Mouse On Tha Track is mostly known as Lil Boosie's producer. He authored mixtapes of his own, like Swagga Fresh Freddie and Millionaire Dreamzzz, solo projects he released while his partner was in jail. But he also worked with others. And Lil Cali, another man out of Louisiana, but from the smaller city of Ponchatoula, is one of these collaborators.
That peculiar rapper got first noticed in 2004 with "U Ain't Sayin' Nuttin'", a song with Boosie. Though he is not part of Trill Ent. – he will join Asylum, and then UTP, the label of his youth idol Juvenile – he is closely related to the crew.
One highlight in Lil Cali's career is the Just Because mixtape, Mouse On That Track contributed to as both a producer, and a rapper. There is none of Boosie's social comments in it. However, it is a good sample of Baton Rouge's festive kind of gangsta rap, with inconsequent lyrics from hedonist playas, enjoying true pleasures such as sex, cash and club life.
Except for Young Dro, all guests are from Louisiana, like 3D Na'Tee, or a then unknown Kevin Gates. The beats are rousing and bouncy, the sounds are catchy and enticing, and Mouse On Tha Track sings more than he raps, complementing well Lil Cali's more orthodox style. Actually, in a way that is typical of Baton Rouge, this sounds a lot like carnival music, like with the whistles on "Aint No Love", which is derived from Bobby Bland's similar named song.
Just Because has many tracks like this. And it has even stronger ones, like the anti-dickrider anthem "Get Off My Nuts", the exquisitely repetitive braggadocio of "High Definition", a great featuring of Young Dro and a few scratches on "Ric Flair", and the swarming synthesizer of the aggressive "Merk". Even when Lil Cali isn't rapping anymore, it bangs hard, like with "Rubbin' On My Head", and "Work Dat Lumba". Such tracks show that even with the cat gone, be it Boosie or Lil Cali, the Mouse still plays it hard.
This mixtape is unfortunately no longer available
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