Due June 15, The 13-Track Collection Features “Rado Diddy,” “Lil Italy,” and “Chapo Freestyle”
Gaining momentum after his release from prison, Eldorado Red is set to unveil his highly anticipated The Return of Shawty Guzman 2 June 15. Produced entirely by Zaytoven (Gucci Mane, Usher, Migos), the 13-track project gets its title from Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is also known as “shorty.” Today, Eldorado Red releases the first visual from the project for the track “One Day.”
Eldorado Red was intrigued by how Guzman climbed the ladder of success via criminal activities. “I was one of the first rappers to incorporate El Chapo into my songs,” Eldorado Red says. “I have a whole mixtape series with the whole Chapo story. Unlike Mr. Guzman, I didn’t break out. I got out for legal reasons, and just as a blessing from God.”
The Return of Shawty Guzman 2 demonstrates Eldorado Red’s focused songwriting and Zaytoven’s top-tier production. On the catchy “Rado Diddy,” Eldorado Red mixes braggadocio with sly humor, while on the elegant “Lil Italy,” he details his street acumen. With “Chapo Freestyle” he boasts about his material wealth, his women, and his status in the streets.
Doing an entire project with Zaytoven streamlined the recording process, resulting in incredible songs. “Some producers, you get the track and then you have to feel it out for their sound,” Eldorado Red notes. “I’ve been working with Zay for so long that it’s just organic with us now. We just go together like peanut butter and jelly. The type of mood I’m trying to bring, the authentic trap sound, Zaytoven is the Godfather of that type of sound and I’m the best at what I do, so I figured why not do a whole project? I just felt like he was going to give me what I needed.”
“When me and Eldorado made this project it just came together so naturally and it just felt authentic,” Zaytoven said. “I was actually recording with Migos at the same time too, but they had to wait until me and Rado finished up, we were in the zone!”
The Return of Shawty Guzman 2 is the follow-up to The Return of Shawty Guzman, which was released February 16, 2016. Incarcerated at the time, Eldorado Red didn’t get to complete or truly promote the project. “I’m just a guy that beat the odds and is trying to continue to do great things and contribute to the culture of hip-hop with the authentic street corner music that I’ve been making, and that I grew up with and was raised on.”
