Finding success young can lead to a certain arrested development. The allure of growing up slowly dims for those who lack the foresight to understand that the party probably won’t last forever, and hip-hop is a young man’s game if there’s ever been one. MexikoDro, who turned 30 in November, isn’t afraid to say he prefers a simpler life these days. The Atlanta producer was one of the architects of plugg, an evolution of the booming trap production of the 2000s that laid a stylistic foundation on which contemporary ATL megastars like Playboi Carti made their names. He also produced a trio of excellent projects with ManMan Savage, and helped define an era of music that turned the ATL regional scene into an international phenomenon.
On his first true solo outing as an emcee, Still Goin the Ep, the famed producer and rapper leans into trap nostalgia. The beats could fit snugly on Jeezy’s 2008 album The Recession, or any number of Gucci Mane mixtapes from the same era. MexikoDro himself sounds like a veteran who’s just now finding his footing as an emcee: His style evokes Mississippi’s Big K.R.I.T., known for his playful Southern hospitality, and Houston legend Z-Ro’s above-the-fray street wisdom. What’s different about MexikoDro’s approach lies in his newly discovered appreciation for everyday existence, a perspective that allows him to leave behind the boastfulness, hedonism, and drug-fueled nights he once felt consumed by.
Numerous times across the 14-track EP, MexikoDro says that he’s found Christ, or alludes to having a stronger relationship with God. Because he stops just short of explaining how this newfound holiness actually manifests in his daily life, he sometimes comes off sounding like a guy who’s just left rehab and hasn’t forgotten the aphorisms. But I get the sense MexikoDro is closest to God during the quiet parts of his day, like when he’s grateful to the point of thanking God for his ability to take a shower on “Hurt,” or when he says, “Catch me by myself around my dogs, sipping wine, I be tired, in my bed around 9/‘Why you always in the crib?’ Because it’s mine,” on “Remy.” And on “Wish,” he’s content to be eating salad and shellfish, delicacies one can appreciate even more without the highs and lows of pill addiction, which MexikoDro bravely admits he couldn’t kick himself, saying, “I was down bad, rehab, I needed help, fucking with them pills, couldn’t do it by myself,” on “Height.” He comes by those aphorisms honestly.
Sticking to a routine, staying sober, and getting to bed early is a good way to develop patience and that’s evident in the way MexikoDro lets this project breathe. On many songs, the production builds for nearly 30 seconds before his rough, almost unmastered-sounding voice enters. Songs like the drunken, synth-heavy “No Date,” and the dark, piano-driven “Marta,” both produced by Baton Rouge newcomer BapeBrazy, evoke a scruffier, car-trunk mixtape era of Southern rap. It’s a breath of fresh air hearing a rapper admit he couldn’t conquer addiction on his own; it’s even more impressive that he does this without sounding preachy or overly conservative. Still Goin the Ep is a mature effort that establishes MexikoDro as a voice detached from the current disarray of A-Town, wisely choosing to center his mental health over the court cases, snitching allegations, and internet gossip that have consumed segments of his local rap scene for years.
