From âCrank Thatâ to âWalk It Outâ to âYouâre A Jerk,â a simple yet universally accessible âHip-Popâ dance record always seems to stream through the radio airwaves months on end until it becomes musically irrelevant. Last yearâs contender was Cali Swag District, made up of C-Smoove, Yung, JayAre and the now-deceased M-Bone, who staked their claim with âTeach Me How To Dougie.â Offering their debut album The Kickback, the Inglewood trio looks to expand their name beyond a move inspired by Doug E. Fresh.
Light on lyrics but entertaining nonetheless, âBack It Up And Dump Itâ recaptures the impressionable dance vibes of âTeach Me How To Dougieâ with an iterated hook and a bass-heavy beat. Cali Swag District then concentrate on some alone time with their girls on âMe And U.â Like a puppy love relationship from high school, they passionately admire their counterparts over sensuous production, a nice break from the usual boastful bravado. âCanât Live Without My Musicâ works its way as the albumâs closest archetype of a pop record, blending pounding synths with a bright melodic hook courtesy of newcomer Ashley A. Showing signs of musical maturity, CSD fittingly adjusts their delivery to match the upbeat production so that the synergy of the track flows smoothly. Â
On the other end, Cali Swag District spends a good amount of time attempting to prove they are âdeeper than the Dougie,â but to no avail does this point truly come to fruition. Botched performances like âHip Hop Fiendâ and âDisgustingâ display a lack of execution mixed with amateurish lyricism, while âRun Itâ and âI Donât Need Your Moneyâ unfavorably sound like The Pack circa 2007. Then, meager rhymes meet shame on â9th Inning.â Using baseball as an atrocious metaphor for sex, Yung sullies arguably the gameâs most cherished individual when he raps, âYou can tell Iâm major league by the way that I hit it / Ryan Howard with it tryinâ to knock it out the park / Maybe make a double play, catch a game after dark / Yeah, Iâm like Jackie in his prime / But the number on my jersey say 69.â
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While convincingly spry, Cali Swag District are unable to outlive the resonance of success that they attained with âTeach Me How To Dougieâ as this one-sided affair of party tunes and fairly expendable production rarely impresses. Discouraging as that is, CSD still has the opportunity to salvage their reputation after The Kickback, but itâs clear that will take more than creating a new dance craze for the youth.