It has been a very interesting journey for Sonny Shots and Alexander Mendoza, the rapper/producer combo that was once The Dean’s List. They had a few really good mixtapes, only to release their first studio album Generation X that really underperformed. They said they were going to release a video for every song on that album, and just quit half way through. They decided to get away from their college ‘frat rap’ persona and want to hit heavier subjects. And they used this new mixtape to try to make a statement and change their group.
One major change is changing their name from The Dean’s List to The King’s Dead, which is always a very very risky move for any group, especially after they already released a studio album and are starting to build a brand name. However, it shows how committed they are to their new image. Another is their content. They really have heavier content than the did previously, as told by the fact that their album is named Jerusalem and the fact that they talk about religion pretty heavily.
After listening through the album, I was relieved to see that although the content is different, Sonny’s flow is the same, and Mendoza’s production of songs has only gotten better. They even play off of some of their old songs and remix them to go with the feel of the entire album, which is really interesting. They are really going in on this new persona will everything they have, and it seems so far that it is paying off.
I strongly suggest listening to this album, and seeing the evolution this group has gone through.
This mixtape is an exclusive through datpiff.com, so if you want it, click the link for them below:
