On the last day of 2013, Chicago duo Sicko Mobb quietly dropped bop’s manifesto, Super Saiyan Vol. 1. The now legendary artwork of the duo posted up on 15th St. and Christiana Ave. in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood was a nod to Dragon Ball Z, as was the title, a double entendre that accurately described the turnt vibe Sicko Mobb went for every time out. All of last year, bop, led by Super Saiyan Vol. 1 and DJ Moondawg’s two We Invented The Bop compilations, existed as a counterpoint to drill—a soundtrack for people who wanted to forgo the violence that has been married to the latter genre and do copious amounts of drugs instead. The follow-up, Super Saiyan Vol. 2, has been billed as a more personal project. While that is technically true, their formula has hardly been tweaked.
Last summer, the duo signed a deal to Polo Grounds/RCA after remixing their biggest hit, “Fiesta”, with A$AP Ferg. It was always in the plans for the label to release their major label debut after this mixtape, in which they show no signs of slowing down. In fact, “Orange Flat” sees the coats of auto-tune come off momentarily to reveal two kids that have an uncanny knack for hooks.
The biggest change Sicko Mobb brought to this mixtape was the incorporation of gloomier production, which isn’t always a cue for Lil Trav and Lil Ceno to put their straight faces on. Their appearance on Future Brown’s “Big Homie” could be seen as a sign of this, in hindsight. But there was also the single “Trophies”, which, while not on Super Saiyan Vol. 2, gave a pretty clear idea on where Sicko Mobb’s sound was inching toward.
To call this effort from Sicko Mobb a small step back from their debut, rather than a lateral one, may be as accurate is it is unfair. For starters, Maybach Music B-teamer Rockie Fresh is the album’s only feature for a mixtape that lasts over 20 tracks, 17 of which are full-fledged songs. Super Saiyan Vol. 2 starts to run out of gas around “Band Up”. But this comes late enough that Sicko Mobb have made their point: The well is not dry.
That Sicko Mobb are still churning out stellar club tracks is a relief, considering there is the matter of the major label debut that the duo has to deal with. A$AP Ferg’s appearance on “Fiesta (remix)” could be indicative of RCA understanding that Sicko Mobb could be a massive failure as a major label act if they are mishandled. Remember Honest? There is a reason these artists get signed to deals: this is an act that caught a bit of a wave as a bop act par excellence. Labels and artists are going to have to meet Lil’ Trav and Lil’ Ceno halfway at the very least.
The kids can rap, but to try and have them make a boilerplate major label debut rap album would be a disservice to the artist, the label, and the consumer. If RCA takes Super Saiyan Vol. 2 as a blueprint, sink a bit of major label money into it, and include the right features, they may have an Earth-shattering album on their hands. As it stands, Sicko Mobb just scored a worthy follow-up to what is slowly becoming a classic mixtape.
Rating: 4/5