Only Way Is Up

Atlanta rapper K Camp did a slow stroll up to this first LP, dropping a slew of mixtape anthems and club tracks that were prime for the G-Unit crew or a Pimp C-associated release, but with both those camps out of the picture, this MC is allowed to drift -- to the tune of T.I., Snoop Dogg, Bun B, and Jeremih, the diverse and superstar lineup of guest artists featured on Only Way Is Up, Camp's down-and-dirty debut. "We ain't doin' much, tryin' to have a good time/Got four bad bitches, the pleasure's all mine" is doled out during "Lil Bit" in a monotone and yet a hypnotic style for maximum pimp hand effect, and like all true club freaks, Camp comes with that midnight-flavored sense of humor, and delights in "Feed her M&Ms, watch her turn into some trouble." Turn it up loud enough and he comes off as the A$AP Generation's version of Petey Pablo, but he's much more versatile, and becomes a plush Usher alternative on "Comfortable," or an unbelievably effective cross of Travis Scott and Drake on the opening bundle of questions dubbed "Change." "Who Am I" is the other deep roller of note, and these two cuts act as moral anchors as the rest of the album wilds out, but traditional ballers lost in the age of Future and Chief Keef will find K Camp a well-rounded and welcome throwback to when weekend music wasn't so abundantly weird. ~ David Jeffries