The Cranberry Show continued its string of holiday mixtapes this last Christmas, however don't be confused into thinking that the mixtapes have anything to do with the holidays that they were released on. The new project, "Regular A** N*****" was brought to me as being something a bit different then what they typically do, and for the most part, I would have to agree.
This is probably the most serious that I've heard TCS. That doesn't mean fans of TCS won't get the typical steeze they're known for which is cocky raps about clothes and women over bass heavy beats, but there are more points on the project where you can tell Arcane and Young Focus are tired of being solely associated with the image of horny jokesters that have no depth.
They are horny jokesters, of course, and they will openly admit that, but I have to believe that this was the "yes, we CAN spit" project custom made for people like myself that prefers music a little less sexual and a little more substantial.
Young Focus is a very talented rapper and Arcane has certainly improved quite a bit over the last couple of years making the division between the two less noticeable as it once had been. All in all, though I'll never be a fan of the sexually charged music so many younger rappers concentrate on producing at times, The Cranberry Show definitely deserves a tip of the cap for showing that there is some depth to themselves as artists.
Lastly, the project's beats are all fantastic and they're provided by frequent collaborator 40 Mil, and the fantastic Smash Boiz.
Download the mixtape right here.
Born in Milwaukee and raised in the Milwaukee suburb of Brown Deer, Concordia University Wisconsin alumnus Poppe has spent the majority of his life in or around the city and county of Milwaukee.
As an advocate of Milwaukee's hip-hop community Poppe began popular local music blog Milwaukee UP in March 2010. Check out the archived entries here.
Though heavy on the hip-hop, Poppe writes about other genres of music and occasionally about food, culture or sports, and is always ready to show his pride in Milwaukee and Wisconsin.
