Freebie Friday #5

Welcome back to Freebie Friday, where I’m out of good intros and you’re out of money. Evidently you’re here because the cruel mistress that is our economy has let you down, led you astray. So much like an old married couple who refuses to get divorced, we’re stuck with each other until Taylor Swift finally responds to my e-mails ‘How deep is MY love?’ and cares for me the rest of my life, or I get done for harassment.

Last time, before my untimely absence, you were all given the chance to download Kasbo’s Fetty Wap remix, which you can check out here. This week our artist hails from the land where they don’t bear arms, but I’m told they do arm bears; Canada. He goes by the name Derin Falana but has previously been known as the Flan. His new mixtape Live From The Rocky Mountains is available for the same price as my dignity, or in layman’s terms, free.

The mixtape itself is a shout out to the Flans hometown, Rocky Mountain Crescent in Brampton. Although sounding like an American equivalent Bompton, the Canadian city doesn’t seem to define this artist, as it does with others. Actually, this mixtape is more abstract than others, not really focused on real world observations, but it is filled to the brim with emotions. Talking about doubts and moving up in the world are prominent themes on the tape, subject matter that is reflected in the samples and delivery making for a diverse yet easy listen.  Obviously, it is always bound to be the case that most Canadian rappers are compared to Drake, a comparison I hoped to stay away from, however with the melodic hooks and a rapping style that occasionally melds to pop, the Flan does open up for this comparison.

Certainly, this seeming critic is more of a praise which this mixtape delivers on.  All the tracks flow well together and there isn’t one that feels that it should have been dropped. Doubt/When I’m Gone standouts, Falana wears his heart on his sleeve about the pressures of success and his doubts, moving away from the gusto and veil of invincibility that a lot of rappers shroud themselves in.

So if you’re in to Hotline Bling but you’re more Hotline Broke, the Flan might just be the man you need to fill that void until your next pay day. Alternatively, if the disease of poverty persists for another seven days, feel free to come back for another prescription Freebie Friday next week. Until then Viva la revolución!