The 3rd World

The track “That’s What It Is” offers insight into IT’s new, less stylish, more aggressive flow: “This ain’t Volume 1, I got a grown man’s voice now,” he growls, over a spectacularly pared-down beat. It’s true, IT’s style morphed into an anti-style, but this mix tape has a lot to offer, like “Golpe de Estado” (featuring Temperamento and Veneno), which is rhymed entirely in Spanish, as well as DJ GI Joe’s sinister cuts sprinkled throughout. Unfortunately, The 3rd World has a few negatives, like incongruous hooks (“Lick Shots” and “Reverse Pimpology”) and DJ Green Lantern’s distracting, sub-par beat juggling and shouts out to himself. Tracks like “Mistakes,” though, with dangerous lyrics and infallible beats, balance the album while keeping us excited for Revolutionary Volume 3 and The Middle Passage.