Gucci Mane was really on to something when creating 1017 Records. Was it a label, management house or platform for aspiring rappers out of Atlanta? That answer became even more murky after Radric Davis found himself incarcerated. Even from behind bars, his ability to help cultivate the early careers of everyone from Young Thug to Young Dolph has made him prolific in finding Southern Hip Hop talent. His influence also extends further to the steady rise of Peewee Longway who eventually developed his own collective through The MPA Bandcamp. A slew of projects including Running Around The Lobby and last year’s The Blue M&M 2 (King Size) have gotten him major notice and his love affair with the color blue and candy has worked well for his branding. There’s a lot to appreciate about Longway besides the standard trap attributes and his first project of 2016, Mr. Blue Benjamin, serves as another solid addition to his catalogue.
Peewee Longway has always been extremely articulate in his actual rap delivery compared to many artists outside of the New Atlanta mold. This is more than apparent on Mr. Blue Benjamin’s opening titular track when he spits bold rhymes like “F-F-Fuck 12, bust a whole pint on they feet / Noisey Atlanta gon’ have me right there with Meech / Mr. Blue Benjamin, now I own the streets.” While the fairly redundant themes would handicap others, there’s enough audible charisma to maintain interest when he spits. For the first half of Mr. Blue Benjamin, Peewee is on a roll thanks to tracks like “What You Going to Do” and “I Got the Box.” Listeners already dismissive of the scene’s over reliance on simplistic hooks, sing-song approaches to rap melodies and danceable tunes should have much to appreciate. It doesn’t mean Mr. Blue Benjamin lacks those memorable moments, especially on “The Most.”
The creative cracks really start to show whenever he goes for the Auto-Tuned melodic rhymes. There isn’t a better example of those “fall flat” moments than “I’m Sayin’” along with “Shame.” Mr. Blue Benjamin’s biggest issue is the heavy tracklist that caps at twenty songs as the mid-way point really doesn’t have the same impact as the album’s first half. Tracks including the Gucci Mane assisted “Gold Mouth” and “Guess What” featuring Young Dolph really become an example of the mixtape trappings Mr. Blue Benjamin finds itself in. The worst offender of the bunch is “It Cost to be Me.” Longway does manage to squeeze some bangers out of the later half thanks to project’s most high-profile single “Jackie Tan” featuring Wiz Khalifa and Juicy J (besides another highlight “Excuses.”) Sonically speaking, Mr. Blue Benjamin will either become one’s 808 heaven or hell, depending on preference, but thankfully, production doesn’t get stand as a detractor for Longway’s rhyme schemes.
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Mr. Blue Benjamin probably won’t convert naysayers to the rapper LL Cool J himself gave a co-sign to. However, longtime fans and those who appreciate Peewee Longway’s specific brand of trap stylings should have much to enjoy. If only some much needed fat trimming was at hand, Mr. Blue Benjamin could have elevated into something greater.
