When OutKast [click to read] and Goodie Mob [click to read] were the talk of the south, the Organized Noize [click to read] production is what lulled you in, and then the lyrics and content kept you coming back for more. Playaz Circle [click to read], a unit of The Disturbing Tha Peace family, has the production to grab your interest. However, the lyrics have yet to keep fans coming back.
The Playaz Circle return with their sophomore album, Flight 360: The Takeoff. The production is jet fuel. From the synths to the baselines, each producer brings single worthy instrumentals. The music is big literally, Playaz Circle remind you about this point throughout their album with songs like, “Big Dawg” “Big Wheel Whippin” and “Quit Flossin’” where doing it big is a fundamental part of the chorus. Tity Boi and Dolla, flow over the tracks with an apparent ease and comfort. They sound at home, but do little to add any artistic value to the tracks. Some of it is annoyance with their apparent need to talk as the tracks close or the constant mentioning of “Duffle Bag Boy,” and then some of it is just their blunt, lack of creative way that they approach songwriting.
It becomes apparent from the first track, “Turbulence,” that Playaz Circle attempt to mimic this process. Big production, to the point lyrics and catchy hooks, in hopes to grab the commercial audience by the ears. Altogether, the apparent nod factor still does however hold much replay value and lyrically, doesn’t contain any quotables or memorable moments with the exception of a Raekwon‘s [click to read] “Weight Droppin'” appearance. Maybe that’s part of the appeal of Playaz Circle, they are fairly adequate emcees, who make catchy music. However it remains the albums biggest drawback, along with its lack of cohesiveness throughout. One never gets grasp of who Tity Boi and Dolla are and what they are about besides their apparent need to party, floss, and hustle – a lacking quality of their debut as well.
“Big Dawg” is their attempt to recreate “Duffle Bag Boy.” Lil Wayne [click to read] sings the chorus and the content is filled with hustling, flossing and typical Top 40 single material. The production is catchy and Lil Wayne does his best to sell the silly hook of being a “big dawg.” You could see the song being a 106 & Park success or causing eyes to roll. The following track is another radio effort with “Quit Flossing” featuring the Casey Boy of Jagged Edge. It may be their best radio effort of the album and should get spins. The closest thing to a highlight of the album is “Ghetto” [click to listen] featuring a soulful hook sang by Cee-Lo. Here, Tity Boi and Dolla approach the track in an honest and sincere way. Lyrically, there is nothing that turns head, but after an album of potential singles and flossing, the listener appreciates a view from another window.
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Playaz Circles make no illusion of who their audience is from the very beginning. “Turbulence” sounds like a song you would here on the radio, easily accessible to a vast array of audiences with lyrics that toe the line of simple and commercially brilliant. There is nothing inventive about their lyrical abilities or their topics but the bottom line is Playaz Circle has their niche and they’re “big wheel whipping” until they run out of gas.