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Home , 808 Mafia, Hard in da Paint, Lex Luger (musician), Waka Flocka Flame

WAKA FLOCKA FLAME Triple F – Friends, Fans & Family 6.13.12 1017 Bricksquad / Warner Bros. Record

Dismissing complex lyrics in favor of adrenaline shots and ad-libs has worked for before. The rapper, meanwhile, quickly transitioned from a protégé of MC to star in his own right. With Triple F Life, the challenge was fleshing out a rising star whose anthems had made him fairly anonymous by design. BILLBOARD – ―Burning Up‖ feature

Waka Flocka Flame‘s aesthetic — abetted here mostly by the producer Southside — is emphatically single-minded, as committed to form as, say, an old hardcore band or an arena-size Christian rock band or a 1990s progressive house producer. Like those sorts of acts Waka Flocka Flame extracts a tremendous amount of mileage out of rearranging extremely similar component parts…Waka Flocka Flame is more than an anomaly, that he‘s instead created room for the unhinged to stage a small comeback in hip-hop. NEW YORK TIMES - The Newest Rap: Intense, Authentic and Accidental‖ feature

Indeed, there is something deceitfully playful in the rhythm and the delivery with which Flocka lays down his verses, something that almost seems easy in its repetitive simplicity. You can get an idea of it even in the cadence of his name—―Flocka!‖ is often yelled out in the mix as punctuation at the end of his lines. But it‘s the unrepentant rage, snarl, attitude, and sheer volume of his assault that renders his style nothing short of genius. V-MAN - ―Is Waka Flocka Flame Hip-Hop‘s Last Hope?‖

He says he‘s got no lyrics and he‘s not an MC. And that he‘s never going to change, except when he wants to. Still, everybody from the gangstas to the hipsters loves Waka Flocka Flame. What‘s his secret? XXL MAGAZINE - ―Everybody Loves Waka‖ COVER feature

Every few years a new rapper comes out whose music pisses off the status quo so badly that they get blamed for completely ruining hip-hop. It happened to years ago, but now the rapper folks love to hate is Waka Flocka Flame. This is ironic for a couple of reasons. First of all he actually makes great music—in fact Waka and changed the sonic landscape of hip- hop. COMPLEX.COM

Triple F Life: Friends, Fans & Family reviews

Triple F is another set of barked strip-club salvos over high-hats and slurry synths from producer Lex Luger and a cast of lesser. and Nicki Minaj add style, and one track is called ―power of My Pen,‖ but classing up Waka is like putting a fig leaf over King Kong‘s balls. ROLLING STONE (3 of 5 stars)

Whenever a topline MC has a track in need of a guest-spot adrenaline shot, he asks Siri to summon Waka Flocka, who swoops in like a caffeinated Batman and unleashes his shot-first-ask- questions-later squall. ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY (B-)

The rapper has never been one for nuance, and on his second album, his explicit rhymes boom over trunk-rattling bass lines. Mostly, he's talking about stacking paper, ballin', or calling for a Round of Applause from booty-clapping pole dancers. USA TODAY (2.5 of 4)

Since Waka Flocka Flame's 2010, Flockaveli, the Bricksquad boss and Gucci Mane protégé has built a reputation for riotous singles and high-energy rhymes that'll move the crowds. On his follow-up effort, Triple F Life: Friends, Fans & Family, Flocka doesn't change his ways. He stills shout hooks, drops witty lines, and emphasizes ad-libs. But where he sounded angry last time around, on this album he's not afraid to show his sense of humor—ignoring lyrical criticisms to entertain his fans by all means necessary. Triple F Life is a filled with strip-club music and trap bangers powered by potent beats from Southside, Lex Luger and . But on his sophomore effort, Flocka's sound evolved to embrace more of a crossover appeal as on the pop-flavored "Get Low" featuring Flo-Rida, , and Nicki Minaj. Make no mistake: Waka will continue getting love from a diverse crowd—hipsters and street- purists included. Look out for cuts like ―Round Of Applause,‖ ―Rooster In My Rari,‖ and ―Candy Paint & Gold Teeth‖ to be bumping loud for the rest of the year. COMPLEX.COM - ―The 50 Best of 2012 (So Far)‖ (#27, Triple F Life), 6/25/12

Waka takes a step beyond the grim, goon rap of Flockaveli (―,‖ ―TTG‖)—which still bangs—to create a project that sounds more polished than its former. New-sounding tunes may not sit well with longtime fans, but they do, however, showcase the rapper‘s step towards attempts at filling in as a more well-rounded artist… Triple F Life stands as Waka‘s most personal project to date… Some will say Triple F Life finds Waka trying too do much, reaching too far out of his zone. But the rapper coolly exceeds expectations in his artistic self-awareness this go- round shines like his -studded Fozzy Bear chain. ―I earned my spot,‖ he boasts on ―Power of My Pen.‖ Indeed, he has. XXLMAG.COM (XL of XXL)

Triple F Life is very shouty but never truly mean, and surprisingly mood-cleansing. It also vies blatantly for broad appeal… Thankfully, smoothing out his voice for a couple pop-leaning tracks doesn‘t seem like the kind of thing that will stop Flocka from making a million more great mixtapes, or serving as a big brother figure to a new generation of unhinged rappers. Though he‘s still goofy in the limelight (at this year‘s Summer Jam concert, he ran around and then off the stage like a kid, apparently more comfortable in the crowd than in front of it), Waka‘s polished his act in the last couple years. THEFADER.COM - Interview: Waka Flocka Flame, 6/15/12

Although not-at-all Shakespeare, the lyrical content of this one isn‘t the usual; incognizance that Mr. Flame is generally known and loved for. HIP HOP WEEKLY (2 of 3)

The Georgia MC won‘t wow you with overly insightful wordplay or pause-worthy one-liners; instead, he slathers digestible rhymes over booming basslines and methodical drum slaps. The results are best suited for the strip clubs he acknowledges, its seedy concoction a bit lowbrow and explicitly strident. BBC

Gallons of testosterone. Lots of shouting. Gratuitous violence that you‘ll only quarter-believe. Then some more shouting. Waka Flocka Flame‘s new album, ―Triple F Life: Fans, Friends & Family,‖ has all the big-dumb-bang-bang-razzle-dazzle of a Michael Bay blockbuster. Which means it‘s kinda awesome.‖ WASHINGTON POST (4.5 of 5)

It's tough to imagine Waka repeating Flockaveli and somehow improving on it, but under the cloak of Triple F's blatant crossover appeals, he slyly exceeds expectations by making a record better than it really needs to be. PITCHFORK.COM (7 of 10)

Mostly Triple F Life sticks to the familiar neo- of Flockaveli, with production handled primarily by Luger and his near sound-alike Southside, whose slightly slower beats lack the cathartic release of Luger‘s best ones. What Triple F Life lacks in inspiration, it can sometimes compensate for with sheer sweat, and particularly during its many strip-club salvos, Flocka‘s shouted enthusiasm and manic ad-libs keep the record animated. THE ONION‘S AV CLUB (C+ rating)

As an artist, Waka Flocka Flame shows throughout the tracklist an interest in expanding himself as an artist, both topically, and in terms of format; it‘s difficult to knock an emcee for experimenting in the progression that hip-hop‘s been demanding he work toward… with Triple F Life, Waka seems to be showing us that he isn‘t placing his weight solely on wall-slamming anthems. OLOGY.COM (C rating)

All in all, this album shows some decent growth from Flockavelli. Waka knows he can make the bang-bang shoot em up records, just as easily as he can make the strip club anthems, but Waka shows a side of himself that is rarely seen; a human side. He shows that he isn't just a wind-em- up doll who you tell to make and perform riot music on call, he's a guy who wants to talk about his life too. Had he'd been a more prolific lyricist, those songs would've come off a lot stronger, although the effort to branch out is appreciated. There are some huge hits and minor misses on this album, but it's definitely worth the iTunes purchase. HIPHOPWIRED.COM

Flocka seems unable to give people any less than the ruggedness he‘s become known for, and it‘s one of the reasons he seems to be more relevant as of now than his labelmates. With the arrival of his second LP, Waka seems to be swinging heavily for the fences and radios, making Triple F Life: Friends, Fans, and Family a mixed bag, at best. ALLHIPHOP.COM (7 of 10)

Triple F Life offers something for a variety of listeners without the compromises such a mix usually entails. It's a sustained portrayal of a complex personality. Its party anthems take detours into existential angst while its heavy songs often lose the plot and retreat to good-life cliché. As such it offers an understanding of Waka Flocka as conflicted, drawn in a repelled by his roots and his fame alike. While it's not an unqualified, front-to-back success, it is a strong, complex statement from a rapper fighting the demons of good fortune. CAPITOL NEW YORK

Triple F Life is a potent distillation of what Waka does best. Each track on the record is a semi- stoned, mid-tempo banger. In sequence, it feels beautifully hypnotic. CREATIVE LOAFING (4 of 5 stars)

―Gangbanging, selling weed, shootouts and some ecstasy‖ — it‘s all in a day‘s work for Waka. Well, that and spitting testosterone-fuelled raps and strip-club anthems over thwacking slow-grind beats. TORONTO SUN (3.5 of 5 stars)

…if you love , this it at its finest. CHICAGO NOW

Although the album never matches the total chaos of ―Flockaveli‖ highlight ―Hard in the Paint,‖ it pulls off the potentially harder trick of bending more typical pop tracks to the whims of the loud, blunt Brick Squad aesthetic…Flocka can tear through a percussive Lex Luger-produced Drake collaboration, naturally, but he also shows here that he can make even a Flo Rida song sound awesome through sheer charisma. Its default approach is a giddy, standing-on-couches, bragging-about-your-$200-underwear irreverence (or occasionally a scarier irreverence in talking about posting up to shoot people), but ―Triple F Life‖ also has an emotional core that confronts the album's frequently tense, violent world, particularly on closer and highlight ―Triple F Outro.‖ The album works as a release for that tension, and it invites the listener to join in the mood by shouting along, ideally with a good SQUAAAAAAAAD of friends, fans or family. REDEYECHICAGO.COM (3.5 of 4 stars)

Anyone who listened to his first record understands that Flame has a unique style. While not the sharpest lyricist or possessing the cleanest flow, he makes up for those deficiencies with powerful energy, feeling and drive. It is clear that Flame loves to create bass-shattering tracks that have his listeners screaming, dancing or plain going crazy. This record maintains that same mentality, but brings more variation in its musical style… Some fans may not like this stylistic change, but it is hard to argue against the increased maturity of the lyrics, the message and Flame‘s passion to create something completely different. CAMPUS CIRCLE (B+ rating)

Waka knows what his fans like, and he gave them what they wanted...Waka showed the world that he likes making music for people to jam to. NAPPY AFRO (3.5 of 5)

Complaining about redundancy and frivolity seems like sour grapes once "Get Low" comes around with its million dollar guest list (Nicki Minaj, Tyga, and Flo Rida) plus vibrant attitude, and as the latter half of the album goes back to his roots with forceful, Southern-fried tracks (check the block party rocker "Candy Paint & Gold Teeth" with Ludacris and Bun B, or Plies and Waka doin' their own "The Ski Mask Way" on "Lurkin"), the layout becomes admirable, managing its endless supply of party rap in a surprisingly sensible manner STARPULSE.COM (3 of 5 stars) while Triple F Life sees Waka cleaning up his act and toning down the rage a little, it‘s far from a goofball pop crossover record. Instead, it toes a welcome line between radio-friendly sheen and rugged street anthems. FAST FORWARD WEEKLY

Often we forget that some artists have no intention of making a masterpiece. Hell, some artists just want to make the world dance...There‘s no doubt that Waka Flocka‘s new album is tasteless and needlessly vulgar. There‘s also no confusion that Waka has the lyrical ability of a coked-out walrus. Both of these statements are facts—not necessarily personal opinion. But don‘t get the wrong idea: it‘s still pretty freaking awesome…Tripe F Life picks up where Lil‘ Jon and the Eastside Boyz left off in 2006. You‘re undoubtedly familiar with the formula: bass-heavy club beats meet dope guest features and a whole lot of yelling. We‘ve heard it again and again, but not since Jon himself has another hip hop artist released the kind of pure, uncut club anthems that Waka is pushing on a weekly basis. He may not be a lyricist, but he sure is entertaining. FLORIDA FLAMBEAU (4 of 5)

In the proud hip-hop tradition of smash-everything-in-the-room music that includes such great hardcore skull-stompers as M.O.P. and Onyx, Waka Flocka Flame‘s spent the past three years filling rap‘s high energy void. While he‘s frequently dismissed by the ―more-hip-hop than thou‖ crowd, Flocka‘s quickly become one of the biggest and most consistent stars in rap today…Triple F Life is a worthy follow-up to Flockaveli and hopefully an indication of a great career still to come. SPECTRUM CULTURE (3.5 of 5)

Triple F Life: Friends, Fans & Family, brings 'hood back up to the top of your list. If you‘re rollin‘ ten deep in your low-low or heading to the club in your dumped Escalade, your fifteen-inch subs in the back will eat these beats like a pit bull‘s first meal in three days… At fifteen tracks, Waka is delivering you a robust, modern rap album that is certified in all aspects for me. You can hate on Waka for his looks, or his Lil-Jon style yelling all you want, but I don‘t really care; cop the album or just be one of those haters everywhere GROUND CONTROL MAGAZINE

Triple F Life: Friends, Fans & Family tour

Waka Flocka concerts are already experiences of near-religious implications, the type where people speak in tongues and throw snakes at each other and shit. Flocka is the best at a very specific brand at rap, one where energy and charisma are foregrounded, and the only brush strokes worth even making are the broad ones. In other words, yeah, the dude screams a lot. VILLAGE VOICE

What do you get when you mix testosterone, tatts, muscular beats and high-octane energy? The prototype for the contemporary rap artist, as personified by Waka Flocka Flame. This ain‘t your grandmama‘s hip-hop—that is, unless she likes her music loud and profane, with ballistic beats and rebelliousness as its driving force. PHILADELPHIA WEEKLY

Yes. Oh, fuckin' yes. So stoked to announce that Waka Flocka Flame will be sliding through Revolution, November 14, for a ratchet-ass Fort Laudydawdy-style concert. This ain't your typical hip-hop show, so don't expect an eight-dude cypher with a scratch DJ. We're talking about eight dudes rapping over each other very incohesive-like, and probably some dude on his iTunes in the background. It's gonna be awesome. To prepare for the show, first, make sure to get properly geeked-up and chiefed-up. Work out your legs a little bit so that when you're wildin' out to "Hard in da Paint," you won't get any debilitating leg cramps. Also, you're gonna be sticking up your middle finger a lot that night, so try to work on your best "fuck-da- haterz" stance. Last but not least, don't say "I want a rooster in my rari" if you're a dude unless you know what the hell you're talking about and you actually want that to happen. NEW TIMES BROWARD-PALM BEACH

If you have never seen Waka live, let us confirm for you that it is awesome. The dude is just a prehistorically gigantic presence on stage. RIVERFRONT TIMES

Salute Me or Shoot Me 4: Banned From America (mixtape)

The beats here are all calculatedly trap music-tested, as is Salute Me or Shoot Me 4‗s content. But that‘s precisely what Waka was aiming for, and what he needed. Though the style of his energy and aggression on record is no longer as surprising as it initially was, it‘s still just as magnetic. When given two choices with this tape‘s title, a salute for Waka is probably both safer and more fitting. XXLMAG.COM (L of XXL)

His new mixtape, Salute Me or Shoot Me 4: Banned From America, proves that his grasp on his own aesthetic is strong enough to keep his music from feeling stale. Waka's energy has an almost gravitational pull and it's as strong here as ever. PITCHFORK.COM (6.7 of 10) it‘s a welcome indication that the Flocka we knew is still alive, even if his soul doesn‘t burst with hate the way it once did…this is still fundamental Flocka. Even with increased BPMs, the end result is still a bludgeoning, overwhelming hour of scream-rap, Flocka carpet-bombing every single track with uncontainable energy. And even if the tape doesn‘t have the grim power of Flockaveli, it‘s still an artifact from someone who has seriously started to enjoy the spoils of his success, and that‘s infectious. For maybe the first time ever, the Flocka we hear here is one who‘d probably be great to hang out with for a night. STEREOGUM.COM, ―Mixtape of the Week‖