Music Review: DaForce is Best When Breezy

West Coast hip hop artist DaForce, aka Force Dawg, may rap over intense thumping beats, but his rhymes are unexpectedly laid-back. DaForce’s chill lyrics celebrate the simple pleasures in life: honeys, slick rides, champagne, and partying in the club. He’s got breezy West Coast style in spades, and nothing represents his jovial joie de vivre better than his songs “L.A.H. (Loving a Hustler)” and “Go Go Go.”

With “L.A.H.” DaForce raps over an upbeat track, harking back to the playfulness of N.W.A’s “Express Yourself.” His music video for the song starts out a bit rough due to its dense mix and his busy hand gestures, however both thin out while he builds momentum with quickening rhymes. In the video, which features footage of ladies partying by the pool and people dancing, he hooks you by dropping delightfully light-hearted lines like “Everything’s bubbly / right about now.”

Force Dawg hits his carefree stride collaborating with Crysto Klear for “Go Go Go,” a single from his upcoming album. He’s clearly having a ball at the club with his amusing refrain “Got Heineken in one hand / Jack in the other / puffin’ a Cuban cigar / pass it to my brotha.” Between verses he uses dramatic pauses effectively and he even offers his listeners libations, encouraging them to abuse the privilege “The drinks are on us / So go go go.” What a guy!

DaForce isn’t just about fun and games though. He gets more somber on “Lied from the start,” a piano laced confession. Seriousness doesn’t really suit Force Dawg here, with his corny chorus, “I didn’t mean to make you cry / I didn’t mean to tell you lies / I didn’t want to say goodbye.” Although he makes up for it, using entertaining lines to buoy the song like “Remember Hillary? / Picture her with more artillery.” Similarly, “Not the Daddy” has a sober refrain that feels out of place. Its denial of paternity, doesn’t match the rest of the track, yet Force Dawg still gives it a cool beat tailored to cruising with the windows down.

Since DaForce has been on the rap scene since the mid-90s and his experience shows in the quality of his rhymes. If he sharpens his vocal tracks so that his lyrics are a bit more enunciated and sticks to rapping about lighter subject matter, he’ll be poised to take his act to the next level.

To hear DaForce’s tracks check out his MTV Artist page, like him on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter.