Buffalo MC Corey Threet - aka Genecist - is one of the most talented rappers on the local scene, and 2014 could be the year he becomes breakout artist. Genecist recently released his debut mixtape In The Beginnin', and it's a fantastic work from start to finish. Genecist's most notable attributes are his rapid flow, and a knack for clever one-liners. He raps fast enough that you'll have to listen to it multiple times just to catch all the jokes.

The lyrical themes on this on In The Beginnin' range from the serious to self-deprecating. This is particularly evident on "Wise Man Say," a clever spin on "Can't Help Fallin' In Love" in which Threet both jokes about his troubles with the opposite sex, while also considering the role racism might have played. It would be fair to see Genecist takes after the recent generation of vulnerable MCs such as Drake, or Kid Cudi rather than the old-school braggadocio. Like them, he has no problem sharing with his pain with listeners, and when the album raps up, we've learned a lot more about Threet than we would if he had chose to simply put up a front.

Some of the album's humor is implied in subtle ways At one point, he asks his listeners to follow on Twitter, but does so in a way that makes it seem like he feels a bit silly doing so. It seems like a sly reference to all the awkward self-promotion up-and-coming artist is forced to do to make a name for themselves - the self-promotional tweets and Facebook statuses that might annoy certain people, but hey, how else are you going to get the word out? It's a problem local and regional artists from all genres are routinely faced with, and whether intentional or not, Threet does a fine job of expressing the difficult position these artists often find themselves in with regards to promoting their work.

The mixtape's standout track is "Local Celebrity," a song that finds Threet celebrating his newfound fame, while also discussing some of the awkward moments it's produced. While there are 17 tracks on In The Beginnin', all of them are strong and the album is a breeze to listen to. In recent months, Genecist has a greater and greater presence on the Buffalo hip-hop scene, and with this excellent new mixtape, he has the potential to break out even further than that. At only 20, Threet has a long career ahead of him, and he's certainly off to a fine start.