Dan Adu-Gyamfi never stays at the Radisson.
Unlike Lil Uzi Vert’s debut album, where he spends most of the time crooning over losing the love of his life, the Philly rapper sounds alive and energized on “A Lot,” his latest collaboration with Zaytoven.
The track stands out on Zay’s latest mixtape, Where Would the Game Be Without Me 2. The title of the project displays that JT the Bigga Figga’s former protégé knows his impact. The beat contains the signature drum patterns that he fostered with Gucci Mane while a loop of six piano notes drives the melody.
Uzi’s charisma exudes throughout the track. It sounds like he’s smiling the whole time he’s spitting his bars. Maybe his rhymes amuse him similarly to the way Jeezy used to laugh at his own punchlines. His boasts vary from being 7’10″ when he stands on top of his bread to making someone hop around because he shot them in the leg.
It seems like Uzi remembers the ‘World Series of Dice’ skit from The Chappelle Show where Leonard Washington, played by Dave Chappelle, gets shot by Rodney “Quills” Dinkins, played by Charlie Murphy, in the leg to avoid an attempted murder charge. Temporarily, he even brings back Big Sean’s overrated punchline flow and says, “Move through the dirt, blacky sand/ Chopper gon’ twerk, Pakistan.” He follows it up with an “Ayy” ad-lib to suggest he’s really pleased with those lines.
The two artists aren’t from Atlanta but it’s the city where they developed to become the successes they are today. When Uzi states, “Oh you a stripper? Give me a dance,” you can imagine him saying this in Follies or Magic City. Zaytoven has balanced maintaining a signature sound while expanding his style to make the current generation of rappers still yearn for his beats. Kanye West once said “Listen to the kids bro,” and the kids still clamor for Zay’s sound.
