Vinny (Vintage) Radio is definitely one of the best MCs in Pittsburgh. With poise, diction, charisma, flow, and lyrical diversity, this kid one well-rounded rapper. With The Foundation you get all types of different hip hop, held together by someone who has a firm grasp of the culture and knows how to put an album together. Some albums are for mainstream fans, some are for underground fans, some are for casual fans, but The Foundation is for hip hop fans, in the purest sense.

The intro on this top notch, with a familiar sample, and after that “Uphill Battle” is one of those perfect set-off joints, as Vintage Radio spits an ill flow over a highly accessible beat. “Let It Fly” is a straight up g-funk track. If I was told this track was made in 1994 I would absolutely believe it, and as a huge fan of that era of rap, this was certainly welcomed. For that smoothed out shit, complete with a hypnotizing flute sample, “That Music” is another dope track and “Too Clean” got that new-school electro-type feel to it, very reminiscent of Kidz in the Hall. Up next is the epic posse cut “On The Move” featuring some of Pittsburgh’s finest in Franchise, Beedie & Mac Miller. As if the beat wasn’t already fire, all 4 MCs bring their A game and easily make this one of the highlights on the album. For another dope guest appearance check “Fight Club” featuring Tip Tha Ill-Spit, over a beat that’s all types of busy but works really well. “High Times” is a slow burner but the way it builds is dope and it’s a nice little interlude. “Hold On” is another solid track that highlights Vinny’s ability to flow with the best, as well as boasting a beautiful backdrop in the beat. Another short track but an incredible one is “Optimism” as the beat really does feel optimistic and as usual Vinny holds it down on the mic as he opens up about his true feelings.

With so many tracks on this mixtape there were definitely some that could have been left off, like “It’s Whatever” and “Vinny The Semi”  which just didn’t really have the same energy as the rest of the album and therefore weren’t as enjoyable. “Fly With Me” wasn’t all that bad but it dragged, and the beat just seemed a little disjointed. Then you got a track like “Bottle After Bottle” which started off sounding so hype but then diminished into a pretty annoying beat. Also a track like “Never Again” was sick, but with so many other hot tracks on this album, it kinda gets lost, even though it was definitely an overall dope song.

The Foundation from Vintage Radio is definitely a breath of fresh air for hip hop. This dude knows how to rap with the best of them and has clearly been working on his craft for many years now. The production is solid all the way through and Vinny proves that he has all the traits necessary to be a true force in this culture. I’d definitely recommend checking out this mixtape if you are a hip hop purist because this is exactly what you’ve been working for, and if you’re just a regular average hip hop fan then this shit right here is an example of why we all fell in love with this culture so much. 3.5/5