Planet VI, The American Nightmare

Planet VI has been given new musical life. After moving on from Akon's label and changing their former Rock City moniker to Planet VI, they dropped The American Dream in December. Now the dynamic duo looks to further cement their new identity with the The American Nightmare.

The project hits the ground running with The Watcherz-produced track “The Amercian Nightmare,” incorporating a live snare and organ ,giving the tape an ominous feel early on. The production high point comes later with “Family Tree,” which combines drums and banjo sounds with the smooth sample of Rain Perry. Other highlights stray from the trap sound that dominates, like “Hip Hop Saved Me,” produced by King Solomon and “There Will Be A Time” featuring Scolla, which display the smooth flow and lyrical precision for the group.

There are big name collaborations with 2 Chainz and Wiz Khalifa, but the best comes from new Funk Volume member Jarren Benton, as he delivers a standout verse on “Trouble.” The project is a bit lengthy, pushing close to twenty tracks and as a result loses steam towards the end. Despite the long length, though, Planet VI's The American Nightmare successfully dabbles in a variation of sounds, and shows that they have the potential to succeed beyond just the hooks they've been providing for other artists recently. —Christian Mordi @mordi_thecomeup