His Southern tongue tangles with Lana Del Rey (the track samples ‘Blue Jeans’) on ‘Cancer’, and with the production handled by the ever-reliable Block Beattaz it actually manages to skip past comparisons with Clams Casino admirably. We already know he can rap his ass off, but within minutes of the aptly titled ‘I’m Here’, Zilla stakes his claim on our time and keeps up the momentum for the album’s entire (smartly brief) 12-track duration. Huntsville’s Zilla returns with a followup to 2012’s Zilla Shit 2 and it’s a breath of very Southern “country rap” fresh air. Taken together, this is 40-odd minutes of alternative universe Southern rap for people who like albums more than tracks. There are throwback touches - like those horns on ‘Loyalty & Luxury’ and turntable scratches throughout - but nothing that rings of old-school fetishism. Parallel Thought’s beats here are unlike anything in hip-hop, with otherworldly, through-the-smoke samples (main sampler Knowledge names Godspeed, Swans, and Sunn O))) among his influences) mingling with some of the best drums in the business. Gene is the type of Southern rapper who looks to UGK and OutKast for inspiration, rather than Migos and Lil Wayne (not that there’s anything with that, either), spinning street-life yarns with a warm voice and a versatile flow: he rolls out an impressive double-time on ‘Out of Sight’ and nails ‘Smackman’.

The Alabama rapper and the Jersey production crew are back with their third full-length effort in as many years, and Southern Meridian distills the best parts of A Ride With The Southern Child and Artillery Splurgin’ for their strongest offering yet. GENE THE SOUTHERN CHILD & PARALLEL THOUGHT

Waka flocka mixtape 2014