Chris Brown Comeback Inspires Yung Joc On New Mixtape

Mixtape Daily Main Pick
Artist: Yung Joc

Representing: Atlanta

Mixtape: Ready to Fly

Real Spit: Yung Joc knows what his doubters think of him, but on his latest mixtape, Ready to Fly, the Atlanta rapper aims to change the public perception that he has fallen off.

"I think this mixtape is definitely one of those ones that people should definitely check out, especially for the naysayers that's like, 'It's over for that guy.' That's cool too. There are a lot of cats that people say it's over for," Joc told Mixtape Daily before likening himself to another phoenix-from-the-ashes pop star. "I remember on my last mixtape, Grind Flu, I got a song with Chris Brown. I remember people were like, 'Why you got Chris on there? It's over for him.' Look at him now."

Joc, who rose to prominence after his Grammy-nominated debut single "It's Goin' Down," helped kick-start hip-hop's snap craze. The track even caught the attention of actor Tom Cruise, who famously did the song's accompanying motorcycle dance during a BET broadcast. Despite earning a gold plaque for his 2006 Yung Joc City album and multiplatinum credits for his single, Joc seemed to lose steam and hasn't released an album since his 2007 sophomore effort, Hustlenomics. Not that he's completely disappeared: Joc appeared on R&B singer Slim's 2008 single "So Fly" and alongside Diddy a year later on Day26's "Imma Put It on Her."

"It's just funny how people jump ship so fast. It don't take but a little buzz, a little heat up under that frying pan to heat things up, and people are right back on the bandwagon," Joc said. "Hopefully that's what this mixtape will do, because I'm gonna keep coming, dropping video after video."

For Ready to Fly's cover, Joc drew inspiration from the Notorious B.I.G.'s 1994 classic debut Ready to Die, swapping out the Biggie baby for a picture of himself. While Joc paid homage on the cover, Ready to Fly isn't all about B.I.G.; it's a nod to Joc's Southern roots and original Atlanta sound — which he never abandoned. DJ Sense and DJ Demp host the tape, while rappers like Tity Boi, Yo Gotti, Gucci Mane and 8Ball make appearances.

Will it be Joc's big comeback? Only time will tell, but so far, things sounds pretty fly.

Joints to Check For
» "Ready to Fly" - "That's on some grown-man intellect and understanding. You can hear the pain in my voice on this record. Ain't nothing about it fake. You hear from the beginning of the record to the end of the record, it's just how I feel and things I've been going through."

» "Deuces" - "We just took the approach where everything we said, we did it in twos. We put a two in it some kinda way. Even if it was a name that started with 'two,' like Tupac, or O.G. Tookie. I said, 'Make a sucka drip, what up Tunechi.' Wayne, so you know we got the record 'Drip' the remix on there, featuring Yo Gotti, Wayne and myself."

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