Written by Adrian Jade Francisco
For years, Zae thrived on rolling 808 hi-hats and crisp snares, forging her own identity as a household name in the Philippine local hip-hop scene. Her previous catalog, with hits such as “Edi Wag” and “Filipina Killa,” serves as the very blueprint of her sound. But on ‘Streetz Mixtape,’ the Filipina rap sensation detours off the trap-heavy loops, letting her R&B sensibilities come through certain tracks while retaining the fierceness that made her bangers.
The project, composed of 13 tracks, is a testament to Zae’s significant maturity of her penmanship and refined technique. In “BOMBA,” She refuses to be overlooked, using flirtatious and boastful lines to reinforce her individuality and place in the industry. The direction of ‘STREETZ MIXTAPE’ steers toward a slick R&B duet with Sica on “I Can Be The One,” balancing lyricism of street independence and its romantic undertones. Halfway through, the album’s street-centric theme remains with “Thug Life,” featuring THUGSTA. With its boom-bap instrumentation, it tackles community survival and hood loyalty with kinetic delivery. “SWAG” serves as a send-off, wrapping up her overarching themes of self-confidence and a middle finger to industry gatekeepers.
‘STREETZ MIXTAPE’ suffers from occasional tonal whiplash as it splits its identity between aggressive trap and smooth R&B. This jarring contrast leads to disjointed sequencing, stripping the record of a cohesive flow. Instead of blending these styles, the record plays out like two completely different materials fighting for space. Mid-album tracks “tell ur boyfriend” (feat. Fern.) and “Xxxbaby” (feat. Nazty Kidd) lose that sharp edge, causing the momentum to slow down before picking back up toward the final stretch.
Still, ‘STREETZ MIXTAPE’ proves Zae won’t be boxed in by her own success. Her leap beyond trap shows an artist testing the limits of her versatility. The mixtape may struggle under its own dual identity, but that tension is the sound of Zae shattering her own formula. Even after breaking out of her shell, Zae still needs to bridge her two worlds; blending her trap bite and R&B polish would turn this promising pivot into a cohesive statement.
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