After several mixtapes, Atlanta-based rapper, Roscoe Dash is finally debuting his first album, Ready, Set, Go. Jeffrey Johnson Jr., who will be just barely over the legal drinking age by press time, included rereleases like “Turnt Up” featuring SODMG rapper Soulja Boy, “Sexy Girl Anthem” and the club-banger “Showout.”
Dash keeps in tune with his down-South style as the bulk of his tracks infuse dance rhythms but lack somewhat in lyrical content. As far as variety, expansion or growth, Dash falters. Ready, Set, Go is no change from the Dash that Atlanta met a few years ago, rapping about girls and partying — no different from many other Southern rappers.
Songs “One Night Stand” and “Yes Girl” bring the listener into the life of the acclaimed rapper and his plight for the sexual satisfaction by way of the many girls he’s met on his journey to stardom.
Although the album is a fun listen, it offers little depth.
“Employee of the Year” follows a similar path by taking a different route. “The night shift, let me get the night shift / Ain’t no telling the positions that I might hit,” Dash raps. The song continues with innuendos referring to “working” and becoming the best at his “job.”
“Ready, Set, Go” and “I Be Shopping” are, again, fun tracks, but are unenthusiastically one-dimensional and reminiscent of several of his previous singles.
The only track that provides little relief from the monotonous Roscoe Dash routine is the final cut, “All I Know.” The track contains a different beat, like that of a metal song, and features Jared Evans. It’s a refreshing variation to Dash’s usual agenda: “Got four million in 24 hours / What more do I have to do? / It’s all I know/ I grind hard and I know it shows.” Dash’s insight into the life a hard-working rap artist could have been more explanatory or even convincing, but this track is at least a good sign of more thoughtful work that could potentially come from the young artist.
In an industry currently plagued with dance rap, let’s hope Dash branches out into a brand of hip-hop that is not just about twerking, but about longevity.
Until then, however, Ready, Set, Go will certainly be played in clubs, and not just in Atlanta, simply to get the crowd going and the drinks flowing.
