Don’t be misled by the title of this LA collective’s sophomore album; Pillow Talk is really a creative balance between the groove and the gully. Introductory tracks like “The Real” and ” violently awaken the listener with smothering beats and intelligent rhymes. Later, guest rapper Lexus takes us for a cruise on “Rap Avenue” acompanied by her impeccable flow and sexy tone. Custom Made then reaffirms their principle of staying true to real Hip Hop on “What I Want” over a flourishing loop(Fiendin’ for vengeance like Nas’ intentions/ Going commercial is not in our interest), before transcending into a grimy LA state of mind on “How The West Was Won”.
CM discards their bring-back-the-west ardor for a more comprehensive wack-rapper bashing over surrealistic piano loops. Things get smoother as Skandalous Skoobs’ souled out samples on “I’m Only A Man” lays a fertile sound bed for B-Love’s real talk. “Cities belong to the mayor, it’s a personal loan/the street is in our hands, we can torch it like Rome/”
The thick symphony on “Last Words” almost drowns the lyrical content of the song.
Although, their styles are as diverse as Bush’s grammatical fumbles, Custom Made’s tailor-made cohesion is well suited for the ears of the fervent Hip Hop purist. Ironically, this 5-man voltron still needs a trip to the Rap refinery in order to convert their raw talent into pure gold. But, make no mistakes, Custom Made is cooler than the other side of the pillow.

Pillow Talk: 4/5

Extra! Extra!!
Street Cinema Mixtape (Custom Made)