MIXTAPE REVIEW: A-Trak's Dirty South Dance Vol 2

When we look back on this decade, we have to note that the 2000s were the birth of the hipster era. Even though you might hate on their skinny jeans and "I have a trust fund but I drink Pabst," attitude, the hipsters crafted some of the most creative music ever heard in the past 10 years.

Just think about it: Everyone from Diplo, to MIA, Spank Rock, Santigold, Kid Sister, Uffie and Amanda Blank. It was the intersection of Black music--particularly Southern hip-hop and B-More club--with the art house acstic that has not been seen since Debbie Harry and Andy Warhol mingled with the originators of hip-hop in downtown clubs.

At the height of this movement in 2007, A-Trak dropped Dirty South Dance, a mashup of electro, indie rock, and Southern Hip-Hop, which emphasized the epitome of the musical mashups taking place during hipster culture at that time, where combining Rick Ross' "Husslin'" over Simian Mobile Disco's "Hustler," would not blink an eye.

Fast forward to 2010 and the release of Dirty South Dance 2. In the 3 years since his first project, our ears have been flooded with mashups, from Marvin Gaye x Myley Cyrus, to Biggie Smalls vs the xx. Needless to say, the followup dosen't have the same appeal as its forebearer, and with hipster culture waning the market for this this type of material is unfortunately drying up.

But A-Trak solders on. Sporting a cover designed by the legendary Shepard Fairley, the 45 minute mix packs in some notable mashes, including the incredible "Loonies to Blow," (Young Money) and "Trizzy Turnt Up." However for the most part the mixtape falls short, lacking the punch that the prvious effort had.

Is it a result of our changing society or is A-Trak falling off. I believe the former rather than the latter (his Yeah Yeah Yeah's remix is one of the best this year) . Either way, I wil  still blast the first effort for years to come.