When you can buy mixtapes – three for five bucks on Harlem’s
125th street – you can only come to the assumption that not only are the
bootleggers out in force, but we are lost in an over abundance of freestyles,
emcees and people fighting to get a deal. To some, mixtapes may have lost the
appeal they once had; at one time the replacement for the traditional demo,
everyone and their mother nowadays feels obliged to put out random collections
of sometimes irrelevant material and label it a mixtape. But then there are the
names that have us salivating at the mouth. These names are not necessarily
those of artists (unless you’re an A-Lister), but of the DJs who often
delectably abuse their chance to shine with creativity amidst a perfectly
balanced star studded cast.
One name that has been steadily increasing in popularity on the streets belongs
to none other than Boston
native, Clinton Sparks. Having a notorious radio show on Shade 45,
Smashtime Radio, one of MTV’s
Top Ten Favored Mixtape Producers used his show to take mixtapes to a higher
plateau. Having incorporated some of Hip Hops hottest artists and the jewels
they bestowed upon his show, namely their freestyles to mixtape format, it is
only acceptable that Touch the Sky is one of those that may linger in
your memory a little longer than most.
Artists such as Busta, The Lox (minus Kiss), Slim Thug,
Pharrell and Remy Ma, to name a few, get aboard the DJ’s own beats
and do their thing. This possibly encouraged the piece de resistance, the
presence of (drum roll please), playing the part of Host, The Louis Vuitton Don himself – Kanye
West. Who would have imagined Ye jumping on a project that didn’t
feature his beats? No, I have to give Mr. West his props as he
appreciates real talent. But even though Kanye drops some jewels on the
tape, he certainly doesn’t outshine the brain behind it. The mixtape is a
taster for his album that is due out later this year, and going by this example
Clinton Sparks won’t be disappointing his constantly growing fan base.
The interview with Alicia Keys gives the tape a humorous touch, which
doesn’t go unnoticed like some interludes and skits often do. Once again, you
have to give it up for the way in which he incorporates the show into this
project. All in all, the tape satiates the appetite for a product that is well
crafted, with hot production and quality acts. I just wish more tapes
exemplified this.
