Main Pick
Headliner: Tito Lopez
Representing: Gulfport, Mississippi
Mixtape: Y.O.U.
Real Spit: Ever feel like it was you against the world? Well, that’s the way up-and-coming MC Tito Lopez has been feeling for at least the past year or so. Last June, the Gulfport, Mississippi, spitter dropped his The Hunger Game mixtape, a mighty roar meant to accompany his then-buzzing single “Mama Proud.” Now, Tito is ready to take another bite out of the rap game with his upcoming mixtape Y.O.U.
“The mixtape title Y.O.U. is officially an acronym for Year of the Underdog, but I didn’t spell that sh– out on the cover or nothin’ like that because it’s actually a double meaning,” Lopez explained to Mixtape Daily about Thursday’s release.
“I wanted it to be a double meaning for you, because you are the underdog, unless your name is Jay-Z or Lil Wayne or Eminem or something like that you’re really not a favorite out here. You’re an underdog whether you want to admit it or not,” he continued.
Though he doesn’t have the experience of a Jay or Eminem, Lopez is quickly building a reputation as a ferocious spitter, and on Y.O.U., there is no let up. On the tape-opener, “Black Dude Spanish Name,” Tito weaves tightly laid bars into the confines of a sparse drum beat. “And damn the game, ’cause it’s fake as a man-nequin/ Or a maniac lyin’ to get out the inside of an asylum like he ain’t insane,” he spits, barely taking a breath.
On “What About Me,” Lopez questions his place in the world over a soulful beat selection. “Oh, y’all don’t know me? I’m Theodore/ While my brothers get killed over clors, I’m just gonna eat, what the hell you think this green is for,” he rhymes.
It’s a recurring theme through Y.O.U., as Tito continues to build a formidable resumé while making some pretty motivational music along the way. “What about the people out here with integrity that ain’t just out here chasing paper, they trying to make music that will change people’s lives,” he questions. “This what I do, I’m not backing away from no challenges, we’re here to win and this is who I am.”
Joints To Check For
» “Black Dude Spanish Name” — “It’s kinda self-explanatory. Since I’ve came out over the past year everybody’s been pointing out to me that my name is extra Spanish. I ain’t Spanish, I’m a black dude with a Spanish name. That’s my real name, my middle name is Lopez.”
» “What About Me” — “It’s really a track that’s explaining, the real needs to be heard more. I wrote it especially for myself, especially for my people back where I come from, back in Mississippi, Gulfport on the coast. It’s a whole lot of real music being made in places that don’t get no light. So what about me? What about the real? What about the underdog?”
No Comments