Sydney rapper El’ Jistos’ Full Tilt Boogie Mixtape is conscious of its Oz hip hop roots, and is a solid addition to the tradition.
At times, El’ Jistos could be confused for Pressure MC. And that’s not an accusation of mimicry. It’s high praise for a rapper as competent as the Hilltop Hoods. El Jistos is very capable as a rapper – he breezes over the beat in The Consumers and lets the pressure mount on Mind Your’s. He throws in a couple of appropriate guest artists like Kaution and MC Soular, who have a higher voice and a quicker flow, a nice change up from El Jistos’s deeper pitch.
Each track plays on a common convention in Australian hip hop. The Consumers is the designated funk track, Dissolution the anthem to determination, Mind Yours is the philosophical musing and Knock Off Time the generic drinking track. But because all these tracks are so solid, none of this seems formulaic. Rather, it’s another fantastic entry into a genre that’s increasingly having its boundaries drawn. Knock Off Time in particular is just as good as any other Oz hip hop drinking song around.
El’ Jistos has handpicked beats that have a distinctly Oz sound and are perfectly appropriate for the subject matter. He even does justice to the iconic Shook Ones beat, constructing his own original chorus. It includes the memorable line “grow some balls or start practicing kegels.”
But the most promising thing about this Sydney rapper is that the best beats on the album are self-produced. Production wise, the standout track is Intro which uses a simple guitar riff and some light male vocals to build towards something massive. There’s no doubt that when El’ Jistos is able to deliver his deft flows over his own original beats, he’ll have made something really special. One to watch.
Full Tilt Boogie Mixtape is available for free download.