Playaz Circle
Flight 360: The Takeoff
(Disturbing Tha Peace/Def Jam)

Beats: XL
Lyrics: L
Originality: L

The success of Playaz Circle’s chart-topping, Lil Wayne–assisted single “Duffle Bag Boy” may have eclipsed that of their 2007 debut album, Supply & Demand, but don’t write them off as one-hit wonders just yet. Even though the DTP, Atlanta-based duo’s debut stalled out at around 96,000 units sold, Tity Boi and Dolla Boy are looking to reach new heights with their sophomore LP, Flight 360: The Takeoff.

The opening track, “Turbulence,” with its wailing guitars and distorted vocals, gives off an airy feel, as Playaz Circle take the album’s theme to task. “Look What I Got” finds PC giving listeners a taste of first class, when they incessantly boast about the finer things in life, alongside rolling bass licks, hypnotic synths and a screwed vocal hook. Material possessions aside, jet-setting has other perks. On “Can’t Remember,” featuring Bobby Valentino, Dolla Boy loses track of his various hoes and their respective area codes, when he spits, “I be travelin’ like a muthafucka/I should have gave that fine bitch there another number.” Then, on the haunting “Big Dawg,” the group reunites with Lil Wayne to plant their feet in the trap.

This ride’s not without some bumps, though. “Weight Droppin’,” with its bright horn stabs, is too saccharine-sounding for these d-boys. And the trite “Hold Up,” whose sparse chorus just repeats the song title, sounds lazy and unfinished. Luckily, the boys get back to piloting their ship right with the raucous “DJ Know Me,” while confronting the elephant in the room (Tity Boi: “I walk in the club, me and my comrade/Nigga talkin’ ‘duffle bag,’ well, we already done that”).

By the time the LP wraps, it’s clear Playaz Circle are deserving of more than just a cursory listen. No longer one-hitter quitters, with Flight 360, Tity Boi and Dolla deliver a pretty fly follow-up. —Paul Cantor

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