Chris James

Last week, Baton Rouge artist Chris James released his highly anticipated 1st solo mixtape entitled Promises.

To be honest, I was a little agitated when it didn’t come out on time, simply because it was being promoted so heavily on social media. All in all, his team did a good job on changing the promotion quickly to “Where is Chris James”.The mixtape contains 16 tracks with just 3 features. The anticipation and hype definitely put a lot of pressure on this tape.
The mixtape opens with the intro Chapter One, possibly because the mixtape’s cover is a picture of a bible with the title “Promises” written across it. At the bottom of the bible the words “King James Version” is written. This is maybe another hint to why the tape starts off this way.

After listening to prior Dream Team projects, in my opinion this solo project is different in one main aspect. The substance in Promises makes it more relatable. It has a theme that starts with the title and Chris James made sure to stick with it..no pun intended.

Songs like Don’t Trip, All On You, Slippin, I’m Ready and Count On Me are just some of the tracks off the top that have a lot of substance. The content of these songs shows Chris James’ growth as a rapper. At the end of the day everybody can rap..but if you aren’t saying anything people will not continue to listen.

On top of the substance, the production caught my attention as well. The beats all had something about them that stood out from each other. I think that just shows that this project wasn’t something thrown together. The same kicks and drums could’ve easily been used throughout the whole project. The beats force you to nod your head while the lyrics force you to listen which makes for a good combination.

I personally would’ve rather heard a new verse on Same Thang, but the verse from Lee Bankz will suffice. Although I wasn’t a fan of the verse at first, it grew on me after awhile and I can definitely rock with it.My favorite track would be a choice out of All on you, Slippin‘, Don’t Trip or Count on me. I feel that the progression is easily heard in most of the songs but those are the ones that really stood out. Although there were few features, the ones he did have made sense and they delivered.
I think Don’t Trip is easily the most relatable track on the project. Who can’t relate to wanting to provide for their mom? In Don’t Trip Chris James expresses how he really wants to focus on his career as a rapper but his mom would rather him go to college to pursue something else. The overall message in the song is quite simple , “I promise, when I get straight we all gon’ be straight”. The track speaks about the struggles of wanting to follow your dreams while having to be a responsible adult, which in itself is a struggle. Don’t Trip‘s relatable message is why I vibe with it so much.

All in all, Promises was worth the hype and the wait. In my opinion, the production, the improvement of Chris’s lyricism, well put together features, and worthy substance easily puts Promises at a 8 out of 10. Great project.
To download the project or stream it you can visit here.
…Blame Miranda. - Geehouse