He's never bad company, even if you forget he's there from time to time.Behind The Scenes Exclusively on set with Curren$y and Wiz Khalifa as they filmed Music Video for Jet Life of Curren$y's album The Stoned Immaculate. Regardless, Curren$y’s sharp wit, the smooth chop of the Sylvers’ 'How Love Hurts' heard on 'All I Know', and the return of Ski make Pilot Talk III more than worth it. 'Audio Dope 5' is solid, but nowhere near as experimental as the intoxicated stumble of 'Audio Dope II'.

The shimmering crash of the cymbals and pop of the drums on 'Alert' are vintage Ski and very welcome.Ĭurren$y may not do 'new,' but he is very good at what he does: riffing on cars, money, women, weed, and obscure moments from television shows. It’s difficult for the third version of something to truly reign supreme, especially when there’s little variation differentiating them. Noticeably absent from Curren$y’s discography following Pilot Talk II, it’s Ski's presence that makes Pilot Talk III so strong. Ski Beatz, who produced the bulk of the original Pilot Talk and its sequel, has left his imprint on everything from Jay Z’s Reasonable Doubt to Camp Lo’s Uptown Saturday Night. On 'Long as the Lord Say', he sketches familiar imagery: 'Plottin’ like always/ Marble floor hallways/ Smoked out all day/ Tryin’ to get more paid.' His lyrics are like an ad from a men’s magazine targeting the 18 to 25 age demographic in real time.īecause Curren$y himself is a control variable, production typically influences the quality of his output. His song titles, often named after random, inanimate objects or people (in the past we've gotten 'Chandelier', 'Breakfast', and 'Scottie Pippen', and here we have 'Pot Jar,' 'Briefcase', 'Lemonade Mimosas') testify his ability to find something worthy of appreciation in the seemingly ordinary. On 'Froze', eccentric jester RiFF RAFF appears like the ghastly clown from Spawn to exchange swank over Harry Fraud’s slow-burn production, and Curren$y keeps his cool.Īlthough Spitta's range is limited, it’s never been a disadvantage he’s a purveyor of lifestyle rap. 'Never displaying affection when we out in public/ 'Cause mufuckas lookin', and shit could get ugly/ So walk right past me homegirl, and don’t say nothin'' he advises a female acquaintance.

The ominous 'Cargo Planes', produced by Joey Fatts, sounds like the opening of a cinematic crime saga, but in this case it's a typical Spitta infraction: the theft of someone else’s girlfriend. For just over two minutes, he reflects on his career’s trajectory: 'It was right around the time/ I thought I’d have to move back with my mom/ I had to sell my first low-rider/ Halfway to the top went to sleep, woke up at the bottom.' The hopscotch path Curren$y has taken to success (from No Limit, to Cash Money, to independent juggernaut) is well-documented, but he rarely deviates from his cool-guy persona to reflect on his struggles.Ĭurren$y remains as irreverent as always, but he sounds more focused on Pilot Talk III than he has in awhile.

Curren$y is a bit of a cinephile, and treats each individual work like a grand production it’s evident in the titles of his projects (see his 2012 tribute, Priest Andretti), and Pilot Talk III begins with 'Opening Credits', where he strolls over an authoritative soul sample like Max Julien in The Mack.

Currensy pilot talk album cover