Jody Christian aka Jody Highroller aka RiFF RAFF is a Hip Hop phenomenon, whether you admit it or not. From MTV’ s From G’s to Gents to Soulja Boy’s SODMG and now to Diplo’s Mad Decent, RiFF RAFF has stuck to his oddly specific, beyond luxurious rap flow that is immediately recognizable. The mix of his southern drawl with the steez from his “Rap Game ____” (fill in the blank with celebrity or athlete) catchphrase, laid over heavy Trap beats from Dame Grease (Ruff Ryders, The Diplomats, French Montana) make Hologram Panda a strong contestant for your guilty pleasure to rock to on the way to work.
RiFF RAFF doesn’t only rap about all the hard drugs he sells (see: Gucci Mane) or the highs he experiences from the recreational drugs he takes (see: Kid Cudi). Instead, he wants to be the drug you take and the high you get from him. The slow string melody and his rhymes on “i CAN TELL STORiES” are a perfect example. He’s got emerald green chains that smell like Brussels sprouts, popped pills in the North Pole, wrote his flow on the back of the Mona Lisa, and he could buy two states-North and South Dakota. No matter how absurd his claims may be, I want to believe there might be some truth to them due to the solitude of the beat and the outrageous nature of his personality. And while I have never taken sizzurp, after listening to “PEPPERMiNT TiNT,” I’m confident that I now know what it’s like to take sizzurp and can understand part of the allure in Chopped N Screwed music.
While each track is one verse from RiFF RAFF, the mixtape is not short of his trademark bars. He pulls out a few more Rap Game ___ flows with “Rocks on my hand/took up a shark tank/want my own talk show/rap game Tyra Banks” (“TRAPPiN LiKE A FOOL”) and “haters can’t persuade me/came back/rap game Katy Perry” (“PEPPERMiNT TiNT”). He shows off his attention to detail with “I’m flippin in my skin/in an anaconda skin/Benz/just me and my kin/in the salamander skin” (“CHARGERS”). And watch out now, 2 Chainz and company, because RiFF RAFF “is going Hamilton/got trophies in the club/champagne champion” (“GOiN HAMiLTON”).
There are a couple throw away tracks on here and the beat on “VERSACE LiES” doesn’t feel right, but this is the first of two mixtapes RiFF RAFF will release before his Mad Decent debut album. Don’t be shy and see which of the Rap Game’s Tony Danza/Warren Moon tracks you can trap to like a fool.
Download the whole thing here.
3 / 5 bars
RiFF RAFF & Dame Grease – “i CAN TELL STORiES”
RiFF RAFF & Dame Grease – “GOiN HAMiLTON”
