Peewee Longway - Mr. Blue Benjamin (Album Review)

If you've been listening to many of the hyped up mixtapes over the last few years then you might have spotted a rap mixtape with the blue M&M on it. If it piqued your interest enough to check it out then you were introduced to Peewee Longway who is trading in his Blue M&M status on his debut album for a new one, Mr. Blue Benjamin. I was really anticipating this album as I've found Longway to be a pretty interesting mixtape rapper and I wondered how all his hype would translate onto a debut album.

Mr. Blue Benjamin is Longway's style presented in its most potent form yet. It showcases his potential and ability to shine as a rapper while still maintaining the grittiness that I liked about his mixtapes. The album kicks off on a high note with title track, "Mr. Blue Benjamin". The song is pretty much the perfect introduction to Longway. If you've never heard him you can start at track one on this album and automatically get exactly what he's about. It's the perfect example of his style, lyrical ability, and his beat choices. The single "Jackie Tan" is incredibly infectious and catchy. The Wiz Khalifa feature is no doubt a shot at getting some mainstream attention, but it falls a little flat against Longway who flows over the beat type much better. Juicy J also features on the track and I think the beat works with his flow much better than Khalifa's. Overall the beat choices are on point with Longway's style. The album is a little long at twenty tracks so there are a couple songs that lag here and there. The album closer, "Calaso Livin", is a little heavy on auto-tune. It does end the album on an interesting note and probably is a decent closer even if it isn't my favorite song on the album.

Charisma and style are the two words that basically describe Peewee Longway's ability as a rapper. His mostly quick paced flow created a vibe on his Blue M&M mixtapes and he has the ability on the mic that really makes almost all of his songs listenable. He presents his music as more of a lifestyle and he's pretty good at it. He continues the trend with Mr. Blue Benjamin. It may not help him reach the heights of some of his peers who are either heading toward or currently receiving a more mainstream spotlight. However, it does have him creating a pretty strong album that really could catch on big. He's a rapper who is on the cusp of a breakthrough while being a king of the underground.