Gifted Da Flamethrowa painted himself as the picture of musical grind between March 2010 and October 2011. Releasing 10 volumes in the Monsters Do Exist series of mixtapes during this 20 month span, he left everything on the proverbial floor. Or so it would seem, that is. Gifted presents Bulldoze City, an album that hopes to cover (or run over) ground he didn’t touch on previous projects.

New Orleans rappers have more often than not been heaped into one category or style (Cash Money/ No Limit), but I feel Gifted continues to set himself apart as an artist with creative depth on this project. Even though his flow is similarly dipped in 504 drawl, his content and concepts keep him in emcee standing and far from being a run of the mill “bounce rapper". He holds the listeners’ attention by transitioning between viewpoints verse by verse (“Give Em Nothin”) or pure storytelling (“Reaper On Me”). Also, a punchline here and there weaves in well with his overall unadulterated, undeterred “bulldozer” writing approach. Probably the most pleasantly surprising song lyrically is “Movement Music”, with 007. The way the two microphone vets attacked the boom bap instrumental, swapping every few bars, should impress even the most south doubting hip hoppers.

Looking at the beat selection of the project requires considering Gifted’s delivery as well. Anyone who has been to New Orleans knows that there’s a certain harmonic melody ingrained in the vocals of the locals. That rings true for Gifted and adds a layer of fullness to the instrumentals, even increasing the level of attention from the listener. The instrumentals are a point of contention for me though because of the range of production quality. There are plenty of heavyweight tracks like “The Message”, “Fighting Against Life”, “Bulldoze City” (title tracks have to be on point), and “The Way”. But, there are a few songs that just miss from a musical standpoint including “Gone Get It”, “Hands Of Time”, and "Can't Believe". I think if about 6 songs- most of the middle of the road or mediocre tracks- were cut, you’d have a top level project on hand.

Overall, Bulldoze City sets itself up as an album that will encourage its listeners whether saved or not. The whole concept of bulldozing obstacles, doubts, and any impediment to a life for God’s glory brings to mind Proverbs 4:12 and resonates clearly on the project. Gifted had plenty in the tank, even after pouring out so much from his heart on the MDE collection so that deserves respect right there. I will say that even with the significant number of features on this project, it never felt like a compilation or collab- driven album. He maintained with a well rounded package of songs that address life from a biblical worldview, even though shaving off about 6 or so of them would've tightened up the playlist. It took a strong effort to follow his acclaimed last studio album, Street Symphony, and Gifted did well raising his standard while razing anything that stood in the way.

Categorical Ratings Background:

Originality/Creativity: 3.5/5
Lyrics: 3.5/5
Delivery: 4/5
Beat Selection/Production: 3/5
Concept/Arrangement: 3/5

For More Info:

http://flamethrowa.com/