EP Review: Shawn Chrystopher – The Audition

Fifteen tracks plus two bonus cuts seems a little long for an EP, but when you’re releasing quality music few people will complain about the length.  Also, Shawn Chrystopher has stated that while making The Audition EP, he focused less on appealing to critics and more on creating something that he could enjoy, himself.

Having said that, there were a few too many songs that focused on the opposite sex, making the EP a bit redundant at times.  Leaving out some of these tracks would have made for a more enjoyable listen.

What Shawn did care about, was keeping with the EP’s theme of an audition.

He caught my attention immediately by introducing himself on the first track and using other interludes to share personal stories and reflect on his work. It was as if he was actually auditioning for our listenership!

Since Shawn already discussed the two videos off the EP, “No Snitchin’,” and “The Reason,” in our interview last week, and I’ve already written about “Like A Kid Again,” I’ll use this time to highlight some of the EP’s other standout tracks:

Shawn Chrystopher – “Doogie Howser”

“Doogie Howser” has a strong beat and works well as the project’s first song as it showcases Shawn Chrystopher’s smart wordplay and passion for rapping.

Here are impressive lines Shawn has for the artists who are “winning” in this game:

“Showed up for class and double X said I ain’t a freshman.
That shit hit me like tenfold,
But I’mma drop out before I enroll.
My heart’s cool, I’m guessing that my skins cold,
This game ain’t for nice guys is what I’ve been told.
They want me to sell drugs and kill niggas,
Floss big chains and wear Tommy Hilfiger,
I’ll get a mill quicker, maybe I’ll chill quicker.
Them white dudes is like, ‘Yea he’s a real nigga.’
How does it feel nigga?
Not to be real nigga,
To rap about traps and gats and keep it trill nigga.”

I enjoyed hearing those last few lines calling out all the artists who “keep it real” by selling lies.

Shawn Chystopher – “Take You Home”

“Take You Home” stands out on the EP with its unique rhyming pattern and lustful content.  The track’s fantasy-esque feel is greatly enhanced by the track’s fast beat and strong percussions.

Here’s Shawn’s first verse, which sets the mood of the track:

“It’s 3 AM, (it’s 3 AM),
I’m watching her dance, (I’m watching her dance),
She’s moving that ass, (she’s moving that ass),
I’m caught in her trance, (I’m caught in her trance),
She knows I want her, (she knows I want her),
She knows I need her, (she knows I need her),
I push up on her, (I push up on her),
Get in-between her, (get in-between her),
She moving her body, (she moving her body),
Lickin her lips, (lickin her lips),
She’s up and down, (she’s up and down),
Moving them hips, (moving them hips),
My heart is racing, (my heart is racing),
I don’t want her to stop, (I don’t want her to stop),
She’s pickin it up, (she’s pickin it up),
I want it to drop.”

The echo accompanying every line is done so well that it’s hardly noticeable to a listener not paying attention to lyrics!

The EP’s other tracks about females are “No Snitchin’,” “The Reason,” “I’m Over You,” “All For You,” “Breath of Fresh Air,” and “Sometimes Love,” in which Shawn worked in a reference to the TV show, Pepper Ann, ha!

Shawn Chrystopher – “Can’t Take That From Me”

At times this track reminds me of Kanye West, with its impressive beat and cocky feel.  Shawn drops some nice lines on “Can’t Take That From Me,” with my favorite being “I won’t stop, like a sentence with three commas,” ha!

The main focus is the track’s hook:

“La lala lala la,
I did this shit for me,
La lala lala la,
And you can’t take that from me,
La lala lala la,
I did this shit for me,
La lala lala la,
And you can’t take that from me.”

That pretty much sums up the whole EP, as Shawn Chrystopher simply enjoys making music and is set on having fun doing so.

Here’s some footage of Shawn performing the track live in NYC.

Shawn Chrystopher – “Put Your Glasses Up”

Since Shawn Chrystopher is using “Put Your Glasses Up” to close his live shows, I’ll end our review with some concert footage.

The track which Shawn uses to reflect on his life and rise to success, has a few standout moments dedicated to his parents; “My dad thought suicide was the way out/  I guess raising your son is sorta played out” and “I told my momma we would eat off Sweet Sixteens/  no MTV but cameras follow us/  We made it, now they acknowledge us.”  Both of those lines had me hitting rewind.

For more, download the whole project here.