REMIX KINGS Mixtape (Remix Album) - Steve N’ Chris (HipHop) First things first, Steve N’ Chris are an incredible duo.  From the lyrical flow to the R&B vocals, these two seemed born to collaborate.  Taking on tracks by some of hiphop’s biggest artists takes a lot of confidence, and each track oozes with it.  Self-described Pro-Human artists, the REMIS KINGS Mixtape dares to take on tracks by DJ Khaled, Babyface, Lil Baby, Tems, Diddy, Metro Boomin and more, and we’re happy to report is a complete triumph.  More than a simple collection of remixes, it is a cohesive effort that celebrates not only these tracks, but all of hiphop and R&B.  

The dynamic they bring to their remixes feels very much inspired by hiphop of the 00s and 10s.  The vocals are giving us Joe, which we appreciate, and occasionally a little Mario.  The rap flow comes close to Twista at times, and occasionally Ludacris.  It’s a great throwback vibe baked into every track.

But that’s not to say the production isn’t modern as hell.  The songs are mixed and mastered incredibly, preserving the bounce of the 808 with the crispness of the top percussion.  We also really enjoy the synthesized choruses occasionally used to punch up the vocals, introducing some very tight harmonies and occasional dissonance which is pure earcandy.  It’s as if music from the aforementioned eras was produced today.  And on a few of the later, more R&B tinged tracks, we even feel some parallels with what Jimmy and Terry have recently been doing for Janet on her Unbreakable album–a modern production on a retro vibe.

The album is constructed and sequenced perfectly.  From the introductory GOD DID, segueing into more rap-centric songs, before starting up the R&B with our personal favorite, Free Mind, before finally hitting the bedroom tracks hard in Sex In The Porsche and Keeps On Fallin.  It is no overstatement to say there is not a single track to skip on this endeavor.

So let’s get into some of the cuts themselves.  As we said above, our personal favorite is Free Mind, originally by Tems.  For us, this is the radio single, and gives us a meld of Mario’s “Let Me Love You” and Fabolous’ “Into You”.  In years prior, this would be a cross-over track topping both R&B and Top 40 charts.

Keeps On Fallin, originally by Babyface and Ella Mai, preserves most of the original track and all the Babyface-isms in the harmonies–a 90s sensibility both the original and this take shine with.  GOD DID, however, is giving us straight early Kanye productions.  Jimmy Crooks is where we’re getting a Ludacris sensibility, particularly in the rap flow, while the synthetic strings feel of the “Indian Flute” Timbaland era–not to mention the “do it, do it, do it, do it” punctuations lifted directly from his early Missy work, specifically “Hit ‘Em Wit Da Hee”.

We cannot recommend Steve N’ Chris’s masterful set of remixes enough, especially if you are an aficionado of hiphop from 90s to present.  The entire album feels like a love letter to the evolution of hiphop which we stan.