Photo by Media Commons

Rating:

In a 15-year span, Curren$y has gone from that little dude in 504 Boyz, to Lil Wayne’s protege, to becoming a solo artist under Jay-Z’s former partner Dame Dash. His success has brought him a long way.

And his latest solo endeavor “The Stoned Immaculate” doesn’t disappoint.

Rapper Wale brings the album in for Curren$y on “What It Look Like,” sounding thankful for their status in hip-hop. He sounds how he did circa ’08 – no gimmicks, just cool raps about his style over a beat he feels comfortable on. The beat quiets down and the bassline stops for Curren$y to come in with his lazy stoner voice and say, “The engine in back of my car, I’m clearly in a different tax bracket now, dog.”

Curren$y still struggles to hold my attention track for track. “Privacy Glass” and “Armoire” bored me. They sound like tracks he added to the album to make it longer; they ultimately just add turbulence to the flight.

The J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League produced “Take You There” caught my attention before I considered turning off the album though. The beat sounds like they went back and revamped “Aston Martin Music.” The production group’s use of horns make Curren$y’s bragging and ranting seem more important than it is. And it works.

“Showroom” is music you can drive to and appreciate the summer weather, rain or shine. Nothing can ruin your day. You might even pray for your frenemies, as Curren$y says on the track.

“Capitol” features the newest signee to G.O.O.D. Music, 2 Chainz. Curren$y adds to his archive of movie references when he begins his verse with “Don’t scrub, you blot that,” homage to Frank Lucas during his rise to power in “American Gangster.” 2 Chainz evens out the track with funny lines like, “you know what time it is like two watches,” making the song distinctly enjoyable.

Curren$y recruits the homie Wiz Khalifa for “No Squares,” an anthem for keeping your circle small and made of partners who don’t fold under pressure and stick to the script. “No squares shall enter in the circle of winners.”

“Chandelier” reveals a more reflective and remorseful side of the stoned rhymesayer. Over a musical bed of congas and a jazzy bassline, Curren$y lays down some baggage about a relationship with a former lady he wanted to be with but chose to pursue his ambitions instead.

We get a dope lineup of artistson “Jet Life.” Wiz and Big K.R.I.T. give us some variety with their contributions; K.R.I.T. with his Mississippi accent for the hook and Wiz with his swift and fluctuating rhyme schemes.

This album enhances Curren$y’s catalog and pardons his disappointing mixtape collaboration with Styles P earlier this year.

Curren$y hasn’t said when he’ll release the third installation to the Pilot Talk series but it’s rumored to come out late this year, and “The “Stoned Immaculate” serves as anticipation for the next flight on the pilot’s itinerary.

“The Stoned Immaculate” is available on iTunes and in stores now.