Jack Splash

On King of the Beats, super-producer Jack Splash shows off his beat-making prowess while also flirting with making a Kanye-style transition to being a producer/MC. As a producer, King lets Splash show off his versatility. One minute, he's creating a downbeat, melancholy joint like "The Funhouse Has Mirrors," the next he's cranking out hard-charging disco funk on "My Sunglasses." But everyone knows Splash has chops as a producer. What's surprising is that he's a pretty decent MC. He'll never be an elite rapper, but his nasal, laidback, sing-song flow is engaging, and on tracks like "38 Special" and "It's Not the Same," he throws out some entertaining punch lines. As sure as night follows day, a full-fledged album will almost inevitably follow this mixtape, and when it comes out, it will probably be pretty good.