One of the major faults many had with Beautiful Pimp II, the sophomore release from Atlanta's Rome Fortune, was its lack of energy at certain points along the way. Opting to collaborate with only one producer, Citoonthebeat, for the entire project was unusual for the emcee, who is known to work with some major heavy hitters like Dun Deal and Childish Major. While the decision paid off and was successful overall, it was missing some of the louder flair that Fortune's earlier music was steeped in. Thankfully, he isn't one to hold off on going to the studio and putting in work. Dun Deal and the Beautiful Pimp have announced that they are releasing an EP together, entitled Drives, Thighs, & Lies, as well as a first taste of what's up next.
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If you are fan of Young Thug's "Stoner", you need to thank Dun Deal for that interesting production. He is on a hit streak at the moment, and he continues with "Damn Good, Damn Different." The instrumental is one of the weirder compositions heard in awhile, featuring silky smooth synthesizers siting adjacent to some sounds that are reminiscent of computer failures. Undercutting everything is a deep bass line that firmly accentuates the unorthodox percussion sequence, which includes some odd bells and screams.
Strange as it is, it is a wonderful compliment to Fortune's monotone flow. While his lyrics are always of high quality, rarely does Rome put much energy or emotion into them; it makes it come off as if rhyming is easy for him, which plays into his calm confidence that makes him intoxicating. Dun Deal's beat contains all of the vitality necessary, giving the rapper more freedom to explore his thoughts and lines. This is definitely one of his stronger tracks lyrically, creating more excitement for the future project.
Keep an eye out for Rome Fortune and Dun Deal's EP, Drives, Thighs, & Lies, due out on April 30th. It is shaping up to be a solid release and make sure you check out their previous collaborations on Fortune's soundcloud page.