Steven Markowitz, a University of Pennsylvania alumnus and former Google employee, was nicknamed “Hoodie” as a child. Considering that he makes frequent references to his own faith, even naming his first EP Bagels and Beats, it makes sense that he chose a moniker playing on fellow Jewish celebrity Woody Allen.

Hoodie Allen released his new mixtape Crew Cuts for free on his website Feb. 20. Within one day, it had been downloaded over 80,000 times. With just one listen, it’s easy to see why this record appeals to so many people.

The first song, “Let Me Be Me”, sets the tone for the rest of Crew Cuts beautifully. Like nearly every Hoodie Allen song, it features a laid-back piano beat, and the island bongos make the song feel like a Jack Johnson tribute. Towards the end of the song, Allen samples a line from Kanye West’s “New God Flow,” hinting that he has also “made something from nothing.” Considering that he has garnered so much success as an unsigned rapper, this claim is not unfounded.

“Let Me Be Me” is not the only time on this record that Allen references another rapper, let alone the only time he references Kanye West. In fact, in the next song, “FIFA”, Allen not only name-drops chef-turned-rapper Action Bronson, but he also takes a line from West’s “Dark Fantasy,” only replacing “Yeezy” with “Hoodie”. This trend continues throughout the rest of the album, as Allen frequently ends verses with the names of other rappers. It gets a bit tired after the fourth or fifth time and begins to look like idolatry. I’m doubtful that any of these rappers would finish out a verse with the name “Hoodie,” although he would likely faint from excitement.

Despite this, “FIFA” undoubtedly holds the best performance on the record. Chiddy of Chiddy Bang has a deceivingly fast verse, lilting lazily through the doo-wop beat. Unfortunately, Chiddy’s easy, chill-as-heck flow puts Allen to shame, but it is said that you should surround yourself with the type of person that you want to be. Allen did a fantastic job in that regard, with guest spots by Chiddy, Chance the Rapper and G-Eazy, among other contemporaries.

Over a third of the way through the record, I was starting to worry that Crew Cuts had eschewed the token banger track like All American’s “No Interruption”. I realized my fears were unfounded when the fifth song, “Cake Boy”, began. While Allen only goes this hard once per album, this trunk-rattler is not to be missed. “Cake Boy” suggests the song “Mikey Rocks” by The Cool Kids and is most definitely going to be a certified hood classic.

One of my favorite aspects of this record is that Allen embraces, rather than rejects, his ethnicity. A minority in the hip-hop scene, white rappers often try to hide their “whiteness”. Allen, on the other hand, has no issue mocking himself, and we find him rhyming about Emma Watson, Emma Stone and The Hunger Games, among other topics that most rappers would not be caught dead mentioning.

With clever and relatable rhymes, fun and easy-going beats and an appealing sticker price of zero dollars, there is no excuse to pass up Crew Cuts. Although the name-dropping gets tired and Allen should stick to rapping rather than singing, this mixtape does exactly what it set out to do: it is a collection of relaxed suburban anthems, but it doesn’t break any frat-rap boundaries.