Young Dro Best Thang Smokin

Posted on 08.29.2006

Young Dro
Album: Best Thang Smokin
Release Date: August 29, 2006
Label: Grand Hustle

Review:
Grand Hustle/Atlantic recording artist Young Dro has conquered urban radio this week as "Shoulder Lean," his hit single featuring rapper and labelmate T.I., earns the #1 spot on both the Billboard Urban Monitor chart and the R&R Urban Mainstream chart. The Atlanta-based rapper’s major label debut, "BEST THANG SMOKIN’," will be released August 29th.

"Shoulder Lean" landed the #1 spot on last week’s "106 & Park" countdown on BET and was #1 on MTV2, where the video is in ELITE 8 rotation. Young Dro will appear on "Sucker Free" on MTV the week of August 21st and will perform on BET’s "106 & Park" on August 29th. Currently, "Shoulder Lean" is Blazin’ at MTV Jams and Cum Laude at mtvU.

Young Dro has also exploded in the wireless world. His ringtone for "Shoulder Lean" has already sold more than 500,000 units and is currently Warner Music Group’s #1 selling mastertone.

"BEST THANG SMOKIN’" features production by some of today’s hip-hop heavyweights, including Jazze Pha, Chad West, Keith Mack, and Grand Hustle’s own Khao and Lil C. The album not only features collaborations with labelmate T.I. but also Slim Thug and Xtaci.

Born and bred in Atlanta’s Bankhead Court, Young Dro, born Djuan Hart, first got into hip-hop as a teen, when close friend Chris "Daddy Mack" Smith scored platinum success with his group, Kris Kross. It was around this time he also befriended the now multi-platinum rapper T.I. After setting Atlanta ablaze with his independent hit single, "Yes Sir," from his 2002 regional hit album, "I GOT THAT DRO," Young Dro reunited with T.I., which led to him signing with T.I.’s label, Grand Hustle, in 2004. "BEST THANG SMOKIN’" is Young Dro’s Grand Hustle/Atlantic debut.

customer review:

T.I. foresaw his future. He knew he would ascend to kingship in the South. When he achieved a comfortable status in Southern hierarchy, he knew he would have the ability and influence to put his brethren on, his fellow Grand Hustle members. The time has come and his protégé Young Dro now has to stand on his own two and will attempt to do so with his debut album, ’Best Thang Smokin’.

Young Dro’s built his buzz off one song, his lead-off track. Young Dro’s lead-off single "Shoulder Lean" combines bass infused Southern bounce with witty one-liners. Dro displays some lyrical prowess riding the beat correctly and stating memorable quotables like "I take breath/the opposite of Primatene Mist." With aid from T.I. on the chorus, "Shoulder Lean" has club banger written all over it and its success on mainstream video shows co-signs that fact.

Dro uses "They Don’t Really Know Bout Dro" to introduce himself on the album. Providing more than his share of references to candy-coated paint, big rims, expensive cars—you know the usual rapper references— but Dro sells him self short by showing signs of cleverness but keeping it monotonous with shallow subject content. On the flipside, the production quakes your speakers with bass, percussion and brass. Speaking of production, Jazze Pha steps in to assist with "U Don’t See Me" which also features Slim Thug. Dro does a fine service to the beat picking a good pocket to fit in on the track and a few lines like "I walk out the airport and only bad hoes pursuing me/I pimp fluently they chase me like a truancy..." while Slim Thug’s towering presence contributes to making this a successful effort.

The songs that give depth to Young Dro are few and far between but include "We Lied" and "Hear Me Cry." "We Lied" tells the tales of a man in a disgruntled relationship that was created through dishonesty by both partners. The track puts aside that gangsta bravado briefly to deal with love while the track "Hear Me Cry" tells of close ones lost and Dro’s experiences with his hard life. These songs help provide versatility to an album that is full of subject content that lacks depth: cars, drugs and gun talk.

The ’Best Thang Smokin’ is a good introductory album. Young Dro has a lot of raw potential but just needs to expand more pertaining to subject content. The album is well-produced, provides a number of moods to it but keeps the Southern feel consistently throughout—with more than a couple tracks from Jazze Pha. Lyrically, Dro shows sharpness at times but once again is stifled by his limited subject matter. This is a good listen in your car, in the club, through some booming speakers, but if you’re looking for something that’ll make you think this won’t hit it for you.

1. They Don’t Really Know Bout Dro
2. Man In The Trunk
3. Presidential
4. Shoulder Lean
5. U Don’t See Me
6. Rubberband Banks
7. We Lied
8. My Girl
9. 100 Yard Dash
10. Hear Me Cry
11. Gangsta
12. High Five
13. Fresh
14. What It Is
15. It Ain’t Over