Music Review: LE$ (@settle4les) x @CookinSoul – ACE

Street lore is always appealing when it is either authentic or done in the proper fashion. The main thing is not about subject matter; the subject will always be redundant. What makes it work is style and originality. Since no idea is totally original, it is the attraction of the approach that makes sure a story/album wins. LE$ and Cookin Soul understood this and used live instrumentation and Paid In Full references to construct a street album that will easily win ears.

LE$ holds no bars when it comes to his Houston flow and Jet Life representation. Throughout the twelve tracks on this album, LE$ gives a straight-no filter look of street life stories. Not actually going over the head of listeners serves him well on this album. Using hustling rules, a hustler’s mentality, and the ups and downs of the drug game, he references equality between the rap game and the drug game. Whether it is directly or indirect, he makes sure that his lyrics is colorful enough to hold attention without forcing the listener to overthink or become confused.

Cookin Soul, however, will probably be the most talked about portion of this album. Their production remains superb throughout the album. The smooth funk action on “Bout It” is easily stacked up with the heavy boom bap of “The Hustle”. The surprisingly sampled faction of “In The Air” brings an 80’s feel while the Rakim adopted vocals make “Paid In Full” worth the price of admission. Remembering that this is a mixtape (meaning: free of charge), the price of admission will never match the professionalism and level of expertise that Cookin Soul has to offer.

LE$ notes on “Prosper” that “I ain’t stopping until the steak and lobster/who said mobsters don’t prosper?” This ideal is pretty much the theme for this tape: prosperity in hip hop from a drug game point of view. LE$ has the right lyrics for it because he keeps it nimble yet simple. Cookin’ Soul makes it even more grand because their production nothing short of exemplary. With all the given elements, this will be one of 2014’s sleeper gems among the bloated mixtape scene.