Smokepurpp - Florida Jit (Album Review)
Smokepurpp is back with a new project titled 'Flordia Jit' after a pretty lackluster 2018. The Florida rapper rose to fame via Soundcloud alongside his partner in crime Lil Pump (who has a feature on this), and after a few bangers here and there he all of a sudden started to see himself fall off. His recent projects weren't stopping that, so this new album would have to be good enough to stop even more people giving up hope with the rapper.
Ronny J had a hand in the majority of the production on this album, and overall the production is pretty good with some banging beats - bar a few bland ones here and there. The elements of the production are the usual trap elements (with Ronny J's signature distorted 808s) - some songs involve a piano (such as 'Mink Coat'), some songs involve a flute (such as 'Hangin Out The Roof') and other songs involve a guitar such as 'Outside'. The latter though isn't a great example of good production, well I mean the beat sounds alright at best but Purpp himself ruins this track because he sounds like he doesn't want to be there and just sounds so sluggish and it really makes the song dis-interesting. However, we get some of the best production of the album from the get go with 'Pop Shit' - with a piano playing over this banging trap beat as Purpp talks on shooting people up. His flow was pretty fire during the verse, and the whole energy of the track is high and matches the beat making it a great introduction to this project and that he's here to entertain. The title track 'Florida Jit' is an example of a more bland beat on the project and despite it only being a minute long it just came and went and was really forgettable - there was no need for it being here. The final track also 'Chopstix', despite having these eerie piano keys and a menacing atmosphere, just had a pretty bland feel with generic 808s, it was one of them tracks where the energy wasn't there.
Smokepurpp himself isn't exactly a great rapper. His lyrics are incredibly vague and generic - and he hard ever says anything witty or tries with some clever wordplay or a good punchline. There are times however on this project where his lines are just so straight up goofy that they may come off as funny and entertaining, such as on the Jack Harlow assisted track 'Tide Pen', where he says "Gave me so much brain, bitch came with a pen (Yeah) // So much brain I'm nutting SAT questions". This track see's Jack provide a nice flow and ride the beat well as well as provide a decent hook over this more mellow, flute/piano infused trap beat - it's a decent track but nothing more than that. However, the majority of the time it's basic and sometimes just straight up bad, as on the track '1st & 3rd', "Play the bitch like I game on Nintendo". It's just too simplistic, but despite that we don't listen to Purpp for his lyrics, and his flow is so relentless and in your face over these rattling hi-hats as the entire song bangs from start to finish. "Yeah, hop in that Ghost (Skrrt), uh // I burn your ass like some toast (Skrrt-skrrt)" Purpp says on 'Fishscale', which is almost funny for how bad it is - but this short track is entertaining with it's gltichy bass as the beat goes hard while Purpp just flexes and talks about all the girls he gets. The main reason Purpp has an audience is for that fun energy he bring to his tracks - his high energy works well for the hype/banger type tunes he aims for and that is where the appeal is.
The features are pretty scarce on this project which surprised me, but the features that do appear perform well and match the energy that Purpp brings to his project - and realistically that was all it was about. Lil Pump is the first feature we hear on this album on the track 'Off My Chest'. We knew his chemistry with Purpp would be good, but I was surprised at his feature being great after recent output, with some funny one liners, "I bust a nut, then tell her to fetch (Bitch, aye) // This bitch got Corona, I don't wanna see her", he just came off like he was having a fun time and bought a great comical energy to the track. The song just focuses on coming from the gutter as well as guns and drugs over this lowkey trap banger of a beat. Purpp's lowkey approach works well too and partner all this with a catchy hook and you've got yourself a banger. Young Nudy provides probably the only weak feature of the project, with a lack of energy and just being really generic as he comes off as boring on the song 'Ends'. I really didn't get any enjoyment out of this track, I thought the flute trap beat was alright but other than that there was nothing that stood out here. Denzel Curry was a great feature on the next track, 'I'm Him', and provides u his usual great energy, flow and some hard lines, "Don't mess with them shooters, ayy // Put a hole in your medulla, ayy // Everybody think they a tough guy, 'til they go missin' // Now I'm in Cuba, ayy (Rrah)". Purpp himself had some funny lines, "I fuck on that bitch, can't let her stay with me // Won't let her play me, she get lucky if she lay with me (Fuck on her, yeah)" over this eerie beat, and while Smokepurpp was alright, it was Zel who really carried this track to a higher level.
In terms of subject matter, it's exactly what you'd expect from a Smokepurpp album - guns, flexing, sex, cooking drugs and attacking opps - and that literally is all there is too it. 'One Play' is an example of a track about sex with a unique xylophone trap beat and catchy 808 pattern. The melody of the delivery is nice but it's not as good a song as the first two, and the energy isn't as fun. 'It's Whatever' is about all of the above pretty much, over these hard 808s and twinkling bells (the beat goes so hard) - it has a good about of life and comes at the right time in the album as the few songs before it hadn't been quite up to par. There's no focus in the tracks either - it goes from girls to drugs to girls so awkwardly without really sticking to one. There again, the appeal of Purpp isn't in the lyrics and subject matter - it's simple just how good the song would sound blasting through your speakers. The Rick Ross assisted 'Big Dawg' is an example of a classic flexing track with this mellow flute/guitar beat, howeverit was a pretty basic performance from everyone. Rick Ross' verse was alright, with a nice flow but nothing special and the whole track was just a bit predictable - it wasn't bad, I just thought this track could've had more life to it by both artists bringing more oomf to their performances.
To look at some other tracks, 'Not Code' is a tame song on this tracklist and doesn't have as much life as other songs - and that's the only way there's really a problem on an album like this. 'Hanging Out The Roof' is a common example of a song that is alright on the album but doesn't bang as much as the best tracks on here do - and at only around a minute long I thought for how short it is it would've come so hard and a bit sweeter - but apparently not. 'Mink Coat' takes an eerier approach to most tracks on the album as Purpp gives us a playful tone with his delivery and flow which does sound alright - but nothing more. Towards the back end of the album we get one of the best tracks of the album in '24s'. With this menacing bass and hard 808s, Purpp's melodic delivery really works for the hook and the whole song is short, and constantly ferocious and in your face - a real contrast to the previous short song on the album 'Florida Jit' which I found to be so forgettable.
To conclude, there's nothing too complex with this album - it's full of bangers as well as some misses - but the highs just outweigh the lows. This actually did surprise me, after recent output I thought this would be absolutely awful but it was an alright project. He may be finding his mojo once again, and this album could've been even better if some tracks were cut down and it was trimmed to a project of around 12-14 songs - now we just need Lil Pump to find his mojo as well and we can see some more bangers being released in 2020. A fun project, some skips but also some songs for the playlist.
FAVOURITE TRACKS: Pop Shit, Off My Chest, It's Whatever, 1st & 3rd, I'm Him, Fishscale, 24s
LEAST FAVOURITE TRACK: Florida Jit
OVERALL RATING: Light 5.5/10