Clyde Carson is certainly no stranger to the West Coast radio, earning consistent spins for the past decade as part of the collective known as The Team. However after the breakout success of the single “Slow Down” a few years back, he keeps the momentum going with the release of the Playboy EP. The 10-track project comes at perhaps the peak of the West Coast's biggest movement since the '90’s golden era of hip-hop, and from top to bottom it captures the essence of the Bay Area: From it’s groovy, funk influences to it’s absolutely slapping bangers.

DJ Mustard, who’s arguably been the most instrumental in bringing the modern Bay Area sound to mainstream radio, hooks up Carson with the radio-ready "Bring Em Out", serving no other purpose but to light up to the club while paying homage to 'Pac, interpolating the West Coast classic "Ambitionz Az A Ridah" into the track's bridge. But the magic created between Mustard and Clyde doesn’t stop there. The August Alsina-featured "Back It Up" isn’t as assertive as the former track, but still a speaker-rattler and an obvious contender for the project’s second major release given the upward trajectory of all acts involved.

But perhaps the record's shining contribution comes from hip-hop's OG Percy Miller a.k.a. Master P, who comes as aggressive as he's ever been on the standout "Mile Away." Clyde's mannerisms are put on hold for a bit as real recognizes real on this on this Shonuff-produced record, with Master P sounding perfectly in the pocket over this bouncy backdrop. Heavy funk influences are prevalent on "Pour Up" and "Not Me", with the trap-infused "Stop Hustlin" rounding things out before the outro.

A lack of variety may be the main detractor for new listeners on Playboy EP, but overall the project is filled to the brim with tracks that slap. Clyde has carved himself a solid niche with his consistent party anthems, and Playboy is a strong soundtrack to his own player antics.- Jameel Raeburn

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