“Curren$y has one of rap’s most relaxed drawls– a sleepy-eyed, carefree ramble that slides effortlessly under tracks rather than bulldozing through them. But on his past few efforts, he’s pushed that drawl into some unexpected places. On the two Pilot Talk albums, he dug deep into the lava-lamp psych-soul of producer Ski Beatz. And on the Covert Coup mixtape, he navigated the broken, refracted boom-bap of the Alchemist. But “This Is the Life” doesn’t push Curren$y’s voice in any way-out directions; it’s just a calm, breezy bit of lush soul-rap from producer Monsta Beatz. (Side note: If you’re a producer with “Beatz” in your name, Curren$y will apparently work with you. Get ready, Swizz.)
With a track like that, it’s pretty easy for Curren$y to just do what he does, and that’s exactly what happens. His style isn’t a punchline-intensive one. Instead, it’s a laid-back amble, a twisty run of barely connected boasts and musings. You can’t quote him without using ellipses: “Ridin’ up the block, they think I’m movin’ in a Autobot/ Hop out, photo op/ Scan for the cops; if they not about…” With its sundazed R&B chorus, the end result isn’t too far removed from what Spitta’s buddy Wiz Khalifa has been doing lately. It’s stoned summertime pop music, and it washes over you like waves over your toes when you fall asleep in a beach chair.” - Tom Breihan
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