Not too long ago I introduced a young artist named Andre Kenner Jr. aka Diverze. I managed to get in contact with Diverze and he sneaked me an exclusive copy of his UPCOMING mixtape called Minor and Major: The Mixtape. The beauties of being a well known critic is that you get everything first, and T.R.U Music got you an exclusive first peek into the highly sought after mixtape. Here is your song-by-song review of Diverze's mixtape Minor and Major:

1. Introduction (feat. Jhene Aiko): This is the very first track off the mixtape, and a good way too start it off. Using a sample from the beautiful Jhene Aiko's song, "Growing Apart Too", Diverze displays emotion from the start. It is a very formidable start for a mixtape, and the beat is absolutely fantastic. Diverze's flow and voice fits the sample perfectly. The transition from Aiko to Diverze back to Aiko, is absolutely flawless. Don't get fooled, although it is a fairly R&B sounding track, he does not hold this feel this R&B feeling for long. One similarity between this track and the other tracks is the absolutely fantastic lyricism. However, that we would save for later.

2. Last Forever (feat. MC Nells): The second track on the tape, this is another R&B/Hip-Hop track. It starts off fairly R&B-like, but right before Diverze's verse, the bass kicks in heavy. Diverze's verse is fairly emotional and it speaks volumes to anyone who has ever felt the same way he does. The hook is perfect for this song, as it compliments the verse rapped by Diverze. The second verse is rapped by MC Nells, who provides that urban tone to the song. A fairly deep voice, he holds an equally emotional verse as Diverze. This song does not provide great lyricism, fairly above average, but it definitely holds a lot of emotion. Great lyricism and emotion is a prefect combination but it is not always necessary, and Diverze displays the emotional quality to his listeners.

3. Supposed to Be (feat. Milan Flynch): The third track on the mixtape is also fairly R&B/Hip-Hop, he does not really leave this sound for the first three tracks. Normally this does not work (read my review of Drake's Take Care) but having a voice like Milan Flynch's on the track definitely helps. She got quite the vocals and they compliment Diverze perfectly. However, Diverze does something he did not do on the past songs: He switched up flows. He never prolonged it, but Diverze showed signs of rapidfire flow. It is always good to show versatility as far as flow goes. Overall it is a pretty good track.

4. C.O.D.E: This begins the transition from R&B into Hip-Hop. C.O.D.E is nothing bass heavy, but is still a good transition from R&B/Hip-Hop into Hip-Hop. The beat is calm, not mellow, but calm. Something along the lines of what J. Boogie would produce. Diverze does not go as hard on this track as the other ones but it is still a decent track. Nothing crazy here.

5. Overnight (feat. Skoob): Now we make it into the Hip-Hop. Overnight is the third track and it features a verse from Skoob. This song is a bit more bass heavy than the others but still maintains a nice calm feel to it. This is a good transition song, but probably not my favorite song on this tape. As my readers would know I am not a fan of Drake, this song gives me a Drake-like feel to it. Of course that is my opinion. Diverze still maintains a fairly above average level of lyricism. Skoob's verse compliments Diverze perfectly. that is what i like most about the song. It is the chemistry between the two. Diverze has this calm voice, as opposed to Skoob's Chris Brown-like rapping style. Meaning very energetic.

6. Interlude Poetry: The "interlude" of the mixtape. Diverze does great in demonstrating the flow versatility by showing his rapidfire flow once again. However, this time he maintains it for a longer period of time. Diverze does something in this track that I like, he transfers from rapping to a spoken word flow. He reminds his listeners that rap is poetry. Not my favorite track but I definitely like the track.

7. Mrs. (Miss Her) Her: This track made me laugh to be honest. The minute the beat dropped I was ready for Tank to come on the track and start singing. If you know who Tank is you'll get the joke, if not, too bad. Now back to business. This track has a great feel to it, and actually gives me an old-school hip-hop feel to it. I like the way Diverze goes about this and does his own hook in a flow that resembles the golden-age of rap.

8. The Conversation (feat. Alan Peterson & Greston Gill): Not much to say considering it is only a little over a minute long. It is not a song, though, it is the truth. One thing that I can say about this track is that it puts my views in hip hop in a simple conversation between friends. Definitely a good transition and you already know I'm going to shout out to Diverze for this instrumental, I can chill to this.

9. Left Me: This song has the most old school feel to it. It just reeks of the 90s, and I love it. For some reason I can't place the sample anywhere, I have no idea who this is. This track has so much versatility it is amazing. Multiple beat versatility, which means that the rapper demonstrates great skills on multiple beats in the same song. Halfway through the song the beat switches up and Diverze is not phased at all. Diverze also demonstrates a high level of lyricism, higher than his previous songs. He demonstrates this with a touch of flow versatility. Once the second beat drops, Diverze switches up his flow to something much more high speed. Definitely a song worth listening to every time. One of my favorites.

10. Today (feat. Jay Foss): Let's just say... this track goes ridiculously hard. The beat is crazy nice, and Diverze displays wordplay and lyricism. Now that combination equals a great solution. Diverze also plays a little with his flow, although it is not rapidfire, it is still rather fast paced. Diverze also adds in a great feature with Jay Foss. Is it possible that Jay Foss killed Diverze on this track? It is up to you to decide. Jay Foss' verse demonstrates his skills as a rapper with a great flow while maintaining a high level of lyricism. It would have been better for Diverze to add in a little extra verse at the end of Foss' but this still maintains itself as a great track. My second favorite track off the tape, you already know.

11. Morning Lights: This is the more upbeat song out of the bunch, and possesses a different type of feel. This is a "concert song", which is a song that does well being performed. This track reminds me of Tyga's track with J. Cole, "Let It Show". Diverze delivers with his thank you song, which basically gives a feel into the effect his fans have on him. A great song overall, I can bump this in my stereo, and not having a problem doing so.

12. Perfect Day (feat. Miraculous): This is an interesting track. This track is one of the party songs on this tape. What do I feel about this track? It is not exactly my favorite one. Definitely a good exposure track, which means that it allows the featured artist the opportunity to have some time to shine. The featured artist in this case is Miraculous. Miraculous definitely goes hard on this and I got to say I was very impressed. By the way you can listen to his track "Speed of Sound" on Soundcloud. If you are good we will bring you an exclusive for his own mixtape. Don't worry about that now. Diverze definitely put together a track that party goers would enjoy. Overall it is an okay track, not my favorite.

13. Clear Forecast (feat. Geneus): Back to the R&B/Hip-Hop like feel. Diverze shows above average lyricism on it and decent wordplay. His flow is very ranged, which makes up for the lyricism and wordplay. In this track he introduces Geneus. Geneus' verse is lyrical and he holds his own against Diverze. The hook is very befitting of the beat and I like the way that Diverze goes about it. Honestly, I am waiting for Trey Songz & Fabolous to get in on the remix (I guess a "lol" goes there). Overall this a decent track and pretty soothing like the previous track. Unfortunately this is sort of a setback for me, in the sense that this track seems to be like the previous R&B/Hip-Hop tracks. It is the least R&B-like but still gives off that vibe. If Diverze can ease up on that, we can possibly more hard going songs.

14. Don't Matter (feat. Yung Slide): Diverze redeems himself from the previous track. Diverze goes hard lyrically and with flow on this track. I am proud of him for this one. It is no stretch the best song of the tape, but it reminds the listener that they are listening to a hip-hop mixtape and nothing r&b. I can see a remix of this as well, almost like a Chris Brown or Kendrick Lamar type remix on it. I think it would work out. Overall it is a decent track, not the best but redeeming, yes.

15. New Start (feat. Kevin December): This track is probably one of my favorites. I am in love with the beat, and I don't really pay much attention to beats. It gives an awesome feel to it. The hook is something that I really fell in love with, and Diverze really compliments it. Diverze does not demonstrate a high level of flow versatility; but lyricism and wordplay is something that is well shown. Diverze does well on this track, and Kevin December is the icing on the cake with this one.

16. Don't Lie (feat. Kevin December, Miraculous, Leah K.): Talk about ensemble of voices and rappers. With Kevin December and Leah K. on the hook, it demonstrates well thought out planning by Diverze. Both voices compliment each other perfectly, and it sounds amazing. December and Leah K. are in perfect harmony. Diverze hops onto this beat first and spits his verse with emotional lyrics, and it quickly resonates with the listener. Miraculous' verse is pure truth and he spits it with emotion and lyricism. Both Diverze and Miraculous possess lyricism and emotion and it works out perfectly in my eyes.

17. Glass of Wine (Vianny. A): This is like the "Aston Martin Music" of the mixtape, and I don't mind it. Vianny. A is absolutely amazing, she compliments Diverze perfectly. Now that I am here can I just say that everyone that has appeared on a track with Diverze blends perfectly with him. Not everyone is able to have this way of chemistry. Diverze's verse is great, he continues this heartfelt emotional flow and lyricism that makes what he is spitting very relatable. That is something crucial for an artist to have.

18. Day Dreamin' (feat. Miraculous): I never get tired of this collaboration. Miraculous and Diverze fit perfectly well on tracks. However, not this one. The beat is satisfactory, although the collaboration is still decent. Diverze sort of back tracked it with the quality as far as lyricism went. His wordplay was sort of off on this track. Miraculous did his thing as far as showing his range of flows are, in this one he uses rapidfire flow. Overall this tracks isn't exactly one of my favorites but it is still okay.

19. All of You (feat. Kevin December): Another collab that I like. This one is a particular favorite of mine. Kevin December is a fantastic singer and does well handling the hook. Diverze continued his heartfelt and emotional lyrics on this track as well, which he normally does on tracks with December. Overall it is another decent song, not too shabby. This collab should not be overused, however.

20. Heat It Up (feat. Vinny Graham): Not because I am acting lazy or anything. I thoroughly enjoy writing these, but read the previous post to see what I think about this song. Sorry.

21. Super Hero (feat. Kyzr Sozey & Vinny Graham): This is a damn good song. I am thoroughly impressed with this one. The song opens up with Diverze's verse and it is shows flow versatility. He does pretty good with his rapidfire flow. Diverze is followed by Vinny Graham's hook which is sung beautifully. He does very well as a hook artist, and I would like to hear some of his solo work. The other featured artist, Kyzr Sozey, comes in looking to kill the song. He spits an emotional verse and comes out swinging. He maintains a rapidfire verse which fits in perfectly with the rest of the song. Overall this is a very emotional song, and worth playing to any girl. Although that does seem to be the intended audience as far as girls go.

22. I Love It (feat. Kevin December): Now this is a first. It seems Kevin December pulled a Trey Songz on us and starting rapping. Unlike trey Songz, however, I enjoyed this. Kevin december did well with this and I am thoroughly impressed with his transition from rapper to singer. The second verse belongs to Diverze and he switches it up with his audience. He comes out spitting full blown rapidfire style and I am shocked with happiness. Diverze fully showed that he has the ability to utilize full rapidfire style. Very useful. Overall, a damn good track. This one seems to appeal to a female audience as well.

23. Ready to Live: This track is another good one. Diverze goes in on this, although the beat sounds somewhat like his previous song, "New Start", it does not make a difference. Diverze holds his own on this track and he is blends in well with this beat. His hook is up to par with the rest of the song. The song is overall very tight, and his lyricism really resonates with me. Honestly, it speaks volumes on my life.

24. Escape (feat. JCDC & Ovacz): Probably the most anticipated collaboration on the mixtape. I know you guys remember these two, meaning JCDC and Ovacz. This caliber of song propels so far high, its ridiculous. The first verse belongs to Diverze and it is thoroughly lyrical. Diverze went hard on this, and he set the bar pretty high. The first hook by Diverze sounded like something Mobb Deep would do. Actually I could have sworn Prodigy was on the hook. The second verse is JCDC, and shows that he can write more than just about weed and shoes. He spits some rapidfire flows at one point and bounces back and forth between his flows. He definitely goes in and has this raspy-like voice that makes his verse sound tight. The third verse is our boy, Ovacz, and he holds his own with the other two. He also utilizes a little bit of rapidfire flow. One thing that I like here is the neatness of the song. It flowed perfectly and the fact that everyone did their own hook is perfect. Definitely lived up to the hype. Overall the lyricism displayed on this song is absolutely stunning, I would love to see Jay Foss and Miraculous get on the remix.

25. Trying: This song takes me back in time. Diverze shows his listeners everything wrong with rap nowadays and what we have to do to fix it. I thoroughly enjoyed this joint as well. He definitely separates himself from his previous mixtape, After Finals, through acting much bolder in attacking rappers.

26. Sky's the Limit (feat. Vinny Graham): The last track on this joint, and we saved the best for last. My favorite track on this mixtape and it'll be my favorite forever. Everything that I criticized Diverze for previously, he avoids in this song. He spits so lyrically and emotionally, I feel like I am him. He lets the listener into his past and how he became the person he was today. I am truly honored to even listen to this song. The hook is absolutely amazing and Diverze blends it perfectly with his own style. I really don't know what to say about this track. It just makes me feel a certain away that I am unable to describe in words. Well done Diverze, well done my brother.

Ok, so this review is almost done. The song-by-song breakdown is complete, and I got to say I enjoyed it. Syracuse University has produced three artists in the past two weeks that very memorable. You got Ovacz, JCDC and Diverze. Of course there are others, but I am amazed at this stat. Now Minor and Major overall is a very good mixtape. It is better than his previous mixtape and I think he displays how much he grew. The beats were all good, and the rapping on it was all good. However, I think it took too long for it to switch from R&B/Hip-Hop to full Hip-Hop. Diverze did well to redeem that though. A debate I have with most rappers are features. I think features are necessary, but too many take away from the artist. Diverze does well with the featured artists, but there are too many in my opinion. It begins to take away from the quality of his own rapping. Although he holds his own, too many features begin to kill the quality of it. Of course, this is a mixtape and not an album so I suppose it works out in the end. It is just something that irks me. Now let's go for the score:

Lyrics: 8.5/10
Beats: 9/10
Bumpability: 9.5/10
Versatility and Flow: 9.5/10
Length of Mixtape: 9/10

Overall Score: 9.1/10

Make sure you go cop it! Thanks to Diverze for the exclusive early release, only on T.R.U. Music.