One of the biggest hip-hop dreams is to rise from rags to riches, from the ghetto to luxury estates, from local radio to MTV sensation. Over the past couple of years, few rappers have made it to this dream such as K’naan; the Somali born MC, who brings African beats and rhythms to the hip-hop he loved growing up; M.I.A who infuses hip-hop, dance and world music ranging from the Caribbean, to Africa to her native Sri Lanka.  Could Barbadian artist Jaicko join the ranks?  Probably not.

Rapper Jaicko is off to a rocky start. Photo courtesy of Capitol Records.

Jaicko, pronounced Jay-Ko, plans to release his debut, Can I, Dec. 1 with Capitol Records.  The single on the album, “Oh Yeah,” already has a music video, and its remix featuring Snoop Dogg already generated some buzz.

The new track starts off with a simple beat as Jaicko asks “What’cha know about the stereotypes?”  The first verse alone, which begins with “Fresh kicks, out the box, oh yeah, fitted cap to match, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah,” is stereotypical.  I’m sure we’ve all had the satisfying experience of opening up a box of fresh, new kicks, but how many hip-hop songs need to express this?

The music video opens to Jaicko walking down the street and flirting with the neighborhood babes while singing the chorus, which is composed of little more than a few “Oh Yeahs.”

After the verse, chorus and bridge, comes the next verse, my personal favorite.  Jaicko, smirking, looks at the camera and says, “I know this song a little annoying, oh yeah, but now I’m making dollars, so I really don’t care.”

I listened to this verse three times to make sure I understood what I heard: Jaicko himself knows that this single is annoying, but as long as he’s making money, he doesn’t care.  And there you have it, the true goal of his music.

The rest of the song meanders aimlessly until finally ending. Unfortunately, “Oh Yeah” could easily be another Kanye song and doesn’t bring anything new or interesting to the table.

Jaicko states that his new album is like “Life through the eyes of an 18-year-old.”  His voice and style will most likely appeal to teenagers and young adults, but no one else.  Jaicko could still be the next breakout star of 2010, but after listening to this single, I’d say he’s gotten off to a weak start.