Dusted — PM Capo \ Rio Da Yung OG — Back From Michigan \\...

Flint rapper Rio Da Yung OG recorded more than 500 features in 2020—and they’re still coming. He recorded these EPs with up and coming artists before he went to prison for 38 months. The Flint underground legend charged $35,000 for a full tape. Were these young artists buying lottery tickets with this type of package?

While Rio never recorded a weak verse for sale (and he admits that he makes his best no matter which artist is buying), every verse should be put in context of a full song. Some stuff he did didn’t amount to much, mostly because the other artist didn’t put much effort. But some throwaways turned into little gems. In one interview Rio Da Yung OG explained his productivity: “It’s only so much shit you can talk about. The art comes in is the way I finesse the shit.”

If regional artists PM Capo, Almighty Slime and Nuk thought Rio with his Midas touch would turn their music into pure gold, they were wrong. Rio’s energy on a track depends on how the collaborating artist leads the way. By not carefully selecting a beat and sleeping on his own song, the artist sabotages his own project. Among the three releases, the EP with Nuk is by far the strongest because Nuk himself can bring a lot to the table. While Nuk can’t yet pull a tape on his own, he buys good beats and can spin a good tale. On the best cut, “On a Tuesday,” Rio shows that if a song drives him he can deliver a hook that would make any artist jealous.

Back From Michigan and Spooky Season are different beasts. Instead of sticking to a short EP, PM Capo bloated his tape to full length, diluting the good stuff with mediocre and worse. Back From Michigan is 17 tracks too long, counting the ones not featuring Rio. PM Capo raps as if he just woke up and had a cereal in his mouth while recording. The result is unbelievable mess. The listener has to get through 55 minutes of music to find anything worthwhile.

Spooky Season with Almighty Slime, on the other hand, is too short (10 minutes) to make any lasting impression. Rio is featured on two songs, “2 Lips” and “Spill It.” Both have excellent production and get Rio moving, yet they are not new songs. They both would make good singles but Almighty Slime slaps three solo cuts onto them to make an EP, perhaps for financial reasons.

If some of these collaborations fail, it’s not Rio’s fault, and he certainly can’t be blamed for not providing his best material. Earlier in 2021 the Flint rapper made two EPs with a no name artist Expen$ive and a no name producer Nuez and they are the best tapes he did this year. Rap fans should check them out as both went under the radar. The reviewed EPs are for Rio completists only.

Ray Garraty