Bob Dylan's 16-year-old grandson, Pablo Dylan, just dropped 10 Minutes, his first rap mixtape. If you're thinking it's a glossy vanity project by a rich kid with no appreciable talent, think again! Think the exact same thought again, I mean, because you were exactly right. But still, this kid's been mentored by David Banner and hooked up with Young Money, so they must have recognized some genetic lyrical genius — let's find out with a track-by-track review:1_"JUST FOR NOW" | "Gotta control my own destiny, guess that's 'cause I don't believe in luck." Thank goodness he doesn't credit his leg up in the rap biz to his lucky breaks in the sperm game. He may be young, but at least he has the perspective to realize that his success is purely a product of hard work and raw talent. I'm sure he showed up at Young Money with a false name and a killer notebook of rhymes, flowed for a few minutes, and immediately got signed.
2_"IT'S OK" FEAT. TREASURE DAVIS | Here, Pablo calls himself the "true definition of success," which I can't argue with: being a third-generation millionaire is pretty much what America's all about. "In the game of life," he spits, "I started off as a contestant/now I'm invested/in the recession." Hell yeah, kid! Represent for the top two percent! Straight wealth-gappin' on these motherfuckers!
3_"TOP OF THE WORLD" FEAT. DARNELL ROBINSON AND K-MAJOR | Here's the big single, complete with glossy beat and Drake-style chorus. It brings us the most overt Dylan reference yet: "I'm the grandson of a man nothing less than legendary, that's a lot of pressure." But Pablo's willing to rise to our high expectations: "I'ma get that crown/while I'm at it, I might reinvent sound." That's a pretty solid plan; the current state of sound is such that his music empirically sucks, but if he manages to completely redefine its basic parameters, who knows?
4_"INTERLUDE TO YOU" | Pablo pauses to show us his sensitive side. It's perhaps a more straightforward love song than any his grandfather penned, but there's simple power in Pablo's words: "I love you so much you ain't even got a clue." "The way I'm feeling . . . I can't describe." While Bob tried to pin down the vagaries of love with bizarre metaphors, Pablo has the good sense to give up without trying. Wise beyond his years.
5_"REALLY MAD" FEAT. NICKI MINAJ | Well, I suppose it features her in the sense that it contains a sample from her verse on DJ Khaled's "All I Do Is Win," but I'd be pretty surprised if Nicki knew this track ever happened. Pablo channels his granddad's "Blowin' in the Wind" with this line: "I'm gone with the wind, so you should blow me."
6_"KNOW MY NAME" FEAT. OFFICIAL WATSON | As a young man of considerable means, Pablo Dylan need never settle for any unofficial Watsons. This track's a straight banger built on a feisty little jazz-flute loop; finally, Pablo gets a chance at some teen sex bragging. "She's sacred and I would love to see her naked/she want a baby, I can make it." Yeah, our boy is fertile, ladies. His testicles have descended and he's ready to look at some boobs.
