Birth Place of Aviation (Deluxe Version)

An up-and-coming rapper/producer from Cleveland, Kenn Ball was shot to death by an off-duty policeman in March 2012, at the age of 20. Birthplace of Aviation was his first album. It finds a young emcee clearly influenced by Lil Wayne, with a meandering flow and highly annunciated delivery, supported by skittering hi-hats, moody keyboard tinkling, and big claps. Lyrically, he focuses on stacking money, getting his hustle on, rocking females, and puffing the kush. It's nothing that hasn't been done before, but he brings undeniable energy and charisma to the table, managing to make potentially played-out subject matter sound fresh. Several tracks here—most notably the end-of-the-week anthem "Friday," the synth-heavy, Auto-Tune-assisted club banger "Everything Is Everything," the futuristic jam "Monsterball," and "Dinner Date," with Tezo—could easily be hit singles. There's little doubt that this could have been the start of a successful rap career. (Note: the deluxe version includes chopped and screwed mixes for each song.)