Cali Swag District, Deeper Than The Dougie

The title Deeper Than The Dougie a bit misleading. This DJ Kay Slay hosted tape is basically deep as "Teach Me How To Dougie," and there ain’t too much wrong with that, actually. The trio of C-Smoove, Yung, and Jayare spend an hour rhyming about chicks, weed, dancing and well, swag over catchy, danceable beats. And Cali Swag do what they do well—even if the breadth of what that is is relatively limited—as their rhymes are hyper and their beats energetic.

"How To Do That" is a fitting dedication to the group’s departed dancer M-Bone, a thumping club banger about Bone’s natural game and dancing skill. The green-themed “Reefer Man” is a tambourine-driven slapper, while “This Beat Is Sick” is self-explanatory, a passable early 2000s Timbaland-style knockoff. The tape packs a few surprises for those who know Cali Swag for dance tracks, including Smoove's impressive solo joint “July,” where he gets introspective over a gorgeous blend of oriental strings and piano.

Minus the ill-advised freestyles and general lack of stimulating lyricism, Deeper Than The Dougie is a solid release. Even with the detracting factors, the project serves it's purpose, and should fill house party needs well into August. —Aaron Matthews