Review Summary: Tut's debut mixtape was one of the best offerings of 2015, combining soulful production, top-notch lyricism, and a cohesive overall package.
Chattanooga, Tennessee was put on the rap map in late 2013 when Isaiah Rashad was signed to TDE, perhaps the premier hip hop record label currently operating. Tut hails from that city, and is closely affiliated with Rashad: both are part of “The House” collective which formed in the early 2010s and includes other promising rappers as well as a backing band. Tut dropped his debut mixtape, Preacher’s Son, in January 2015 after releasing several promotional songs via Soundcloud. It was extremely well received, and raised Tut’s profile considerably. There have even been murmurings that he is one of the two “John Does” who were recently signed in secret to TDE.
The production on Preacher’s Son is very similar to Rashad’s Cilvia Demo, though this record actually has a much warmer sound than most of that album due to the abundance of live instrumentation. There is a mournful guitar lying under standout track “Holy Water”, a horn dominates the proceedings on “Hangin’”, and piano keys pitter-patter across “Sunday Service”, “Fall of Goliath”, and “Corner Stories”. There is even a saxophone solo on “Living on the Sun”. The music is a true throwback to southern rap pre-trap, and introduces comparisons ranging from Outkast to Scarface. While some of the lyrics are very dark, the production keeps things moving and enjoyable. Tut changes his flows throughout the tape, switching from speed rapping to a lazy drawl to a kind of sing-song. Unlike many rappers, Tut can actually carry a tune, and his hooks are quite infectious. A few of the tracks blend together a little bit, but none of them are poor quality, and the cohesive sound is perfect for a sunny day outside just chilling and smoking (much as Tut is wont to do himself), or in seclusion as a form of reflection.
The guest appearances are uniformly excellent. Angel Mae meshes perfectly with Tut on her three hook appearances, and I would like to see them work together for future projects. Her voice is terrific and is a perfect fit with the mellow production. Fellow House members Michael Da Vinci (of Isaiah Rashad’s “Brad Jordan” fame) and Smathers stop by and contribute verses on tracks “Corner Stories” and “Prophecy”, respectively, while others appear with various instrumental credits. Rashad himself only shows up on the final track to ad-lib, but hopefully a more weighty collaboration lies ahead.
Perhaps my favorite track, the aforementioned “Hangin’”, touches on two of the main concepts of the tape: drugs and expectations. He defends his ways against the questioning of friends and strangers alike:
“They say, ain’t your dad a preacher?
What you doing smoking reefer?
Hanging out with the thugs and g’s”
His family wants him to return to the innocence and faith of his youth, while Tut himself desires to escape Chattanooga and the ghetto by any means necessary. He struggles with going to church (“Sunday Service), discusses his ideal afterlife in heaven (“Kairos”), and attempts redemption on “Holy Water”. Yet at the same time, he just can’t seem to leave his life of drugs and crime behind. Weed falls out of his pocket when he goes to church. He has sex with other people’s girlfriends. Throughout it all, he paints a picture of himself beautifully, a man stuck between his past and his future, between right and wrong.
