Sam E Hues along with Guy Average on production provide that laid back dirty south flavor on “When Tigers Used To Smoke”, transporting both sides of the Bay back in time.
The opening track “Ciao” has Hues taking center stage. Surrounded by swelling strings, Hues lays down what’s been going on in his mind, with his southern twang and quick delivery. The way this track is set up reminds me of the way El-P approaches some of his tracks, especially when the drums get going around the mid section of the song. The chopped and screwed undertones subtly drip through the track. Sam isn’t just gonna wait around and let shit happen, time is ticking and he’s doing things his way.
Next we slide into “Flexin”. I dig the smooth vibe of the beat, especially the chime sounds in the background. Hues’s flow on this track is laid back but you still feel every word, mainly when he spits “I need my neck full of stones!”. Shelby Sol adds to the laid back vibes with her vocals on the hook and throughout the track.
“Déjà vu” featuring 813’s own LA The GOAT has that late night “Drive Slow” vibe to it. The pianos are on a low creep, and once the whistle sound pops up, we are in full late night tip mode. I could see an animated video for this track, with Sam and LA riding through Tampa. It’s really dope when both emcees get their shot at the hook, which will definitely get stuck in your head “Whip smellin like a good time and Black Ice”. The track fades out and we are met with a mini outro, with embers burning taking us back to a time when tigers used to smoke.
“Slow Down” is my shit mane! This is one you just jam, crawling down Central Ave in the whip with the sun roof open. After I heard the track a few times, I found myself constantly spitting “I Need To Slow Down”. It would be dope to see BTMVLE Jotta or one of the members of $lugg Sounds on the remix to really get things slowed. The chopped and screwed vibes at the end takes it over the top.
This next track is something special foreal. “Smoke Break” is hands down one of my favorite tracks of the year. The homie Sunny Fritz starts things off with the feature verse of the year. I loved the way he switched flows right on cue, catapulting his next project to my most wanted list. The atmospheric beat is my type of vibe, especially when that whistle comes in. Mr.Hues snaps on his verse per usual, bringing that southern smoke talk. This track reminds me of that “Hat Club” ad Sam shot in the swamp. Track of the year contender for sure. Another dope interlude pops up with the embers burning again, adding to the esthetic.
“35mm” is a bit of a somber tone to it but I felt it was need at this point of the album. Guy Average killed it on the vocals setting the tone for Sam to do his thing. The guitar sounds crisp and the backing vocals hit just right. Sam is still able to keep it southern while discussing more introspective topics. You can definitely feel the loss in this song.
“Drive” featuring Jst Ray is mad laid back. This that late night pool side vibe type shit. The sounds used in the production remind me of some of the instruments used on “Beach Chair” by Jay Z. Jst Ray does her thing on the hook enhancing the chill esthetic.
“G Baby” is such a feel good track. This is how you make a record for the ladies without coming off as corny. I really dig the DJ Snake style production, giving the track a more bouncy feel than the previous joints. Things slow down a bit towards the end, making the track flow with the rest of the project.
“Same Thing” featuring They Hate Change is gonna become a deep cut down the road. The warped production is right up Andre & Vonne’s alley. Once the beat starts to get clanky towards the hook things really get going. I love all the sounds and drums that are featured throughout the song, so many beat switch ups. Sam slows things down with his pimp tyte flow, spitting mad game. I just picture him in the suite from the album cover spitting his verse. It’s dope that Sam lets the beat just ride out into the short outro vocals repeating “When Tigers Used To Smoke”. Amazing track.
At this point “Outside” featuring Big Baby Scumbag is a Florida Classic. The lead single off the album set the tone for what we had in store for the project, just good Florida Southern Living. Big Baby snapped on the hook like only Black Joe Can. Sam’s flow on this joint is impeccable, he almost goes like double time but you can still clearly hear every dime he’s dropping, through is southern twang. That second verse is out of this world. That lush southern production blends well with the hits of chopped and screwed. If you haven’t seen the video yet, check it out it’s a video of the year contender for sure. Such an undeniable song.
The horns yo! “Awake” has that anthem vibe. I could see Sam running down the streets of Ybor with the whole city running behind him, band and all. If you were sleeping on Mr.Hues before this project, now you should hear him loud and clear.
I am so glad I waited until after Sam’s live performance of the album before I finished the review, the live aspect took it over the top. I love the dirty south sound that Sam is bringing back with that Florida flavor , making it sound refreshing and his own. I haven’t felt these type of dirty south vibes since Big KRIT was dropping mixtapes back in the day. You’ll definitely see this project making its way into my Top Albums of the year list, possibly picking up some other awards down the road. Having amazing visuals and dope live performances of your project is a nice trend I have been seeing out of the 813 lately, with projects like, Scxtt Aye’s “Doves”, and “2 Much 2 Robb” from Gat$ & Jordan Patrick all being able to stand the test of time, reaching 813 Essential status. You can now add “When Tigers Used To Smoke” to that list.