polaroids of androids

I love Seinfeld. I love hip-hop. By default this means I should also love a hip-hop mixtape with a Seinfeld theme, right? Maybe not. I love Jay-Z and I love The Beatles, but I don't masturbate on a daily basis over The Grey Album. Ok, maybe I do. Fuck you.

Bad opening paragraphs and lame comparisons aside - this is a fucking great album.

Basically, the format for Mixtape About Nothing is simple. Wale and internet megastar Nick Catchdubs (who mixes the record) take a normal hip-hop mixtape (well known beats, freestyles, skits, cameo appearances - all mashed together and forced to change direction rapidly) and then mix that with audio snippets from Seinfeld. I don't know why someone didn't think of this before. It's genius.

And it all works surprisingly well. Held together by Wale's strong lyrical skills, the attention to detail and the tight production there are few dull moments across the 72 minutes of music. While the concept as a whole is funny enough - the 'shout out' from Julia Louis-Dreyfus and George's artistic integrity speech to NBC are two of the standout connecting lines - it's the way in which the mixtape cleverly pokes fun at the often tiresome nature of hip-hop which raises it above the limitations of the mixtape's quirky theme. The Cliche Lil Wayne Track (It's The Remix!) and The Bmore Club Slam are the best executed examples of this, taking a refreshingly fun approach to a genre that is notorious for taking itself far too seriously.

But this record is far from being just comedy rap. The Kramer - which is built around audio samples of Michael Richard's controversial explosive racial outburst at a comedy club last year - is undeniably the record's standout moment as Wale cleverly twists the song, focusing it's message on his own use of 'the N word' and the role it plays in hip-hop music in general. The closing moments of the track, with Richards' apology laced over one of the show's cheesy laugh tracks, is enough to send shivers up the spine.

Once the 'wackiness' of the record's concept wears off - there is still plenty to enjoy. The best TV show themed hip-hop mixtape of 2008.