Arah's Back with 'Free Arah' (Review)

Trap Season is back in session with the young goon Arah dropping off the 'Free Arah' mixtape. He starts off heavy with an acapella freestyle straight from Alexandria Detention Center then Organized Crime follows up the nastiest way possible. With lines like "In the kitchen prolly nothin but mice, in the streets prolly nothin but rats" and "make a bad b-word walk to the store" where's Pusha T with the YUCKKKK ad-lib. He’s home.

Just like in any other hood, rappers come a dime a dozen. Even in mine (Washington Heights, which I rep proudly) that situation is the same. Not so concerned with the club bangers, Arah stands out from the bunch. Sometimes hearing the repetition amongst today’s assortment of rappers makes me cringe or worse…I stop checking for new music temporarily.

Instead of relying on overpowering Auto-tune on every hook, he paints his "Audubon pain" with actual street bars and adds a New York twist on his Trap numbers. On "Meeche Lucas" he calls out the lying rappers who act like tough guys (it really made me laugh) and "Gamble" is an excellent example of Arah’s disparity. That hook is A1.

"Neighborhood (2013)" is straight New Yiddy style. Arah goes off on this Boom Bap + Horn combination as he talks about the hood regularities that go on around him and how he wants to travel back to the High School days. Same here bro. Go feel some of his Audubon pain. I’m rocking with you all the way homie.