Roll A Twenty Records Debut Mixtape OR Why consistency is key.

So recently there was a little kerfuffle over at rhymetorrents.org

Then admin Don Vito, who you can say has ruffled some feathers with some artists in the scene, announced he is starting a non-profit Nerdcore Hip-Hop label, dubbed Roll A Twenty Records. I'll say right now I love the name.

Well to kick things off, RA20 release a mixtape featuring all of their currently signed artists. So here we go with my review of:




I'm not going to go through and delve into each track, that takes too long and I'm pretty fucking lazy and have a short attention span.

The album seems very well polished, the beats are solid, the production value is on the lower end of medium high, and the whole album just flows well. Each song has its nerdy roots and are fun to listen to. Except for Forever Nerd because I fucking hate Drake and wouldn't even give him the recognition through a nerdcore parody that he will never hear.

I'll be honest with you, I didn't really browse RT before the unholy shitstorm started so I don't know any of the artists that are on this album, not that it really matters since I refuse to compare artists works to their previous works and do each album on its own. BUT, after listening to this mix tape I will definitely be checking them out. All of them.

There are some things which I have to point out that could have made this album better.

First, it's obvious that each of the artists recorded their bits and sent them in and they were mixed together. This happens all the time with compos with every genre at every level of success, but it is a very strong argument as to why each artist should be using the same equipment. Some microphones register certain sounds different, some have more range, some have distance sweet spots, and some can compensate for "hard p's".

Second, the "hard p's". These occur with certain sharp sounds, p, t, k, etc. You hear kind of a pop on the recording and it just irks the fuck out of me. This can be fixed either in recording or in mixing and I hope that it is resolved in the future.

Third, this doesn't have to do with the album itself but the circumstances surrounding its release. Don't be a dick to some people, start a record label, release an album, and then wonder why people are giving you shit.

I don't know Don Vito, never dealt with him and can only really go off of what I was able to gather skimming through RT. But I wish him and the artists now signed with RA20 the best of luck and hope they release more albums with at least this level (preferably a smidge better) of production value.

I recommend this album to anyone that is into the nerdcore scene. Even if you aren't into nerdcore, but like hiphop and remember getting really pissed at Battletoads, you should check out this out. Grab it: here