16-year-old Lucki Eck$ hails from Chicago, and he just released his debut mixtape Alternative Trap. A lot of other writers have been urging people to listen closely to what Lucki is saying. They're right. You do need to pay close attention to catch all the similes, metaphors, and so-called hashtag raps in his verses. He rhymes slowly, but it's still easy to miss things. What I found most impressive about Alternative Trap is the maturity and confidence the young MC displays. Clearly, Lucki is beyond his years in terms of beat selection (who else in hip-hop is sampling Daughter?) and rapping, but there is another intangible that really struck me. This tape feeds a craving I didn't know I had. He has only appeared on a few songs before this release, and yet listening to it is like enjoying a solid sophomore effort from an established favorite artist. I truly didn't know what to expect from a full length mixtape, and now I'm entirely amazed and wanting more. Perhaps my uncertainty as to which lane he would carve out as "alternative trap" left me unprepared, but I like it better that way. This one will definitely be on heavy repeat, and I hope to look back at this mixtape as an important point in hip-hop.
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