Curren$y & Harry Fraud “VICES” Album Review

VICES

Curren$y & Harry Fraud

• Genre: Hip-Hop
• Date: 30 Jun, 2023
• Content: explicit
• Track(s): 9
• ℗ 2023 Jet Life Recordings / SRFSCHL, LLC

“Vices,” Curren$y’s latest release, is a full-length collaboration with Harry Fraud, another master of rich samples who has collaborated extensively with Curren$y throughout the years. The Miami Vice soundtrack serves as the inspiration for this one.

On “Vices,” Harry Fraud samples many slick ’80s jams that scored sequences on Miami Vice: Lindsay Buckingham’s “Go Crazy,” Bryan Ferry’s “Windswept,” Simply Red’s “Picture Book,” Meat Loaf’s “Standing On The Outside,” and Public Image Ltd.’s “The Order Of Death.” There are also numerous Miami Vice dialogue snippets.

It’s not only a fun gimmick; it’s also a moving listen. Miami Vice had a distinct look, and that aesthetic extended to “Vices.” The album also includes appearances by many of Curren$y’s rap contemporaries, including Benny The Butcher, Jim Jones, Tommy Wright III, Rome Streetz, and Larry June.

Album Cover Art

A fast whip with the roof gone is in park like its owner had just stepped from it for a second. In the distance, there a branded white vehicle like that of a cop car tailing another white ride, which is just another day in Vice City.

Tracks and Features

“The Great McCarthy” begins the album with a quality vibe and melodious flow. Fraud engineered the beat to suit Curren$y’s effortlessly smooth style of rap and they both ate and left zero crumbs. The rapper talks about his homies that he doesn’t see eye to eye with, and wishes they would live long enough to smoke trees together at the back of his crib while laughing over their past feud. Curren$y also does not forget to flex on his detractors by rapping about his rich lifestyle and the expensive shit he owns.

The bragging extends into “Black Point Boat Launch,” but he also praises his lady as he gives her a shout-out for sticking with him through his come-up phase. He touches on the topic of frenemies again before the beat switches up toward the end of the song.

The gifted Benny the Butcher appears in “Stingray” as the first guest feature on the album. Both rappers team up to talk big flex and good living. Benny spat some very angry bars as calm as can be, and folks that issue threats they can actually carry out in a calm disposition should be feared. Harry did his thing on the production and gave the rappers a fantastic playground.

For the next track, “Marcus Camby,” Jim Jones and Jimmy Wright III are tapped as features, who assist Curren$y in elucidating more about the hustle, the superstar life and the fast cars in their possession doing nothing but catching dust. Fraud came at the song’s production real hard too.

The ever-so-smooth Larry June steps in with the chill big boss vibe in “Marble Columns.” Both rap stars get in their elements and spew some sick bars about their luxurious lifestyle and the bad bitches that come with it over Harry’s harmonious jazzy beat.

“Neon Skyline” featuring G.T, continues the braggadocio, and while “’86 Testarossa” with Rome Streetz doesn’t derail from the usual showoff, both artists also gas themselves up and pat their own backs for how far they’ve come up in the game despite the many hurdles. Also, you would have to look at the name of the featured rapper to be sure it isn’t Cordae.

Next, Curren$y goes into “The Warehouse” with Harry Fraud and shows us things are run on his side of things. Curren$y raps about what would seem to be his regular routine, referred to as “fundamental balling,” which is a blend of the superstar life and the normal, everyday version.

“Purple Picasso” featuring Vico concludes the album on a rich, rich groove. They played their cards well ending with this one. Harry came through with hard antique production that received modern finishings with the bass and drums. As a rapper, you have no excuse to fumble over a beat this good. It would be considered as a musical crime, and both rappers understood that and delivered incredibly well. Lastly, Vico should not be slept on; his poetic bars are nuts. Talk about saving the best for last.

Tracklist

NO	TITLE	TIME
1	The Great McCarthy	2:08
2	Black Point Boat Launch	2:20
3	Stingray (feat. Benny The Butcher)	2:09
4	Marcus Camby (feat. Jim Jones & Tommy Wright III)	2:38
5	Marble Columns (feat. Larry June)	3:10
6	Neon Skyline (feat. G.T.)	2:24
7	’86 Testarossa (feat. Rome Streetz)	2:05
8	The Warehouse	2:00
9	Purple Picasso (feat. Vico)	3:21

Album Theme

The album can be likened to a time capsule from the era that helped to create Miami’s skyline and gave rise to a whole subculture centered on cars and fashion.

Production Credits

Harry Fraud handled the album’s production.

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