“Dopé Adventures of the 360” is a mixtape from the artist Dopé. The recording is loosely based on the artist’s good bye to the city he’s from, and announces the progress to a new location in Seattle, Washington. Dopé first became interested in music at a young age, but only realized his potential much later when he discovered that his musical vision exceeded those of his contemporaries. Seattle is a melting pot for diverse cultures, and it shows with all of the varying areas and different people that encompass the entire city. One of this city’s unique characteristics, is its people’s appreciation for art. Yet even though they hold their musicians up high, not many are getting the coverage and attention they need to fully break into the mainstream.
Dopé may just be is one of the hottest upcoming new arrivals to Seattle, ready to make the scene right now. Backpack rap influence is very prominent in his sound which makes sense for his quick-witted rhymes, but he also has a very melodically-influenced flow and is not afraid to use all of his creative intuition to take his songs full-circle.
Moreover he turns out catchy earworm tunes like “Yachts and Thotts” ft. Big D.O.S.E. which kicks off the mixtape, to quickly set the tone and bar of his productions. Dopé’s music carries a blend of minimalistic trap and luscious electronic sounds that is joined by sharp flows which cut through the beats.
“Day n’ Night” ft. Khan Khala rapidly shows off these aforementioned skills. The distinctive and vibrant shifting synth lines help bond disparate percussive templates on “Highway”, where the rapper’s flow is backed by thick layers of harmony. All of which helps to realize Dopé’s vision of a musical mood board.
“Lights Out” is at once personal, splicing through lines of individual identity, the pride of his grind, and the late night benefits thereof: “I’m just having fun, I’m respecting the fame, and I push all the right buttons like this shit just a game.” Even more impressive than Dopé’s mastery of the melodic flow, is how he puts his own music and story at the center of it all. He is the bridge connecting all these things.
“Without You” is an emotional slow-burning love ballad where Dopé gets to flex his singing voice. His raps can be blunt or sharp-edged, but he’s just as comfortable crooning mellifluously. Dopé throws all three cutting edge elements into this song.
He can be irreverent, he can be urgent, and he can be dark and somber, which is what Dopé brings to the table on “Issues”. “Been” ft. Kalipe has voiceovers, cadences, and production flourishes that recall all kinds of rap – right from the ’90s through the ’00s, and landing at the here and now.
The production is simply great on “Wantin Me” ft. Cuddy the King. Low-end heavy, detuned synth motifs, create a sinister backdrop, while Dopé runs the full gamut from singsong shapeshifter to nuanced, panoramic storyteller. Rhymes come flooding with immediacy as Dopé taps into his talent, demonstrating that he belongs among the genre’s most distinguished representatives in the process.
Dopé’s passion for the art form shines through this mixtape. Few artists in today’s landscape have the talent to consistently deliver good music. Dopé sounds like he may just be one of those few. The “Dopé Adventures of the 360” releases 10th of June 2020.
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