Fresh off his fire verse and recent appearance on Giggs’ critically acclaimed album Landlord, Youngs Teflon has given us a vibrant new mixtape called Tracksuit Diaries.
The South London trap star has put in an incredible amount of work over the last 18 months, releasing body after body of music, including Trillin 2 and The Jungle Book. This hard work has not gone unnoticed and his consistent level of bars has seen him feature on a number of established artists’ projects, such as the aforementioned Giggs, as well as Tinie Tempah.
Tef continues to raise the bar with this impactful mixtape, confirming a lot of people’s belief that he is one of the kings of the UK rap sound. 2016 has been a great year for independent artists to make waves – and there is nothing stopping Tef from continuing to rise up the ranks.
So kick back, get yourself comfortable and read our review and reasons why you will enjoy this mixtape…And then give it a listen!
Sixteen
The rapper kicks things off with the lines, “My eyes stay low, even when I ain’t blowing on the dank”. No doubt a great way to start any mixtape, EP or album.
He then opens up about how he feels he hasn’t received the accolades he believes he deserves as he is “barley even mentioned in the ranks”. Despite this though, he has kept his pride and his name, as “the streets, the road, the hood and the camp” all have his back. As with any sick intro to a body of work, Tef shows honesty in revealing where he feels he is at in his career, at this very moment in time.
Crack
On this track, Tef continues the hard quotables with lines that hit home. Crack gives off an impression that the rapper heard the instrumental, loved it and just flowed naturally to it. The track doesn’t have a hook, which suits the vibe of the song. Teflon also reminds everyone he is “Jungle Boy” – a self-titled name explained on this year’s earlier EP Jungle Book
Game Don’t Love You
One thing we’ll pick up from this mixtape, is Youngs Teflon’s ability to grab our attention immediately. The opening line on this one is “Jimmy never had a co-sign/ Jimmy never had a gold mine”. He then follows this up with two flawless verses either side of a wavy chorus by S1Loud. Anyone who wants a vibe to listen to after a hectic or stressful day at work, this is the song on the mixtape you have to listen to. Hopefully there will be a video to come with this…*praying emoji*
Pull Up
Youngs Teflon delivers arguably the most catchy song of the mixtape with “Pull Up”. It’s the first track on the tape that he gives a brief intro for, bigging up those responsible for the production, as the instrumental is hard. We learn on this track how many different things in life a man can “pull up”. The song is a hit and deserved a solid verse from any potential feature – TE dness duly obliges with one.
In The Morning
Tef links up with Dimzy from 67 on this road banger, that is definitely one to help get you on a gassed level before heading out. Dimzy drops a cold hook for the song, which helps personify the theme of the track.
Tracky
Nearly half way through the mixtape, Tef logically provides a reminder of his look and the titling of this mixtape, with his 6th song entitled “Tracky”. This track is another trap banger, once again with quotable bars such as “I’m in a vintage Reebok joint/Yeah I’m doing Robbie Fowler” (a big statement, considering he is an avid Man United supporter) and “When I go just bury me in a tracky”. Low key, Tef may also be bigging up Skepta – as there are shades of the BBK artist’s “Man (Gang)” on the hook.
Work
Another theme of this mixtape and many of Tef’ previous bodies of work, is the South Londoner’s adlibs. Like a lot of his previous other songs, Work keeps us entertained with rhythmic production and memorable adlibs throughout. Work is self-explanatory: Tef is still out here putting it in.
Back On (feat Monkey 67)
“Back On” flows in nicely after “Work”, with similar content, as Tef talks about work on the strip. The tune could be the poster track of the mixtape to demonstrate Youngs Teflon’s rhyming scheme ability. The rapper spins between different flows and patterns in both the chorus and verses. Tef once again gives us a hook that bangs, making it all look easy. Monkey from 67 this time adds to the vibe with a clear and concise verse.
Flex and Finesse
Similar to the title of this track, Young Teflon proceeds to Flex and Finesse on this lively tune. The rapper confidently covers a wide range of subjects from him putting in work at the gym “pushing big bells”…to him not discriminating when it comes to chicks, “Asian, Black and White girls all want to jump on the gang”. This is a track where Tef is feeling himself and isn’t ashamed to say it.
Driller (feat LD 67)
Accompanied well by LD from 67 (it’s like the whole gang’s here?!), Tef continues with the catchy flows and realness on “Driller” letting us know in detail about his lifestyle and what he is on, just in case anyone thought his popularity could make him change his ways.
Volts
“Volts” could easily be the whip banger of the mixtape. The ferocity of Tef’s hook on this – mixed with the beat, leads to a fire track that would give anyone life.
Hammertime
Paying homage to “U Can’t Touch This” star MC Hammer, this track allows Tef to give us a more speaking rather than fully rapping type verse. The style works well as we enter the finale of the mixtape. The rapper throws in another bar for all football lovers with the claim – he is “Mezut Ozil with the through ball”.
The Loop
The energy-fuelled mixtape comes to its conclusion smoothly with the soulful track “Loop”. The song shows Tef’s ability to go in hard over a soft female sample on the beat, something he previously did so well over Ellie Goulding’s sampled vocals on “Run DMC” (from Jungle Book). This track is a wave. At just over two minutes long, it’s a great vibe to see the mixtape out. We very much look forward to the next project…and at Tef’s rate, it wouldn’t surprise us if this comes before the end of the year.