From the Bay to LA, the two California heavyweights collide to bring forth a long overdue collaboration project that perfectly embodies West Coast gangsta rap.
YG & Mozzy have always served as the poster boys for West Coast gangsta rap, and with a few collaborations under their belt, it was only right these two would eventually craft a joint album of their own. Despite being from two entirely different areas in California, the duo pull influences from their respective region to satisfy the needs of every listener in the Golden State.
The album’s run time is fairly short, taking on 10 tracks in 28 minutes, but wastes no time getting into the anthems. However, once the album hits the middle mark, the sound of the project takes a detour and branches off into a more moody R&B-assisted lane. This affects the overall cohesion of the album as it disrupts the general flow of the project.
The album starts off with the dynamic “Gangsta”, which interpolates 50 Cent’s infamous “Wanksta”. From there, the next two records display nothing but the most hardcore gangsta rap with “Dangerous” with a fierce feature from G Herbo and the album’s vicious lead single, “Bompton to Oak Park.” From there, the album starts to drift away from its radical roots and dips into a more softer tone with joints like the sensitive “Vibe With You” featuring Ty Dolla $ign and the contagious “Drop a Location.” While the atmosphere of the album changes by this point, YG and Mozzy don’t step out of their element too much and keep on with their direct styles.
For a project like this where both artists fight to represent their city the hardest, YG & Mozzy play their roles quite well and bounce back and forth to share the love in their areas.
What stands out the most in this project is the synergy between the two West Coast artists. Both artists are known to have very diverse styles and can fit in on any beat, whether it be an infectious West Coast anthem or a sentimental and moody record. YG’s direct and booming style sets the tone for the record while Mozzy’s approach to lyricism adapts to the nature of the record. For example, “Bompton to Oak Park” starts off with a dynamic verse from YG, which leads Mozzy in to takeover with his intimidating chorus and sinister verse. The chemistry between the two is a major standout in the project and allows them to excel in almost any field.
For a collaboration project, there are a good amount of features sprinkled around the tracklist. From Young M.A.’s gritty verse on “MAD” to A Boogie’s melodic chorus on “Drop a Location”, this album provides a variety of styles from a diverse range of artists. All features play their given role and definitely show out with their contributions, but not too many standouts besides the more catchy tunes on the project.
As you would expect, the production is all West Coast-influenced and gives a California native chills with its out-the-trunk feel to the drums. The album is filled with nothing but the heaviest bass and the most vigorous 808s you could possibly find on a modern day West Coast album. These attributes are most prevalent on records like “Bompton to Oak Park” and “Gangsta” which perfectly embody the modern day gangsta rap sound. This type of production is all over the project, except for a few tracks which affect the flow of the tracklist.
While a portion of the album is celebrated for authentically executing the gangsta rap style, a few tracks in the middle of the album’s run switch up the tone, throwing off the stream of bangers. The softer toned records such as “Vibe With You” and “Drop a Location” are solid standalone records but don’t fit the cohesion of the album. While the album tries to bring back its high energy tracks, it ultimately fails to find its course again.
Kommunity Service brings light back to the West Coast sound in a Southern-trap dominated run, but can use some tweaking before being a regional classic. The unbalanced run of anthems to vibes is what holds this album from greatness but when both artists are in a more grimer pocket, the project greatly excels. YG & Mozzy did a great job demonstrating their range as artists, but had the two continued to deliver more vigorous bangers, the project would have shined a bit more. With summer around the corner, Kommunity Service is a still great album to get your vibe on, especially for listeners residing in the West Coast.
7 / 10
Best tracks: “Bompton to Oak Park”, “Bite Down”, “Gangsta”, “MAD”, “Dangerous”
Mic Cheque 