Review #1,317: Lil' Cali a.k.a. Cali Pachino "Rappin' N Trappin' (Hosted by DJ Ya Boy Earl)"

Reviewed on 8.30.2013 (Review #1,317)

Was ‘bout ta take a break from tha reviewz fa a lil’ bit, but I got my hands on somethin’, just now: Lil’ Cali a.k.a. Cali Pachino Rappin’ N Trappin’ (Hosted by DJ Ya Boy Earl)!! And, I wouldn’t let tha day go by without reviewin’ it ‘cause today’s Cali’s birthday!! Happy birthday, once again!! Looks like things are goin’ great for ya! Was wondering, did you get your awards in tha mail from me, back in January? Hope so… Now then, let’s get to this! Not a Yz’Gyz Entertainment release, but it’s a UTP Records release, thanx ta Juvenile! Start Time: 3:08 PM | End Time: 4:05 PM

Disclaimer: I rate each song from 1.0 – 5.0; each rating iz my own opinion! I only please myself wit my ratings! I don’t care how lyrical you are, as long as it’s jammin’ enough for me to like it! I look for beats, then vocals, and then lyrics. To determine my favorites, I will differ tha 4.0 ratings. If a song gets at least a 4.0 rating from me, I love it already. If at least a 4.6 rating, I pretty much really love it, as it’s considered mindblowin’ when I hear it! Any song can earn up to a maximum of a 5.0 rating. Anything I type before “ >>> ” iz what I’m sayin’ before I listen to tha song; anything after I type “ >>> ” iz what I think of tha song while I’m listening to it. If you use tha word “swag” frequently, have auto-tune in your vocals, or talk about nothin’ but money and hoes 100,000x (which I consider ‘typical’ topics), I’m not buyin’ it! After I was robbed by an artist who claimed they “get money,” hearin’ about how much you “got money” and anything “money” really bothers me. If you have not done business wit me before, I won’t tolerate “money” talk in tha music!!

© 2013 CD Review (Review #1,317) reviewed on 8.30.2013 by FrankieThaLuckyDog.

Link To CD: http://www.livemixtapes.com/mixtapes/23862/lil-cali-rappinntrappin.html

01. “Rappin’-N-Trappin’ (Intro)”
Intro, here, produced by Mouse On Tha Tricky-Tricky-Track!! >>> Feelin’ tha beat Mouse produced, here! Feelin’ tha rhymes, Cali; strictly stayin’ on ya grind!! Oh, outta nowhere, Ya Boy Earl came in; forgot he hostin’! Good lil’ appearance from him while you’re deliverin’ tha nice hook! Reminds me of your “How I’m Coming” intro track on tha Enemy Of The State CD! Hearin’ you on tha 2^nd verse, and yea, you givin’ “it to ‘em raw!” Great job providin’ this fa us, Cali! And yea, gotta feel Earl on tha 2^nd hook, too! Ya gotta “feel this!!” Keepin’ thangz goin’ wit tha 3^rd verse, keepin’ “it G!” Nice lil’ 3^rd part from Ya Boy Earl on tha 3^rd hook, here! When will it be, “What up, FrankieThaLuckyDog?” My Rating: 4.4

02. “MLK” Feat. Juvenile

Ooh, this looks like it gon be interestin’, especially wit J Buc on tha beat!! >>> Really feelin’ tha beat start!! J Buc holdin’ tha sounds down!! Yea, Juve sounds great on tha hook, “Martin Luther King” style!! Wow, tha Buc beat & Juve go together great!! I already know dat Cali gon hold down tha 1^st verse, here… Yup, “Rihanna” style, lol! Keepin’ shit goin’ wit tha 2^nd verse, too, Cali; gotta feel how you comin’, like a “MLK,” Jr., Jr.!! An Earl outro?? Fuck yeah!! Gotta “put” this CD “in!!” Looks like Earl got his “dream” of “a nice car & hoes.” Currently, my dream iz to get hired at MTV/VH1, or tha video world, real soon! I’m tryna my best ta get out there wit my video countdowns! Cali, you gon see one of those video countdowns that you’re in soon! My Rating: 4.7

03. “Street Money” Feat. Juvenile & Mouse On Tha Track

Keepin’ it goin’ wit a great collaboration like this, as well as Mouse on tha beat & feature!! >>> Ooh, reminds me of tha previous beat; nice sound, once again!! Tha hook sounds jammin’; can’t deny it, though I’ve been hatin’ “money” titles/songs ‘cause I got robbed from someone who claimed they ‘bout “money!” But, good shit on tha 1^st verse, Cali; you make this shit sound like fun… Here’s Juve on tha 2^nd verse, comin’ through wit some N.O. rhymes fa tha 2K13!! Now, it’s eight years and a day after Katrina! Oh, forgot that was Mouse on tha hook; this joint just breezed on by! But yea, Mouse did an excellent job wit tha hook ‘cause his voice iz awesome!! Cool as fuck on tha track!! LOL, anti-Earl, here, as there was no spoken outro! My Rating: 4.6

04. “Dat Dick (Remix 2)” Feat. Mystikal, Juvenile & J Buc

Coupla things: 1.) It’s tha remix (well, 2^nd remix, since Juve’s now on it)!! 2.) J Buc’s on tha hook! Of course, this beat’s by Buc, and you already know, I know about this one! Tha original version, that I was bumpin’ durin’ my internship last year, iz on one of those video countdowns I’m preparin’, as well as “Me & My Thugs”. Lookin’ forward ta dat bein’ completed! I filmed my hosting parts in Kings Park, NY, in a nice abandoned building! And, speaking of this song, I put tha clean title on tha video countdown’s scene sheet, and I showed this girl that I found, that used to call into my favorite radio station, back in 2000 & 2001. I met her three dayz ago, and she was like, “‘Dat Stick’? What’s that?” LOL! But yea, neva got ta hear Juve’s part, so lemme see what he got goin’ on, here… >>> I like how he sounds on this. Mystikal sounded like an erupting dragon, spittin’ lava at anything in his path. Meanwhile, Juve felt like he provided his “dick” correct fa tha track and tha hoes! Once again, anotha good remix! I still liked Mouse’s original verse, though… My Rating: 4.6

05. “I Be” Feat. Level

Featuring a previous birthday boy, whose birthday was two dayz ago. Lookin’ forward ta hearin’ this, wit Mouse on tha beat, again!! >>> Wow, anotha anthem; luv these beats!! How can you turn a title like this (only four characters) into somethin’ so catchy? Well, have Level repeat it in tha hook; gotta luv it!! Here’s Level on tha 1^st verse, comin’ through wit his automatic-soundin’ rhymes; nothin’s eva a challenge! Here you are on tha 2^nd verse, almost soundin’ like Juve, lol… Gotta luv how you keep gettin’ success, Cali!! BTW, what happened to your Twitter followers? They’re, like, 10,000 less than last year (currently, at around 7,700)? I was showin’ my rappin’ granny dat, yesterday, lol… Here’s Level, comin’ through wit you on tha 3^rd verse, comin’ through wit what y’all “be” doin’… Great back-n-forth verse parts! I wish Level had more of a focus on creatin’ success wit me, though, but many think I’m useless and an afterthought. :( My Rating: 4.6

06. DJ Ya Boy Earl Speaks

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dyin’ ta hear!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >>> Attackin’ tha F-Boyz!! Fuck boyz!! Fake boyz!! Great job, Earl; glad ta hear you!! My Rating: N/A

07. “By The Bundle” Feat. Max Minelli & Mouse On Tha Track

Got mo heat wit Mouse on tha feature & beat!! Props ta him followin’ me on Twitter today! >>> Whoo!! Mo heat wit this beat!!! Gotta luv tha cough syrup-soundin’ vibe, here, lol! Definitely feelin’ all tha shit Mouse has “by tha bundle!” Kick-ass hook, only by Mouse! And, here you are on tha 1^st verse, Cali, comin’ through wit a great hu$$le!! Got Max on tha 2^nd verse, comin’ through, feelin’ good; can’t deny tha big dawgs! Speakin’ of “smokin’ Cali,” I got ta feel a high for tha 1^st time two weeks ago today!! I have ta say, bein’ in a dream that’s reality feels like hypnotized fun, ya feel me?! My Rating: 4.6

08. “On!”

Exclamation point title!! Mouse on tha beat!! >>> Yea, Earl in tha beginning, ova this hot-soundin’ beat! Thanx fa clearin’ up how “trappin’” iz, but I dunno about quotin’ Meek Mill and his “Levels” shit… Then again, hearin’ Earl on an intro = drinkin’ some good fruit punch, or somethin’ that makes tha day, lol! Hearin’ you on tha 1^st verse, and you deliverin’ some nice rhymes on this beat… Oh, just went back ta Earl, strictly rippin’ apart tha F-“boyz,” lol! “Sellin’ grams outta a zip,” lol? Cali on tha 2^nd verse, comin’ through wit some “peanut butter.” Meanwhile, for lunch, I had ten small slices of turkey, five slices of cheese & a Chipotle roll! I weighed myself, and I was 117!! I tied my record, back in ’07, on your birthday, Cali!! Eatin’ like a bigger dawg now, lol! And, Earl did a nice job wit tha outro, though I consider this an album, not “mixtape”—well, kinda 50/50… My Rating: 4.4

½time: Wow, Cali, you keepin’ tha flava up!!! Currently, you’re at a 4.6 for tha CD rating, currently!!!!! I was gonna take a nap, like I usually do durin’ tha afternoon, but this CD iz keepin’ me awake, for tha moment! Your birthday can’t go by without this review, ya feel me?!

09. “Nasty” Feat. Kevin Gates

Guess ‘cause of Gates, we’re re-creatin’ a buzz, here, by puttin’ this on here, again? And, it’s DJ Yung Stylez on tha beat. “Yung” in his name? Thought it was just DJ Stylez, but whateva… I think I like this one betta than when I first heard it, a lil’ bit. My Current Rating: 4.4

10. “Pow!” Feat. Versey

Yes, more exclamations on my reviewin’-ass!! Mouse wit anotha beat, here… >>> Off to a calm start wit a lil’ bit of trumpets goin’ on… Ooh, this sounds different wit tha hook; props ta Versey fa providin’ somethin’ catchy wit you on tha hook!! “Pow!!” Nice job wit tha 1^st verse, Cali; this sounds like one of your next hit songs!! I gon consider/co-sign it!! Tha 2^nd verse sounds good, too; eight bars? Nice shit! Well, here’s tha rappin’ Versey on tha 3^rd verse, and it sounds good. Sounds like a lotta random shit goin’ on wit tha rhymes, and it’s even more than eight bars… Well, 12; I guess that’s what it was, but you get so inta tha song that you lose track… My Rating: 4.7

11. “U Pussy”

Ooh, Beat Bangers on tha beat (B-Bangers? Tha Max Minelli “Angel Sing” dudes?)! Lookin’ forward ta hearin’ this attitude!! >>> Good vibe, here; can’t even picture it bein’ a mainstream perspective ‘cause your shit bangs, Cali!! Got you on tha 1^st verse, comin’ through flockin’ wit tha “chicken on [your] lap,” lol! This kinda sounds like a familiar song, but this sound sounds on a 2010s tip… Either way, nice hook; call out dem P.A.N.’z, Cali!! Nice job wit tha 2^nd verse, too; to me, you got buku “Facebook” luvaz, not hataz! My Rating: 4.3

12. “Thinking ‘Bout Me” Feat. Young Juve & Darren Hanible

A Mouse-produced joint, here; let’s see how this gon go wit these features…! >>> Was almost thrown off by tha beginning/hook, but that’s Snoop Dogg “Sexual Eruption”, and since it was when Nu$$ie was still alive, we’ll give it an exception. So, lol @ tha hook; I know they definitely “thinking ‘bout [you]!” Hearin’ you on tha 1^st verse, and you makin’ tha mood sound good on this beat… Hope tha features don’t fuck it up; let’s see what tha 1^st of two newbies has ta offer… Hearin’ tha 1^st feature on tha 2^nd verse, and it sounds like Bow Wow… Ehh, okay lyrics; it’s okay. I won’t hate on it… Tha 3^rd verse iz a lil’ worse fa me… Not really into these newbies, as this iz more on today’s mainstream levels… Kinda long fa what you guys call a “mixtape.” Really? 5:34? My Rating: 3.6

13. “Yo Body” Feat. Juvenile

I think we might need some Juve? Mike Maven doin’ tha production, here… >>> Tha beginning sounds like somethin’ on a full-mainstream level… Yuck, not feelin’ tha hook at all from this mysterious singer that sounds like T-Pain in tha beginning!! Sounds like an album cut! If you feel this iz a “mixtape,” you prolly should’ve saved this for an actual album! I would’ve skipped this if it was some random rapper, but I gon do tha full review ‘cause it’s you… Hearin’ Juve on tha 1^st verse, and it’s okay; he sets tha mood, but this ain’t my kinda song at all… Your part on tha 2^nd verse sounds good fa what you spittin’ fa tha bitches; can’t deny you, at least, but I ain’t feelin’ tha song, overall! How ‘bout some “Dat Dick”s & Mouse productions? My Rating: 1.4

14. “My Bitch” Feat. Skip

Will this be betta? SelfMade Mafia on tha production! >>> Ehh, scared me a lil’ wit tha voice effect on your voice on tha hook, as well as this mainstream-soundin’, typical-soundin’, in-tha-trap-soundin’ beat… Hearin’ you on tha 1^st verse, and it sounds catchy; sounds like an anthem for tha bitches, but everything can be betta wit tha production! Hearin’ Skip on tha 2^nd verse, and this iz okay fa what it iz… Sounds like he anticipatin’ ta “pop” someone, when this ‘pose ta be ‘bout a female… Not tha best combination, here… My Rating: 2.9

15. “Mo Money” Feat. Curren$y & Juvenile

A Mike WiLL Made It beat, like your “Itching”, lol! BTW, they fucked up on tha back cover: “Nad” for “And”, lol? >>> Hearin’ Curren$y on tha 1^st verse, and things sound good… Nice verse from him, supplyin’ his consistent rhymes… Tha hook sounds nice wit its slightly-quiet background. Still, I think you can get 100% original beats on here, Cali! Startin’ ta sound like a mixed-tape, now… Got Juve comin’ through on tha 2^nd verse… Lots of rhymes, lol! Feelin’ tha consistency! Got you comin’ through on tha 3^rd verse, comin’ through wit nice rhymes that I like hearin’. Glad you holdin’ yaself down! My Rating: 3.7

16. “Go” Feat. Turk & 3D Na’Tee

Lookin’ forward ta hearin’ this ta end this CD off, though Doughboy Beatz on tha track? Sounds like a jacked/internet producer…? >>> This has that mainstream, in-tha-trap sound to it, and I’m feelin’ tha hook… Good shit you spittin’ on tha 1^st verse, strictly comin’ through as a now-29-year-old gangsta! “They go when I say, ‘Go!’” Likin’ tha hook, once again! Turk on tha 2^nd verse? Guess I should put him above Na’Tee, since we gotta save tha best fa last! Catchy rhymes from Mr. Turk, here; feelin’ tha grimy saliva comin’ outta his mouth, here, lol! Ooh, Na’Tee did that “tha queen, biiiiiiiiiiiiiitch” intro again, like in “No Love”!! Gotta anticipate her, and yea, she’s got one of tha best verses on this CD!! I luv her fast rappin’; doesn’t sound cheesy like Gates’ in-random-spots’ fast shit! Thumbs up fa her rhymes!! Strictly spittin’ AK-47-like shots at tha speakers!! My Rating: 4.6

Overall: #’s 12 – 15 were a lil’ iffy for me, but other than that, this CD was fire!!! Kicked major ass wit this b-day presentation, Cali!! Keep up tha great work!! BTW, no outro from Earl? Did he just fall off tha CD outta nowhere? Damn… :( Felt like I didn’t get my full dose of Earl on this Cali birthday!! But, I’m sure more’ll be available in tha future!! Keep up tha great work!!

Rankings:

15.       “Yo Body” Feat. Juvenile 1.4

14.       “My Bitch” Feat. Skip 2.9

13.       “Thinking ‘Bout Me” Feat. Young Juve & Darren Hanible 3.6

12.       “Mo Money” Feat. Curren$y & Juvenile 3.7

11.        “U Pussy” 4.3

10.       “On!” 4.4

09.       “Rappin’-N-Trappin’ (Intro)” 4.4

08.       “Nasty” Feat. Kevin Gates 4.4

07.       “Go” Feat. Turk & 3D Na’Tee 4.6

06.       “Dat Dick (Remix 2)” Feat. Mystikal, Juvenile & J Buc 4.6

05.       “By The Bundle” Feat. Max Minelli & Mouse On Tha Track 4.6

04.       “Street Money” Feat. Juvenile & Mouse On Tha Track 4.6

03.    “I Be” Feat. Level 4.6

02.    “Pow!” Feat. Versey 4.7

01.    “MLK” Feat. Juvenile 4.7

Average CD Rating Review:

Total Score:                      61.5

Total Songs:                      / 15

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Average CD Rating:       4.1