Muscle Car Chronicles

iTunes Review

Repping for New Orleans, Curren$y has been in the game for a while now. He originally signed with No Limit back in 2002, working with Master P, C-Murder, and the 504 Boyz and collaborating extensively with Lil Wayne as he began his rise to the top of the pop charts. The past few years have found him on several different labels, putting out tons of new material—mixtapes, albums, and one-off collabos—solidifying his rep as one of today's hardest-working emcees. Recorded two years ago, Muscle Car Chronicles is a new direction for him. His usual laid-back beats are replaced with live funk-rock overseen by Sean O'Connell (who concocted the Blaqroc album, pairing up various rappers with The Black Keys). The resulting nine tracks, clocking in at less than 20 minutes, will appeal to heads who dig rap-rock hybrids (similar to Wayne's Rebirth). The Cool Kids' Sir Michael Rocks and African emcee Tabi Bonney appear on "Fly Out (Part Tres)," but for the most part it's all Curren$y doing his thing over live drums, guitars, and organs. Check out the Doors-referencing "The Strangest Life" and the Master P update "Bout It 11."