Gucci Mane, ‘World War 3: Lean’ – Mixtape Review

Gucci Mane's mixtape 'Lean' is the first of a three-part series called 'World War 3.' This effort is produced exclusively by Zaytoven.

On the 20-song release, Gucci enlists guest features from up and coming rappers and well-known artists like Thug and PeeWee, as well as Future, 2 Chainz and French Montana.

On this tape, Gucci's flow fluctuates between cool-casual-baller-style and fierce competitive rapper. The perfect example of the latter can be heard on songs like 'Blue Face Rollie,' where he spits with supreme confidence over sporadic violin riffs.

Then there's 'Confused,' featuring the ubiquitous Future, who seems to be on everyone's song these days. With a sing-songy flow during the verses and a pretty memorable hook, the radio-friendly tune is probably the mixtape's strongest effort.

But unfortunately, there are songs that underwhelm like 'Its Not a Day' featuring Verse Simmonds. For some reason, Gucci doesn't use Simmonds' talent to his maximum benefit and he only gets a simple, mediocre chorus from him.

And it's the same with the song 'Don't Trust,' featuring Waka Flocka and Young Scooter. The two rappers don't seem to add anything to the slow-paced track, making it pretty dull to sit through.

But Gucci is able to pick things up on the song 'That Pack' featuring Travis Porter. The dark and inventive track has just enough space between the sounds so Gucci can get really wordy. And on the cut 'Dope Show,' he gives listeners advice on how to navigate the streets.

"These n----s killin with the E homey / They treat you like a piece of meat homey / So don't get butchered in the street homey," he raps over light piano keys.

And on the bonus track 'Birds of a Feather,' Gucci takes aim at his competitors by dissing T.I., along with Young Jeezy. He also says he wished he slept with Keyshia Cole when they worked together.

Now if anyone asks if 'Lean' is worth owning and if it stands up to Gucci's past releases, the answer is mixed -- mainly for the mixtape's inconsistencies. For some reason, it's a challenge to find a cluster of good songs back-to-back.

But that's certainly not to say that 'Lean' is a complete misstep or even bad for that matter. It just sounds like certain songs were quickly slapped together and other songs were made with a little more care, which keeps the mixtape from being all it could be. And that's a shame.

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Listen to Gucci Mane's 'Lean' Mixtape