Shaun Mecca - No Sleep Till December (CD REVIEW)

Knockin On Mainstream's Door

            Shaun Mecca could have called his latest offering From The Streets To The Radio. The 48 minute masterpiece plays like a perfectly strategized assault on mainstream Hip-Hop. Which is not a bad thing for this reviewer, considering the current state of mainstream Hip-Hop. You can quickly summize Shaun Mecca is no longer satisfied with being just another rapper in the Valley as he puts on his big boy pants with No Sleep Till December. Mecca Man pours out his signature “from the hood shit” throughout the album’s 14-tracks but what separates him from his peers is his diversification and ability to touch on topics that the normal rapper does not. While most rappers try to paint portraits of Tony Montana-esque hustling and make listeners believe that they out ball Bill Gates, the reality of the situation is Shaun doesn’t have to resort to absurdities to entertain or enthrall the listener. All Mecca Man has to do is rely on his genuine content and his highly addictive hooks. And while there’s a handful of vintage Mecca on here, No Sleep Till December also veers into previously uncharted territory for the 25-year-old, who goes to great lengths to prove he’s the anointed one down in the Rio Grande Valley. 

           Let’s take the radio smash “You Know Me” for example, the album’s most commercial moment. Here, Shaun enlists the help of teen sensation Adrian Q, but you quickly learn as soon as you hear Mecca on the chorus that nobody outshines the star of the show. Mecca takes control and delivers what might be the best commercially viable song from a Valley Hip-Hop artist I’ve ever heard. Shaun’s true and tried formula of street verses over pop beats can be found throughout the project but don’t get it twisted, each track has no problem standing on its own two feet. Take the electronically soulful “Shooting Stars” where Shaun, Kid Rokket & Edinburg, TX native Sarah deliver a winner about the yearning for a success story and the almost futile attempt of it all. Or the track “Youth” where Shaun Mecca samples group Foxes’ hit song Youth and shows off his production skills as well as his up tempo delivery. On the good vibing “Positive” we hear Shaun Mecca reflecting on life and relaying the message that working hard and enduring the everyday grind can get you to where you want to be. While the message might be a bit cliché’ Mecca finds a way to succeed without having to sound corny. Then there’s the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow last song of the CD “I Done Came Down” where Mecca gets nastier and more sexual with it. 

           Switching gears and content appears to be no problem for Mecca as he transitions smoothly from tracks like “Shake It” the ambitious club song with Adrian Q on the hook to tracks like “Money Over Everything” which now that I think of it seems to be the Valley’s battle cry as of late, with more and more adopting the concept throughout the V. With this track here Jay Carrera comes on the scene on the first verse with a substantially lazy drawl which helps build on the anticipation the listener feels as they await the arrival of the songs star. On “King Shit” Mecca comes armed with more rumbling, triumphant backdrops and real talk. The chorus blends autotune with screwed music and works like a charm too. Be sure to check out Kid Rokket’s Kendrick Lamar style delivery on the second verse. “Let’s Go” finds the Donna native in Trap music territory but you won’t find any Atlanta ass kissing music here. Mecca Man lets you know he’s from the Lone Star State real quick as he spits out “check out how I do it, UGK influenced.” No Sleep seems to be workin so well that even Mecca’s little brother Alec Jay drops a fuckin bomb with a track called “Coolin.” A smoker’s delight with a catchy chorus, that’s obviously Drake inspired, but does the Toronto rapper justice.
            

           After driving from Roma to McAllen and listening to all of No Sleep Till December this past weekend I can’t help but think that this mixtape may have been as much of a call to arms for Mecca himself as it was to his listeners. He wanted to make sure that after listening to his new CD people knew that he is a force in the local rap game and more importantly that he is a real contender in the national rap game. Songs like “So High” & “Grindin” would have no problem being on the Billboard charts right now and competing at the top level. And the fact that those 2 songs aren’t the 2 best songs on the CD should tell you just how dope Shaun Mecca’s No Sleep Till December really is…


Reviewed By: Coke Barrera (Trill Starr Mafia)

RATING:\/ \/ \/ \/ \/

RATING SYSTEM: 

\/ = Not too Impressive

\/ \/ = Aight

\/ \/ \/ = Solid

\/ \/ \/ \/ = Dope

\/ \/ \/ \/ \/ = Classic