On God, The Government, The Game, local rap up-and-comer
Teflon Don is helped out here and there by more established local stars
such as Tom Skeemask and Nasty Nardo. And though Nardo’s swaggering
flow on “Let’s Get It Get It,” in particular, is a welcome addition,
Teflon Don (aka Don Askew Jr.) doesn’t really need the help on this
impressive, promising debut.
Though his music is familiar — built on skittery high-hat
beats, springy synths, and a rumbling low end — Teflon Don
makes it clear from the outset that he’s aiming to be a somewhat
different kind of Memphis rapper.
“You can count on this/I spit experience,” he raps on the opening
“It’s Go’n Be Alright.” “Late at night sometimes when I cry I really
reminisce/Especially about the past/It’s getting real ugly/I wish I was
a kid in bed where my mother tucked me … Right now I see your
struggle/I cannot let it go when I think about my baby brother/Oh yeah,
we love each other/He better not ever hustle.”
Horny club anthems such as “The Way She Move” and “Shorty So Fine”
establish that Teflon Don is no schoolmarm, but this North Memphis
native sees a rising crime rate as a problem, not an opportunity, and
college as a way out, with the military as a last-chance escape plan.
This is what’s called clear-headed realism. “Call yourself a man cause
you started selling dope?” he sniffs on the title track, “Pussy-ass
nigga, I’d rather sell my hood hope.”
On God, The Government, The Game, Teflon Don is pure
Southern, rough-edged musically and vocally but with a head on his
shoulders and a willingness to tap into honest emotions: At his best,
he’s somewhat reminiscent of young David Banner. If he generally avoids
some of his scene’s lyrical potholes, he can’t escape some of the
musical ones.
There are overly repetitive choruses here (“Count My Money”). And
sometimes the music gets draggy without the saving grace of a
compelling groove (“I Represent”). But overall this is a promising
introduction to someone who’s talented enough to push his game much
further. (“God, the Government, the Game,” “Let’s Talk About,” “Going
Through Some Thangs”) — Grade: B
