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Sucka Free CJ - Sunshine Free
Though I certainly have a bias towards 20th century hip hop, I like to think I'm connected enough that a new rapper with close to half a million youtube hits would not be able to fly under my radar. Yet that's the case with Sucka Free CJ, a rapper hailing from the Los Angeles suburb of Chino Hills. A quick scan of the comments on his youtube videos would explain why I hadn't heard of him, however, as his following seems to be compromised exclusively of fans under the age of 18.
The majority of his material might favorably be described as having a pop leaning (or unfavorably as being soft), with many of his songs sounding like the 2011 equivalent of LL Cool J's I Need Love. They're the type of songs that will reel in young women and early teens - the kind of thing you'd hear at a high school dance - but will likely draw the ire of purists. Of course, that's likely the audience CJ is going for anyway as the rise of Drake has validated the idea that young women are the determining factor in what makes or breaks a rap artist these days. In fact, CJ's music is so polished and ready-made for that demographic that I'm left wondering whether he's become a marketing savant so early in his career or if he's merely the latest attempt by some as-yet-unknown major label to manufacture an artist through astroturfing (his facebook page currently describes his label status as "independent").
Despite all of that, I can't front: I actually kind of dig this Sunshine Free track. Built around a sample from indie rock group Minus the Bear, it's hard to hate on a song that opens up with a nod to G Thang. I don't think I'll be playing this out around the homies, though.
Here's one other song from Sucka Free, which uses a sample from the xx:
Sucka Free CJ - Give You More
If you want to hear more from CJ, you can check out his mixtape, Ars Gratia Artis, over on bandcamp.
3/10/2011 6:30:00 PM posted by Fresh