Prolific Sacramento rapper
Mozzy solidified his style over the course of countless mixtapes and collaborative projects, molding the familiar sounds of classic West Coast hip-hop around his dark and unrelenting lyrics of street violence and internal searching. Fifth studio album
Beyond Bulletproof follows a string of nearly nonstop releases that came right before it, and bests them with more detailed production and more fully realized performances.
Mozzy's slow-rolling beats recall some of the more menacing moments of the classic
Death Row catalog, updated for a world view that's grown more intense since the days of
The Chronic. Still, it's hard not to feel a similar spark that's uniquely Californian, even when Chicago drill rappers
G Herbo and
King Von show up on the tough mic trade-off "Body Count." Hints of more accessible production appear in the unexpected guitar accents and hooky chorus of "Pricetag," as well as the gentle instrumental of "I Ain't Perfect."
Mozzy's storytelling style is one of his strongest attributes, and his lyrical intricacies are only highlighted all the more by production that swings closer to mainstream fare than anything he's released before. Lyrical themes orbit around topics he often returns to: crime, struggle, and street vengeance. With
Beyond Bulletproof, however, the delivery is shades more relaxed and even introspective, allowing for a clearer view of
Mozzy's pain as well as his personality. ~ Fred Thomas