Album Review: Orlando Kennedy - Otaku 2006

First mixtapes are hard. They're often the hardest project that an artist will put out. The first mixtape is filled with necessary requirements. It's necessary to give listeners a taste of a new artists style. It's also the first project an artist usually releases meaning it's still fun to them and they aren't necessarily taking it as serious as they will in the future. First mixtapes often show flashes of whether the artist will be good or bad as the finished product. Today we're going to look at the first mixtape of Orlando Kennedy entitles Otaku 2006.

My first thought before listening to Otaku 2006 was "Oh, god, another mixtape filled with random anime punchlines." Well, I'm glad that's not what happened. From the start it's clear that Orlando isn't going to just throw in random punchlines for the sake of gaining crossover appeal to anime fans. It's also obvious that Orlando lives the Otaku life. He's not doing random punchlines because he's able to dedicate entire songs to series Rurouni Kenshin. Be warned, there's some spoilers in the mixtape.

Lyrically, Orlando is just starting out but at 16 you can't expect perfection unless it's Nas, because we all know how Illmatic turned out. But like I said earlier, it's not just random anime related punchlines, so it's not annoying. It's somewhat refreshing to hear something besides a radio single with a few added punchlines. Even if Orlando isn't great lyrically yet as long as he sticks to what he's been doing it'll be fine.

Orlando has a great flow. The only problem is it's a little too fast so he ends up leaving a few bars left on the beat. Move from 16 bars to 18 or slow it down. Either way, the flow is unique and might just be his golden ticket. Orlando also chose good instrumentals that fit his style. He wasn't using a fast flow on super slow tracks and hoping it turned out well. Otaku 2006 also doesn't fall into the trap of too many features on one tape.

• Lyricism-5
• Flow-7
• Production-7
• Theme-7
• Replayability- 7
• Individuality- 9

The final score comes out at 7.00/10. While Orlando may not be the strongest in any individual category he's unique. Uniqueness, won't necessarily make you the greatest but it will grab peoples attention and make them listen for a while. In a time when everyone is joining groups and doing posse cuts Orland has 2 features on the entire mixtape, giving you a chance to hear him as an individual artist. Riding solo for most of the album doesn't cause you to start thinking "This kid is nice, but those other guys were better." A flow that isn't borrowed like most others as well as content that isn't a mixture of trap music and anime make Orlando stand out in an over saturated market. Otaku 2006 is just 9 short tracks most running around 2 minutes meaning it comes in at around 23 minutes if my math is right. Otaku 2006 makes a point to show that Orlando is someone who has fun with the music he makes. It also shows that with a little polish he'll be able to create some truly great music. Watch out Richie Branson.

FREE Download of Otaku 2006

You can find Orlando on SoundCloud and Tumblr as well as twitter
Follow @Orlando_Kennedy
You can find me on the CP Time Podcast or the Powerbomb Jutsu Podcast and twitterFollow @OriginalKingD