Milwaukee rapper Yo-Dot opened the year with the great mixtape Dot Balistrerri, a fevered throwback to the grimy Mafioso rap of the mid-’90s and a vehicle for his terse, by-the-throat rhyming. Now he’s capping the year with Shorecrest Memoirs, a free EP that dials down the tension a bit and allows him to revel in his spoils. “Made a plan to make my chips stack,” he raps on opener “Take Notes,” “Dollar menu n*gga, I was eating Big Macs/ That was the old times, now I switched that/ I see the price tag, ‘Fuck it, let me get that.’” The lighter subject matter suits Yo-Dot well. He proves himself as deft at luxury fantasies as he is at street realism, rapping about snacking on peeled grapes and growing “Waka Flocka money” with infectious zeal, and displaying a cocky sense of humor that Dot Balistrerri's darker subject matter didn't allow.
As with most every Umbrella Music Group release, Shorecrest Memoirs' production is a joy. Yo-Dot settles on a soundtrack of hard soul and cinematic pomp, bringing in a new producer on each of these six tracks: 40 Mil, Lex Luthor, Mech, B-Luv and Bagz. Devoid of filler, Shorecrest Memoirs is short and sweet, with every track clocking in at under three or four minutes. In a year of bloated, uneven mixtapes, Yo-Dot has the sense to leave us wanting more.
Shorecrest Memoirs is posted for free download here.
