The Good The Bad The Dollar Menu

From fostering major stars like Kendrick Lamar and SZA to generating rap hitmakers such as Doechii and ScHoolboy Q, Top Dawg Entertainment bears no small responsibility for shaping our current cultural moment in hip-hop and R&B. Given that track record, any TDE signee warrants at least some attention, especially if that artist happens to be from Los Angeles. Long Beach native Ray Vaughn certainly makes as strong a case as possible for his come-up on *The Good The Bad The Dollar Menu*, his substantial debut mixtape for the acclaimed label. On the piano-driven opener “FLOCKER’S remorse,” he sets listeners on a whirlwind tour of his hardscrabble past, one explored in further graphic detail on “XXXL Tee.” Hunger is a well-established lyrical metaphor in rap, for literal and figurative means, but Vaughn makes it as resonant as ever on the shapeshifting “DOLLAR menu.” The troubling reveals of “3PM @ DAIRY’S” will hit like shockwaves for some, while others may find comfort or at least relatability in his contemplative assessments of generational trauma. Yet even when he’s scheming for a way out or at least a way forward, it’s hard not to bounce along when it sounds as danceable as “KLOWN dance” or “LOOK @ GOD.” Skits and segues, including one particularly profane maternal voicemail, somewhat remind of the ones that dotted *good kid, m.A.A.d city*, yet the comparatively looser mixtape feel here allows the rising rapper more flexibility and freedom as he maneuvers through his oft-difficult subject matter. Still, the rather personal nature of songs like “FLAT shasta” and “JANKY moral COMPASS” aligns the rapper with some of his TDE colleagues, past and present. To Vaughn’s credit, though, he avoids relying on flashy features for what amounts to a proper introduction to his boisterous-yet-confessional style. So when labelmate Isaiah Rashad rolls up for “EAST CHATT.” it makes that internal team-up all the more meaningful. By the time the tape wraps up with “SUBURBAN KIDZ,” a thought-provoking summation that touches on themes of addiction and faith, Vaughn’s proverbial star seems well worth ascending.