Starvation 2 kicks in and you realize you're hungry for an Ace Hood track as the synth-heavy, hi-hat hitting "Root of Evil" starts and the production is instantly impressive - with lyrics that come off as a warm-up, as it's just the opening track.
A few songs into the tape, however, from "Root of Evil" to "Fuck Em All", one realizes that the production sounds eerily alike, somewhat distracting listeners from the lyricism laid out by guests Meek Mill, French Montana, and Plies. All the tracks have the quick hi-hats with an eerie synth in the background accompanied by a heavy bass. Though the beats are different, the constant use of the aforementioned three instruments can take away from the quality of the songs. Coming back to the lyrics, Mill and Plies absolutely kill their verses overshadowing, surprisingly, verses from Ace Hood. But, then the fifth song kicks in and the Florida rapper reminds you whose mixtape it truly is.
From "Fuck Da World" to "Just a Sample," it's the Ace Hood show as his poignant lyricism shines through. With lines attacking politicians, the state of modern society, and addressing tragic events that have occurred in the past 12 months, Ace Hood doesn't just create great music on this mixtape, he makes you think - an aspect of his music that he's clearly worked on, as it wasn't present before. "Lil Nigga" has to be his most heartwarming song to date and makes you want to listen to it on repeat.
Though Ace Hood clearly works best by himself on the mixtape, the features do help ease the album along with one exception. French Montana shows up three times on the tape but he seems to be a ghost, as his verses are unimaginative and just passable, especially when compared to the other verses on his tracks. Apart from Montana though, the mixtape flows expertly as after the first four songs, the production varies brilliantly throughout the rest of the tape which is dope as it allows Hood to switch up his flow, his rhyme scheme, and the themes he's trying to present in the tape.
Starvation 2 is a dope mixtape that showcases Ace Hood's skills on the mic, his clever lyricism, and his growth as a rapper. He attempts to throw several different themes into the tape, not allowing it to be cohesive, but the inclusion of some political and societal conscious themes portray the Florida native's growth. With songs varying from gangster to conscious to mellow to party anthems, this tape seems to have it all and can appeal to a wider demographic, which in the long term will only help one of the up-and-coming rappers' popularity. Starvation 2 does seem to be an audition for an album that will hopefully come out in 2013, a year that looks bright for Ace Hood.
Listen to the mixtape here.