ATL grinders Gideonz Army is back with a vengeance on the heels of a new album entitled Mainstream. G.A., known for their street savvy, bass heavy sounds, return after a great response to their debut album On Ten- as well as multiple older mixtapes. G.A.’s go out and get em attitude and in your face lyrics have continued to make them lightning rods for debate between their supporters as well as their detractors. Hate them or love them there are a couple things you cannot call G.A.- dull or lazy! In the last couple of years G.A. has grinded it out in public and private to be positioned as one of the most recognized groups in CHH.

Mainstream opens with the title track bearing the same name, G.A. doesn’t wait to hit you over the head with something krunk. This anthem has G.A. stating they are ready to share the gospel on a major level and won’t let anyone limit where they take it. Add T-Haddy and D-Maub in the mix and this song equals instant energy! This song stayed stuck in my head it is super catchy.

G.A. Keeps the Southern Bangers on deck with songs like “Alright, Alright, Alright” which has a sort of Travis Porter feel but they put their stamp on it and I guarantee the shorties will love this joint. “Super straight” featuring Jay King is another trunk rattler that G.A. showcases their wordplay and lyricism, the hook of this song is ridiculous. “Walkitlikeitalkit” is a statement song where G.A. proclaims “I’m gone walk it like I talk it, Get it how I live, my life Jesus Christ bought it, so for him I live!” Like I said they keep the bangers coming!

G.A. shows that they are very comfortable rocking out over synths and 808s but I think they really shine when they switch lanes to heartfelt songs. Talk about mainstream, man these dudes have so many singles on this album it’s not even funny. One of my favorite songs is “Celebrity” featuring the super smooth ZG; I could have sworn that was T.I. talking in the beginning! This song just feels right and has all the elements of a hit song plus it’s honest. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any smoother then “Thought it was over” feat crooner Brian H comes on, This song talks about the battle we have with the flesh that sometimes resembles a relationship or love affair, this joint is radio ready. At this point you may be at the place where you are thoroughly impressed with G.A. and they hit us again with songs like “Back to the altar” featuring Xist records Sean Simmonds and Lil Prophet.

It seems G.A. has figured out the recipe for effective songs with joints like “Heaven” featuring the angelic voice of Samara. Heaven speaks for itself, as believers if we miss heaven everything else in our life was pointless. Also the infamous “Jesus Piece” infamous because I don’t think some people got the whole point of the song and as usual some people just dove too deep into the meaning.

Mainstream boast some dope feature artist that cover the spectrum of well known to unknown but all contribute to the high quality of this album. The biggest contributor and collaborator is their former label head and mentor Canton Jones who blesses two tracks on this album “Willing to die for this” and “Gangstas love it” The former is vintage Cajo, Bold and unashamed. The latter although it may be a catchy tune, may fan some flames that need to settle. "Gangstas love it" is one of those songs where G.A. bears scars left by those who criticize what they do and Cajo adds to the ruckus. This is one of those songs where it’s easy for people to misunderstand G.A.s stance in that this song has an air of rebellion to it, this where things get fuzzy and G.A. seems to double talk. In one breath they say it’s all about souls in the same breath you have Cajo dropping or appearing to drop the N word, who knows because they bleep it out but you get the point. For me places like that are the only sore spots on this record an there are a few of them. Overall, I thought this was a great album- minus a few songs they could have done without, seeing as there are 19 tracks on the album. You can hear the maturity musically as well as lyrically since their last release and I’m sure this record will have a long reach. This is southern bangers and testimony music raw and uncut; if the listener knows that’s what they are getting there will be plenty of happy music lovers out there.

Categorical Ratings Breakdown:

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

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