French Montana & Max B: Coke Wave

For a while now Max B has been making the rounds on radio interviews and street DVDs trying to get his movement to match that of his former comrade, Jim Jones. And though Max has his moments where he seems to be the better rapper, Jim’s been on the scene longer and his influence is evident in the streets. From key chains hanging down past ankles to hip huggers on the hardest dude on the block, Jones’ impacted the game-thus making Max’s job that much tougher.

Now, Jim's former go-to hookman still has some juice left in his pen (PAUSE!), but what he says gets lost in his mumbling. I know that’s his style, but the minute something starts to sound promising he dumbs out and begins to slur all his words together. They sound like they rhyme, but who knows if it’s making any sense at the end of the day.

His lazy Ma$e style makes some of his music just boring. French Montana should be crowned the MVP of this mixtape. His energy and style inject life into every track he’s on. His lines like “Your time is finished/put your brain on your contract, mind your business,” made every track he was on listenable. Lucky for us, he was on every track. French Montana has his moments when he seems like he’s that next dude to make a name for himself on the big stage, but then at other times he has trouble keeping up with the beat.

Also a flaw in Coke Wave is when Max B goes 50 Cent with the hooks and tries to harmonize on the tracks (“Coke Wave,” “Waveey,” “Smoking,” etc.). It’s so bad that he makes Macy Gray sound like Beyonce. But I’m sure he won’t be getting any threats from Etta James anytime soon. But if he did, I’d put my money on Etta.

While Max B’s effort to further himself on Coke Wave fell short, it definitely set up the stage for French Montana to make a name for himself. Anyone who listens to Coke Wave will notice that this kid’s style is fresh and he isn’t d*ck riding any other rappers' steez. That in itself makes Coke Wave worthy of a listen or two.-The Infamous O

Hottest Joint: “Hold On”

Weakest Joint: “Here It Is”