Mozzy makes his CMG debut with “Survivor’s Guilt.”
5. Wouldn’t Be Us
Mozzy, YG, and Blxst are slowly becoming a great big three.
Do you know what’s funny? Gangsta-ass YG usually brings out the cool side of Mozzy. I heard so many collaborations between the two in which the Sacramento rapper takes more of a subdued approach to rapping. In “Wouldn’t Be Us,” one of their latest collaborations, Mozzy and YG do work over an R&B-heavy beat. While Blxst sets the tone with an infectious hook that has him endorsing discombobulated romantic relationships, you get somewhat lovey-dovey verses out of YG and Mozzy. All in all, this is one of those smooth R&B-hop bangers that are hard to hate.
4. Open Arms
I feel like I was taken to a church in the hood while I was listening to “Open Arms.”
“Open Arms” made me shiver my ass off. The song’s emotional beat and soulful chorus literally tried to pick a fight with my soul, while Mozzy’s deep-ass lyrics that revolve around getting both headaches and the support he needed from the streets will strike a chord with you. I know nothing about this street s**t, but felt like I could relate to this joint.
I hate that “In My Face” follows this song up…
3. In My Face
I shamelessly f**k with this song, bro.
This song is wild! In the hook, you will hear “girl, put in my face” over and over again. As for the verses, they are jam-packed with brash lyrical content that has to do with unadulterated sex, some stripper s**t, and flexing. What I will say is this: The casting for this song was perfect. Literally, everybody fits it like a non-OJ glove.
2. Murder On My Mind
I hope that Mozzy doesn’t act on what he has on his mind…
I love it when our rappers let us know what dominates their minds. I also love it when our rappers spit tough-ass bars over soulful production. In “Murder On My Mind,” Mozzy does both.
More than anything, “Murder On My Mind” feels unbelievably touching. Throughout the song, Mozzy does a great job of asking the right questions and letting us know the conflicts that he has to battle within. From a rapping standpoint, I love how he plows through the song sounding frustratedly aggressive.
1. Real Ones
Roddy Ricch definitely blesses Mozzy with a stimulus package here.
You get emotions in many different ways in “Real Ones.” For starters, the song is powered by this touching, piano-driven beat that will have you in your feels for sure. From there, you get a passionate hook and verse by Roddy RIcch in which he turns up his vocals a few notches and a verse by Mozzy in which he speaks about living life on the edge in the streets. All in all, I think this track is one that is as close to flawless as it gets.
1. Not The Same (4/5)
2. If You Love Me (4/5)
3 Lurkin (4/5)
4. Tell The Truth (4/5)
5. Murder On My Mind (5/5)
6. Burr (4/5)
7. Wouldn’t Be Us (4/5)
8. Smoke Nuffin (4/5)
9. 4Life (4/5)
10. Make The News (4/5)
11. What You Hollin’ (4/5)
12. Ain’t Really Real (4/5)
13. Open Arms (5/5)
14. In My Face (4/5)
15. Real Ones (5/5)
(B)
Mozzy is such an underrated listen. I think the biggest reason he doesn’t get spoken about as much is that he makes music that is so authentically California and gangsta, your ordinary person who works a 9-5 probably won’t be able to fully internalize what he talks about. With that being said, I think that everyone should learn to appreciate someone who is honest and good at storytelling like he is.
Survivor’s Guilt doesn’t have a single bad verse, bad beat, or bad feature (Well, actually, I could’ve done without Blac Youngsta on “Make The News”). What I absolutely love about the album is that Mozzy does a really good job of blending hood emotional tracks like “4Life” and “If You Love Me” with universal hood tracks like “Smoke Nuffin,” R&B hood bangers like “Wouldn’t Be Us,” and certified club bangers like “In My Face.” What’s astonishing is that Mozzy never switches his persona on the album; he stays the same trill Sacramentian that is ready to spray his gat, teach us street rules, and indulge in some fine-ass women. More than anything, this is an authentic banger from start to finish.
Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.
