During the past year, a handful of Hip Hop veterans have caused a stir by either demanding credit or lampooning younger rappers. Last year, Pusha T artfully did it on Daytona. And last month, Soulja Boy cartoonishly claimed he was behind Drake’s success.
On his new mixtape Barz On Fire 3, Ruff Ryder vet Drag-On spends the majority of his time either questioning the street cred of new rappers or complaining about his lack of respect. As his career finishes its second decade, he still raps with bravado and candor. However, the project mostly sounds dated and lackluster.
Barz On Fire 3 kicks off with a remix of Jaden Smith’s 2017 hit “Icon.” Drag-On’s rendering is much more hard-hitting and showcases his technical superiorities over the young star. DJ Get It and DJ Lazy K pepper the track with gunshots and beat-switches, while Drag-On vigorously raps over the epic beat. “Pistol On My Side” builds off the intro track’s momentum with the Bronx rapper spitting back-to-back bars laced with threats. On another highlight, the former Ruff Ryders signee conjures up East Coast nostalgia on “Yo Momma Proud” — a diss song with some humorous punchlines.
But things take a turn for the worse on “Wave Hopper.” Over Crazeonthebeatz’s minimal production, Drag-On goes on a tirade against current artists. He opens up with the bars, “The next rapper I catch wearing a halter top/ I don’t care what’s in the clip, he’s getting all the shots/ Their pants showing the shape of their kneecaps/ I’m trying to figure what section they get their jeans at?” Instead of sounding like a legend bestowing wisdom to misguided youth, he comes off as out of touch and cranky.
Drag-On also leans into homophobia on “Who Run It.” In addition to the generic production, the insults fall flat. After suggesting that new rappers are all “deep-throating,” he throws subtlety out the window with his closing taunt. “Whose dick did you suck to get that deal?” Arguably, Drag-On is just continuing a decades-old tradition of diss songs. But it’s 2019 — gender-bending artist Young Thug frequently collaborates with much more masculine rappers, Brockhampton signed a lucrative deal with RCA — get over it, move on, and come up with something else.
Besides the enjoyable “G-Way” and a fairly decent remix of “Taste,” Barz On Fire 3 is mostly mediocre. The lowest point is “Tsunami,” a sensual track featuring R&B singer Ru Williams. The song oozes corniness. Once again, Drag-On sounds like he was teleported in from a completely different decade. Things gets cringeworthy when he raps: “She told me her pussy get wet like a tsunami/ I said a tsunami? She said a tsunami/ I will probably get wet but be careful don’t drown me.”
Though Drag-On surely still possesses technical ability, Barz On Fire 3 is filled with half-baked ideas and canned, cliché production. Almost a decade and a half after going independent, Drag-On remains talented but frozen in time.
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Y’all buggin’!! Drag ? is truly on FIRE!! ?????
Drag always has heat. The powers that be are pushing a gay hip hop agenda. Wake up stop always corrupting and destroying got
Of course he gave bad rating cause Drag is “homophobic” and not following neomarxist gay agenda. Daniel Spielberger wants to turn old New York street rapper into political correct *ussy.
These people like Spielberger are going to destroy HipHop based on freedom of speech with their leftard fascism what political correctness really is.
Lol whoever wrote this review is a major pussy and should get no way near real hip hop, stay in your mumble rap lane pussy
This guy is on drugs. Dammit.
I really cant believe this review…. smh
you know what’s funny? the writer calls this a “dusty relic”, but seriously, Drag is just picking up the flows that these kids be spitting. it’s actually refreshing to hear a veteran rip that bullshit flow that these babies rock with. Drag-On still breathes fire. Respect due, roast these bitches.
DISS REVIEW SOUNDS LIKE A HATER… ITS SAD HOW PEOPLE LOWER THE LEVELS OF RAP WITH JUST DUMB ASS REVIEW THAT ARE NOT TRUE.. ITS OK TO HAVE HATE.. JUST NEXT TIME POST UR NAME .. ALL THE REVIEWS ON DATPIFF AND EVERYWHERE ELSE ARE GOOD ITS ALL GOOD.. HIP HOP STILL LIVES
I get it. Lyricism is ancient to the youth today. And lets be honest, the youth is what drives hip hop. So to them this is “outdated and lackluster”. I remember telling someone in my early teens KRS ONE was whack because he often rapped off beat. If I could go back in time I’d slap myself up the head for that nonsense.