Curly Castro and DJ Ambush - Phatman and Likklebwoy (Beat Garden):
Not content with simply representing for the most talented duo in independent hip hop (as if you don't know), Beat Garden Entertainment recently expanded its roster to include Brooklyn-born emcee Curly Castro. His new mixtape with DJ Ambush, Phatman and Likklebwoy, which Castro had been working on for two and a half years, serves as his introduction as a Beat Garden artist and the precursor to his upcoming official album Winston's Appeal.
As with most of the artists that B.G.E.'s point man Zilla Rocca has put me onto, Castro might best be categorized as a "lyrical" emcee, though without having to resort to the golden age mimicry that typically comes along with such a categorization. That's not to say that Castro doesn't acknowledge his (and hip hop's) roots; quite the opposite in fact and, as a fellow product of the late 70's growing up in the shadow of NYC, I seem to share a lot of the culture reference points that Curly Castro does. That shared background is perhaps why I found myself so consistently entertained with the various metaphors and name drops that he scatters throughout his lyrics - from historical events (the '77 blackout) to pop culture (a full song devoted to the Simpsons) to the brief appropriation of classic De La (like they used to say...), each verse is loaded with references of all sorts.
You don't have to be a grizzled old rap fan like me to appreciate Castro's talents however, as his skills on the mic should be evident to hip hop heads of any generation. Of course, a good mixtape is more than just a platform for lyricism, and Phatman and Likklebwoy's beat selection doesn't disappoint. Put together by DJ Ambush, who also drops an occasional verse on the mixtape, the tracklisting features beats from, among others, Outkast, Cage and Black Milk. The production's highlight, though, is a reworking of The Clipse's Keys Open Doors. I don't have a full tracklisting for the mixtape so I must confess that I don't know if it's an original beat or if Ambush jacked it from someone, but props to him if he put that one together on his own.
In any event, here are two of my favorite tracks from Phatman and Likklebwoy, including the Simpsons tribute that would do Bartman proud:
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