Donnis: Diary of an ATL Brave

Donnis
Diary of an ATL Brave

Beats: XL
Lyrics: XL
Originality: L

Following the success of musical collaborations with Wale (The Mixtape About Nothing) and Kid Cudi (A Kid Named Cudi), NYC clothing brand 10 Deep teams up with rap rookie Donnis for Diary of an ATL Brave. With a bulk of the production handled by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, the Southern MC has a solid platform for his introduction to the game.

Known locally for club hits like “Party Works” and “High,” Donnis sets out to show his diversity on this 12-cut mixtape. The lyrical slugger comes out swingin’ for the fences on the triumphant “Underdog,” spittin’, “I go hard ’cause I’m playin’ for the high score.” He racks up a few RBIs (raps batted in) on the Bun B-guested “Country Cool,” before knocking one out of the park with the aggressive “Over Do It.”

From there, Donnis takes it back to the clubhouse for a some one-on-one batting practice with the ladies. The bluesy “Sexytime” finds Don Juan trying to talk his way into a shawty’s nappy dugout, but winds up sliding safely into home with the woman of his dreams on “The Way You Are.”

Aside from an jagged flow on the Uncle Luke-sampling “Pop Them Thangs,” Donnis maintains his lyrical consistency throughout and knocks one out of the park on his first at bat. —Anslem Samuel