With the exception of the occasional guest feature, Young Dro has been relatively quiet since he found success with his 2006 album Best Thang Smokin’. With T.I’s legal troubles of late, it’s probably not the most convenient time to be an artist under Grand Hustle Records. Nevertheless, Dro is gearing up to release his third studio album P.O.L.O (Players Only Live Once) in 2011, and to prep that release has hopped into the mixtape circuit with the release of Drocabulary.

Dro’s southern slang is more than entertaining at times. Paying homage to his preferred brand on “Horsein Around,” Dro spits, “I be wearing so much Polo, I be horsin’ around/Catch me up in the Ferrari, horsin’ the town.” Complete with a horse nicker sound effect the track certainly has it’s novelty. Other strong tracks include “Maserati.” where the Dro gets a verse from Chubbie Baby, and “I Feel Like,” on which the Bankhead rapper experiments over trance-y, electronic production.

Unfortunately, these few tracks are the exception rather than the rule on this tape, and many of the songs are unremarkable. Dro still possesses that same country flow that caught audiences in 2006 with “Shoulder Lean” and “Rubberband Banks,” but here simply doesn’t feel like his best effort. Hopefully for his next studio album, the Atlanta emcee can rekindle the same spark that lead to his rise to No. 1 on the Rap charts only 5 years ago. —NMB

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