bass wasn't present, particularly towards the end of the track. Curren$y, who I've always believed to be an average, sometimes great, lyricist, is pretty much exactly that description on here (although I thought the shout out to Method Man's "nigga you know my steez'" line was a great touch).
2. Still ft. Trademark & Young Roddy
The first track of seven that Monsta Beatz is behind, and to be honest, it's not anything special. It's not horrible. For an album though, it's just not that good. What it really sounds like is something that Spitta would put out on a mixtape, rather than an album (although, he barely has time to record any tapes with this being his third album in under a year). Young Roddy and Trademark's verses are forgettable, as is this song for the most part.
3. She Don't Want a Man
Probability doesn't favor Havoc and Magnedo7's chances at producing the best beat of the album, being that this is the only track they're behind, but they succeed at doing just that. It's probably the best beat I've heard for Spitta since "The Hangover" way back from Pilot Talk (which was released only a year ago, but feels like forever). Still, this track would fall into Curren$y's vicious cycle of "good, but not great" if it weren't for the superb verses from Spitta himself. This is the first song I've heard from Curren$y that actually has some depth to it and he does a great job on his storytelling here. I don't know if the girl he describes on here was someone Curren$y knew personally, but either way, it's a rare look into the emotional side of Spitta. The last three lines also provide a great closing (sad as they may be) to the story Curren$y tells: "But she in love with the lust that we've made/She had far too much she could say/That f-cking me was a perfect mistake." The hook is also pretty good here, which makes this easily Curren$y's best song he's done to date.
4. One Life
And we're back to Beatz for the production, which means there's a good chance the beat is going to be mediocre, and that's the case with this track. The hook is pretty fucking terrible and Curren$y's verses aren't really anything to take with you either. It's frustrating to hear such a good track like the previous one, then come back with this shit. Oh well.
5. You See It
The beat still isn't on par with the highlight of the album, but for the most part, it's an improvement over Beatz's previous two tracks. It also brings a different sound than any of the material from Pilot Talk or Pilot Talk II, which helps in an attempt to make this album unique from the other two (let's face it, Pilot Talk I and II were nearly identical in sound). My only real complaint with this song is that it feels like it's a verse too short. Curren$y uses nearly three and a half minutes to spit just two verses. A shorter hook and an extra verse may have made this song go from solid to pretty damn good.
6. Televised ft. Fiend and International Jones
I'm not a 24/7 hip hop junkie, but I do follow it a lot closer than the average joe. Still, I have no fucking clue who Fiend or International Jones are. It made a hell of a lot more sense though why I had no idea who these two were after listening to the track, because their verses are pretty terrible (Spitta's wasn't anything great as well, but it's still the lone standout on this track). Beatz goes back to his less than memorable production ways, as the beat here is pretty weak (not the worst on the album, though). It also kills me that my biggest complaint with the previous track was how it wasn't long enough, but the very next one is actually about two minutes longer than it needs to be. The irony of it all.
7. This is the Life
As soon as the bass hits, I can already tell that this is Monsta's best beat he produces for the entirety of Burnies. Again, it's one that separates itself from Spitta's previous two albums and it is actually a perfect complement to the hook on here (which, amazingly, is pretty good). Curren$y also sounds more awake on this than he does on previous tracks, which makes it easier to follow him. Was he high when he recorded this? I'm going to guess that he absolutely was (as he probably was on every other track on this album), but maybe he was a little less stoned than usual, hence him sounding more awake. Easily the 2nd best track on Burnies.
8. On G's ft. Young Roddy & Trademark
There's not much to say about this, except that it's just average. I had to laugh at Young Roddy's line "12th grade and 20 grand in my khakis", though.
9. Money Machine
Dirk Pate comes in to assist Beatz in the studio for this one, and maybe adds a little to the beat, but nothing too spectacular. Again, it's a beat that sounds more tailored towards a mixtape, not an album. That doesn't make it terrible (it actually is one of the better ones on here), it just begs to ask the question whether if Curren$y would try to focus more time onto an album, how much better could it be? Spitta's verses are also some of the better ones on Burnies, especially the lines "it's easy to get use to it try to maintain under pressure/only few do it/ and that's what inspires you to try the gleam in your eye."
10. Whats What
One of the most laid back beats of Burnies (this whole album has that common theme to it), but, like many of the tracks, it just doesn't have enough here to stand out and stick with you for more than five minutes afterward.
11. JLC
Decent beat. Terrible hook. Average verses. Anything else I need to say about this? Nah.
12. Get Paid ft. Young Roddy & Trademark
The third, and final, track that Spitta features Roddy and Trademark on it. Drupey's beat is above average when compared to everything else on Burnies. Curren$y's verse is also above average from the rest, but again, there's no depth to it, which makes it lack that "stick" element to it. Roddy and Trademark do a decent job on their part of the track, which, combined with everything else, makes this the best of the three they appear on for Burnies. Still, the hook just fucking sucks (another common theme to this album) and for this being the final track of the album, it doesn't leave a significant lasting impression.
Closing statement: Before I recap the faults of this album (which there are plenty), I will say this. I have tremendous respect for Curren$y's drive to consistently give his fans more music. As I mentioned earlier, this is Spitta's third studio effort in just 12 months (compare that to Dre, who has yet to release his third album total in 19 years). In this regard, Curren$y is good for hip hop and he'll continue to keep a strong base of followers by continuing this. But releasing this much material in such a short period of time also has its consequences. There are plenty of tracks on here that could have used a little more tweaking before release and some of the songs on here are garbage (most notably "One Life", "JLC", and "Televised"). I also expected stronger guest appearances here, but that was obviously not the case, as none of the guests on here bring anything special to the table (that's what happens though, when you decide to release three albums in the span of a year. Less time in between releases=less time to get a higher tier guest to record a verse for you).
Still, there are also some bright spots on Burnies, particularly "This is the Life" and especially "She Don't Want a Man". Curren$y, briefly, does show that he can rap consciously and can add depth to his music, which gives me hope for his future releases. The beats on here, while I bashed them for the most part, are still better than the average hip hop crap that's released today, and it's a great album for the summer weather. Unfortunately, the album elicits the same reaction as the first two from Spitta, which is "good, but not great" and fails to really make itself an independent sound from either of his first two albums. It remains to be seen whether Curren$y will be able to break from this cycle in the future.
The Verdict: If you're a die-hard Spitta fan, then chances are you will pick this up. Otherwise, I'd recommend just finding "She Don't Want a Man" and "This is the Life" from somewhere, because you're not missing too much from Burnie's except for those two tracks.
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