Showing posts with label Trap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trap. Show all posts

Friday 19 January 2024

Kid Cudi "Insano" (2024)

  
Keeping steady pace, Kid Cudi returns from Entergalactic with a loose concept. Taking twenty one shots, these shorter cuts seemingly throw out ideas to see what sticks. Linked together by recurring buzzy sub-base lines, the referenced insanity is heard instrumentally as the aesthetic experience explores an unusual spectrum of melodic presentation. Repetitive tunes often run through mild manipulations, playing into an artsy atmosphere. Trap beats bustle harder than usual. Kicks, claps, snares and hit-hats from all directions chime in, amping up the sequenced rhythmic energy. Its these base oriented tracks that mustered my attention as between them, Cudi leaned into his established style, smoothing out the records exit with a string of colorful songs.

Running commentary from a boisterous DJ Drama and lack of lyrical focus gave me little else to latch onto. Insano feels like a round up of studio time spent without direction. Vocally, Cudi spun his style with the records best hooks feeling almost recycled from previous records. Nothing offensive, the record just lacked anything with shock and awe. Electrowavebaby perked an ear for its redesign of Ace Of Base's All That She Wants. That's the second record of 2024 to include this memorable 90s hit. Its a fun track, flush with zany zapping sounds and some endearing singing. The second track Keep Bouncin' is a banger, the baseline melding with crisp pianos is a classy conclusion to its dark, speedy energy. Other than that, its a mediocre record with flashes of distinction that fade among its extensive tracks. Good for a mood tho.

Rating: 6/10

Thursday 19 October 2023

City Morgue "My Bloody America" (2023)

 

Still one to check in with, City Morgue return recycling a familiar flavor of feisty aggression. Fusing Trap with Horrorcore and touches of Metal, the duo deploy harsh percussion aesthetics again. Rattling hi-hats and distorted base kicks thump no longer a novelty. Meeting spooky samples and lean distortion guitars, beat production paints ghoulish, nightmare scenarios for their unapologetic lyrics to reign a boisterous noise. Priding its content on death, hate, gunplay and machismo, a lack of depth is hardly a surprise. Most verses simply load in vile obscenities on aggravated flows spat hard.

Among its various leanings, a sense of something curious lingers but never arrives. Despite being a rather dull thirty minutes, the record has a certain foul charisma fit for horror but lacks substance. Its instrumentals fail to lean into its intriguing elements. Only Wicked elevated this unsettled energy to a catchy level. A banger among mediocrity. Its short looping melody illuminates when all instruments fire together. I still think this duo have something great to offer but currently I'm just not feeling it.

Rating: 4/10

Tuesday 4 July 2023

Lil Uzi Vert "Pink Tape" (2023)

Dense, sporadic, unstructured and certainly zany, Lil Uzi Vert drops a lengthy lovable mess suffering its own madness. Pink Tape feels built for the streaming era, these ninety minutes, twenty six tracks, hint at playing the numbers game. Curation and focus set aside, a loose thematic grip lets this manic music meander in all sorts of directions. Uzi himself often plays second fiddle to instrumentals as his erratic performances flips from rhymes, to auto tune blurbs and feisty shouts. With a waving presence, vibeing and vocal aesthetics often seem central to his restless expressions.

The production leans into spacey Trap vibes, embracing its digital incarnation, thumb printing a synthetic style leaning heavily on auto tune. Suicide Doors embraces the dark side with mean distortion guitars complimenting its gristly atmosphere. Uzi can't stay on track however, it becomes evident quickly as inspirations jump between a handful of tones. Endless Fashion raises an eyebrow, borrowing the Blue melody to great effect, a smash hit in the late 90s by Italian DJ duo Effile 65.

A few of the following songs also seem to borrow elements from pop culture and music too with familiar sounds and lyrics cropping up. The wildness reaches new heights when suddenly a karaoke cover of Chop Suey! erupts. You can feel the passion for the Metal classic yet Uzi's style has such an odd resonance. I think my enjoyment mostly lies with the original. The following Werewolf is an absolute banger, a collaboration with Bring Me The Horizon. Its clear who handled the song writing, with the band and Oli dominating. Uzi offers just a handful of words to compliment the brief bass guitar sections that arise. A shy guest on his own record.

A similar affair unravels again with Babymetal at the records conclusion. The hints of Metal reflects my issue with the whole record, a lack of focus. It goes in many directions without settling on a key idea. It typically appeals to the emotive artistic expressions of Uzi, lacking conceived depth and meaning, instead simply reveling in the vibes. Thus its lengthy style levels it to the curation of a few favorite cuts I will return for. Without offering a key distinction the whole thing feels like a hot bloated dump of new studio material. Uzi is still one to keep a close eye on of course, when hitting a spark these songs do hit hard! Just not to often.

Rating: 5/10

Thursday 27 April 2023

$uicideboy$ "Shameless $uicide" (2023)

 

Recently Ive brought myself up to speed with this duo's trio of full length efforts. Its been a mixed bag of tricks, reeking with potential yet lacking a firm stride. Unsure of where to navigate next, its seems Ive lucked out! This latest EP, dropped two months back, struck indulgent vibes. Their difficult subject matter lures suffering into mellow relief through dreamy instruments drifting over the steady slam of crunking drums.

 Ruby & Scrim bring their best, strong vocal tunes with sway, elevating their unapologetic raps into breezy melodies. Its a wild wrestle, a mastery of struggle yielded to a cathartic escape through expression. Something retro and summery also lurks among this gritty percussion. Flirting with cheesy, stark synths and cloudy electronic melodies, they conjure a laid back allure among the dark topical chaos.

At the mid point things turn nasty, leaning into violence with gun sounds and grizzly beats, peering into the bleak. The bass bangs with deep sub resonating underneath bussing drum patterns, an apt chemistry to house such grimness. The pair, along with guest for the record Shakewell, lean into nasty gangster braggadocio to great effect!

Some of their sharpest raps arrive among these two shorter cuts, before the moods mellow out again. For me, the melodic sung raps shone brightest. The change in pace works but that's where the magic sparks. I really enjoyed this. When each song clicks, it suits my preference for a cohesive collection of songs over randomized playlists.

Rating: 6/10

Tuesday 18 April 2023

$uicideboy$ "I Want To Die In New Orleans" (2018)

 

$uicideboy$ rock a rapid release schedule that signifies a different approach to distribution. Since 2014 over forty or so EPs and mixtapes have emerged. It creates a daunting task in search of there best material, yet its where their most popular songs reside. I'm unsure of the significance the album format offers but this debut arrives with a clear concept to tie in their notoriety with home state Louisiana. Interlaced with locational references, tales and affirmations, the radio and news snippet interludes grounds a grizzly reality, illuminating the harshness of growing up in the south.

Sadly, my experience has been a dull one. On this debut record, both the gritty horrorcore beats and harrowing rhymes lack a sharp potency they land with on later projects. The sullen moody aesthetics and unabashed honesty with difficult subject matter remain in tack. Their vision is evident, a distinct individuality reaching out yet those infectious sung hooks and energized flows are yet to be honed and harnessed.

The record feels tied closer to its cultural roots with many southern tropes lining the instrumental design. Vocally, the pair drift into lazily spoken registers. Dull, softly delivered monotone raps distract from the subject matter itself, unenthused in nature but sometimes seeming conceptually relevant in a defeatist sense of overwhelming struggles. Despite analysis, the stars did not align for this listener. Clearly the foundations have been laid. In this manifestation, their expressions failed illumination.

Rating: 4/10

Tuesday 11 April 2023

$uicideboy$ "Long Term Effects Of Suffering" (2021)

 

Following up on Sing Me A Lullaby, My Sweet Temptation, this prior sophomore record has solidified my warmth for this duo. Where the last album swayed in quality, Long Term Effects Of Suffering hits focused! A dreary, creepy crawly mood permeates as slick aesthetics provide the groove and enjoyment. Glued together by themes of personal pains, the sullen, bleak, rain soaked atmosphere sits front and center.

A few tracks offer a slight respite. 5 Grand At 8 To 1, New Profile Pic & Forget It drift into warmer tones with tonal echos of Jazz Hop emerging under its trendy Trap percussion. Then there is Bleach, leaning face first into the flames, embracing the burn, a gritty banger to say the least. Whats left explores a broody melancholy, reminiscent of Emo Rap when wearisome acoustic guitars and glum pianos emerge.

Consistently across its lean thirty minute duration do the percussive arrangements delight. Noticeably apparent on this outing, its snare kick grooves are elongated. Occasionally lethargic and sparse as shuffling hi-hats offer erratic pitch shifting patterns in the space between. Done right here, it challenges the usual 4/4 loop of Hip Hop beats. The cohesion with instrumentals is fantastic despite a strong contrast.

Stars of the show, Ruby Da Cherry and Scrim, offer brutal honesty with their personal struggles laid bare. Its a topicality expected, however consistency really elevated the message. Shared experiences offer relief, forge connection and its hard for their openness not to endear. Last time the stints of braggadocio broke up the flow. This time they forged a fine album that you want to play from front to back each time.

Rating: 7/10

Thursday 30 March 2023

Redzed "Bohemian Psycho" (2019)

 

Hailing from the Slavic regions of Europe, this young Czech's distinct accent embeds sharp flavors on top his nasal pitch. Loaded with obscenities and violence, his rapid fire shout raps drop sharp and vicious, making quite the impression. As one in a roster of many Trap Metal artists in rotation on Spotify, his maniacal flow caught my ear.

Tight, snappy and obnoxious in presence, the harsh delivery and brutal tone lured me in for more. Sadly, it seems Redzed is somewhat of a one trick pony here, emulating the same cadence for most of the record. In intervals, the pace softens with songs leaning into half sung hooks, looking for a catchy knack that seems out of reach. His pitch and range unable to muster charismatic charm previously bestowed among his venom spitting, ferocious raps.

So to do the instrumentals stiffen. Its somewhat typical Horrorcore theming leans heavily on hard bass kicks, jittery Trap hi-hats and harsh snares strikes. The groves are competent yet narrow in scope as each song circles the previous one. So to did the comprehensible lyrical content seem slim. A race to the bottom! Violent, foul, over the top braggadocio laced with cuss words and graphic obscenities.

Bohemian Psycho was fun for a minute but lacked a reason to stick around once its merits were proven. The closing Bleed For Me / Drumin' Hard had a touch more excitement. The inclusion of distortion guitars and what sounded like a drum jam session had some personality not heard elsewhere on the record. Ultimately Redzed's wild energy on the mic has a punch but lacks a depth to flesh out this record.

Rating: 3/10

Thursday 9 March 2023

Yeat "AftërLyfe" (2023)

 

Following up on last years Lyfë, Yeat returns to hold down a lengthy record on his own. Onboarding two alter egos, the twenty two tracks have only one guest artist. An unlikely cause of my disappointment, yet seemingly fed into the repetitive nausea I experienced. These hypnotic beats, alien and psychedelic by design, persist on a single idea. With no beat switches, little in the way of structure, they make themselves known swiftly. Shuffling Trap hi hats bustle away alongside brief melodies on loop.

Over top, Yeat brings in sleazy slurred flows, breezing off the reverb, toying with plenty of dreamy auto tune vocal manipulations, leaning deep on the slang and sluggish cadence. Of the lyrics I could decipher, little value was unearthed, lots of nonsensical boisterous bars and wealth braggadocio that lacked hooks and repeated itself a lot.

Although this formula yielded some groovy hypnotic beats I return to on occasion last outing, this followup was abysmal, little of the beats landed and the vocals became rather grating as the hour of music dragged on. A note of merit is the closing track Mysëlf. Far from great but at least an attempt to introduce a change of tone with dreary acoustic guitars, piano and soft strings. Overall, a big disappointment.

Rating: 3/10

Wednesday 8 March 2023

$uicideboy$ "Sing Me A Lullaby, My Sweet Temptation" (2022)

 Hailing from New Orleans, this independent Rap duo made quite the impression. Muddying between Horrorcore and Cloud Rap, their dark leaning beats and heavy subject matter had its familiarity while introducing new ideas to digest. Its mostly the flows of Scrim and Ruby da Cherry who consistently captivate. Their distinctive navel voices and tight rapid flows hit rhythmically with snappy timing. Endeared by creativity, the shuffling of pace and pitch keeps things exciting. Best of all, the pair have an ear for melody, transitioning into catchy sing raps frequently that nail the mood of a song.

Instrumentally, the variety is decent, delving into different Southern styles with echos of Memphis Rap and the sluggish distortions of Chopped And Screwed. The sampling pull on the esoteric and obscure with odd sounds twisted into solid Rap beats. The darkest moments pull on brooding pianos and melancholic strings, the likes more suited to depressing Classical. Great to hear such an eclectic source of sounds. Of course, its loaded with darkly samples and snippets to beef up the grizzly atmosphere.

The subject matter wades through its share of typically misogynistic boisterousness. Between the showboating emerges a handful of tracks with difficult subject matter, addressing emotional ills, mental health struggles, drug abuse and urban trauma. The expressions are endearing, honest and laid bare, tackling the difficulties of life from personal darkness. Although a fantastic introduction, Sing Me A Lullaby, My Sweet Temptation has waned on repetitions but I've found a few songs to return too.

Rating: 6/10

Thursday 9 February 2023

Kid Cudi "Entergalatic" (2022)

 
Having adored a collaborative Kids See Ghosts and the psychedelic tinged Cloud Rap of Man On The Moon III, time with the American rapper slash producer seemed overdue. Lured in by the infectious hypnotic mellow sways of Do What I Want, exploring this newest record seemed like the next logical step. Entergalatic plays like a river of vibes. Its a series of Ethereal moods drifting by, mostly pronounced by its dreamy instrumentals and Kid Cudi's ability to converge on a gratifying hook.

Most the lyrical verse seem like casual commentaries on life's unfolding events. Passing observations and emotive expressions suit the conjured atmosphere. Cudi arrives calmed, smooth and chill. The beats touch on tensions and introspective degrees, never veering to far from its soothing allure. Occasionally the percussive attachment drifts into restful, relaxing states as atmospheric ambiences take hold.

A track featuring 2 Chainz, Can't Believe It, arrives with apt timing, breaking up the mid point with a nightly low key banger. Cudi's deepened flow, mostly the hook, has an uncanny resemblance to Rich Brian. Its a welcome change of pace among a river of catchy hooks and ambiguous melodies that swoon sweetly to its own rhythm. Its Kudi alone who builds much of this rapport, his guests don't bring much to the table.

Despite such good graces, little emerges beyond the sway of its tantalizing yet mellow vibes. A selection of favorites will rear their heads among the variety but the album mostly slides into mediocrity. Fertile ground for embracing the mood but never commanding the listener to yield. Could of been much more despite easy enjoyment.

Rating: 6/10

Wednesday 21 September 2022

Yeat "Lyfë" (2022)

 

Riding a wave of hype, this up and coming youngster Yeat builds on top a direction the likes of Playboi Cardi, Future and Lil Uzi Vert have established before him. The latter Uzi features on this EPs opening track Flawlëss, the two melding as such bt Cloud Rap standards. Vibeing with subtle psychedelia and mellowed out aesthetics, these beats pair clicky, tinged percussion with zany synths and flat bass rumbles.

Going heavy on the auto-tune, Yeat's voice electrifies tonally, blurring synthetic boundaries. Its a stylistic evolution, words play second fiddle to the feels of cadence and delivery as his flow melds melodically with backing instrumentals. Trendy slang and slurred annunciation lead way, bending vowels and consonants to the whims of self expression. This groovy, easy, laid back gelling is a pleasure to observe.

Sadly, the attention on his unique presence equally highlights seemingly knee deep lyrics. Sleazy slang, cheap nauseous rhyme schemes and a heavy reliance on braggadocio paints a shallow portrayal of the moment. There is only so many claims to success and flipping stacks one can endure. A lack of variety and substance leaves one with little to take away in terms of food for thought. Obviously its not the point.

Despite this, the moods are hypnotic. Songs play like low key bangers. Letting his voice spiral off like an instrument, the beats resonate in their unusually synthetic take on the current direction of Hip Hop. Simple loops with short melodies sink into the contagious aesthetic with ease. The bass stomps find apt moments to drill thumping repetitions, a niche touche. Producer BNYX seems to consistently have hands on the better tracks. In general, they seemingly "glow" more than his contemporaries.

The further utilization of vocals in this auto-tune chemistry is somewhat reminiscent of how Kanye West once brought the harmony of voices forward. This time, the script is flipped. Zany, odd and alien, yet mellow, chilled and groovy, the style being evolved here has something to offer. Lyfë however falls a little short as a record. Its final songs drag, recycling ideas which are wild and exciting in its opening stretch.

Rating: 5/10

Thursday 9 June 2022

Doja Cat "Planet Her" (2021)

 

With slick easy vibes, smooth breezy aesthetics and sweet yet spicy persona, Doja Cat lends her sharp harmonious chords, breathy voicings and quirky raps too a dreamy psychedelic Trap and R&B experience. With a team of over ten plus producers, a surprisingly cohesive mood emerges across the record. Led by the cutting percussive presence of shuffling hi-hats, snappy claps and crunky snares, deep bass hits punch and rumble below. It leaves space for tinges of Ethereal and Dream Pop instrumentation to usher a spin on the trendy popular sounds of the times. The contrast between rhythm section and everything else is surprisingly inviting.

Planet Her plays with a sense of depth as Doja is central in shaping her songs with hooks, choruses and raps over the deliberately underwhelming roll of traditional melodies. Her personality manifests, at times highly sexual and literal far beyond suggestive, into a variety of topics, often dealing with fame, prominence and perception. Her performances felt like thee endearing factor. Especially so when her voice shifts up pitch. Navel, quirky, swift, the cadence, creative inflections and self assured attitude reigns over lyrical content, although the value of words is a common pitfall for this listener who feels the melody and aesthetic far more so.

Speaking on aesthetics, the housing of her various voices, through reverberation, panning and placing, is a constant delight. So often does the handling of her singing seem to elevate what she expresses. Its as if their is a great understanding between artist and producers. Some highlights include the anthemic opening Woman and a great feature from The Weeknd. Wherever he goes, his take on the Synthwave genre seems to follow. The tone fits well into the variety of temperaments offered, leaning into aggressive Trap rap grooves and opposite the fiesty, hints of R&B, Soul and Dream Pop grace the modern Pop music sound with a gentler touch. All in all Planet Her is a fantastic record from a young artist with style and persona in abundance.

Rating: 7/10

Tuesday 1 February 2022

Rich Brian "Brightside" (2022)

 

Dropping a surprise EP out of the blue, the Indonesian rapper Rich Brian returns with four concise and impressive tracks, with no mention of a fourth coming album. Still a youthful figure at 22 years, maturity is starting to show in his lyrics but more obvious is his flow. Tightening up the bars, increases the pace of his cadence, Brian commands these cuts on his own with one feature, Warren Hue, on Getcho Mans. Its a banging off kilt number led by a dirty baseline and oriental overtone. To me, Brian shows his inspirations a little candidly with his second verse. The delivery style gives me some serious Lil Uzi Vert vibes, particularly from the opening stretch of Eternal Atake.

With that one distinction, the rest of the music stands on its own. The opening New Tooth, a fantastic union of beat production and lyrical direction. Brian moves from fiery Braggadocio raps into a more reflective stance over the two beat switches. It takes the music to an emotive conclusion with its introspective pianos. Lagoon and Sunny split that direction apart further, the first a gritty brooding number muddying in darker spaces. The latter bolsters uplifting moods with motivational words. Brightside is promising set of songs for an artist who sounds like they are in a great creative space.

Rating: 4/10

Saturday 2 October 2021

Lil Nas X "Montero" (2021)

 

With the monumental success of the chart topping, record breaking Old Town Road, the Georgian rapper Lil Nas X has had the musical worlds attention thrust his direction for some time now. Typically critical voices cry the loudest, claiming him a one hit wonder but this record certainly proves that wrong. Now we can joke he is a one album wonder for now, as Montero is simply fantastic, a vibrant album experience, strong from front to back with a very accessible Pop Rap aesthetic brightening up a wealth of self expression and topicality to deepen its warm, welcoming vibes.

In general, these songs are short and snappy, getting to the point swiftly, wrapping themes up with catchy hooks. Production wise, the music never leans to hard into anything but goes all over the place, softly diversifying. Dead Right Now and Industry Baby steer into Trap territory, addressing relations with his father and following it up with a self affirming track bolstering his ambitions. His Country Rap infusion returns on That's What I Want with a bright chirpy chorus delivering an infectious hook over soft sunny chorals. Not exactly the most original composition but he does the idea justice.

From here the songs increasingly ramp up my personal interest, Scoop swoops in simple melodies and jiving percussion giving light to the quirky ad-libs. This track gave me some serious Rodeo vibes with that Travis Scott style production. Quite the fun and creative stint before One Of Me drives hope a fantastic hook with the plain faced "I like this, I don't like that" lines. Such a simple way to illuminate the ridicule of voiced opinions that whirl around individuals thrust into the limelight. Lost In The Citadel ushers in uplifting, poppy Alt Rock guitars as the record starts to pivot to more guitar oriented aesthetics. Paired with tight percussion and deep baselines in straddles Hip Hop from a distance as the lines blur wonderfully.

Then with void we hear Lil Nas X depart from that entirely on an epic sung song, expressing pains and vulnerability while some how working the "Hodo hodo" ear worm in. As his voice opens up the dark and brooding instrumental behind him starts to build slithers of light as the soft drive of muted drums and pounding bass lead to a wonderful sense of revealing the beauty in his singing that was always present. Stunning song. Don't Want It oddly gets away with shifting back to a Trap flavor for Life After Salem to deliver the albums broodiest track. Led by a gristly acoustic guitar it routinely sails into the darkness with swells of Post-Rock guitar and subtle stabs of sinister Gangster's Paradise strings nestled, lurking in the backdrop briefly.

Between the likable Pop and Trap tracks, that bring their own identity, the team producing the instrumentals work in some fantastic music quite distance from that formulae. Its exciting, interesting and very expressive with Lil Nas X singing and rapping with a lot of substance to embrace. It all amalgamates to a stunning conclusion as Miley Cyrus hops on to lend her powerful voice to the albums epic closer, Am I Dreaming. The way the two individually step onto the track in their verses hits like waves, as tension builds up with the duo weaving their voices in a dramatic conclusion, crying "Never forget me". Goosebumps.

Its hard not to be bull about this record. Its arrangement is fascinating, steering from the accessible into expressive songs pulling from areas not often associated with Hip Hop. This might be one of the most enjoyable experiences this year. I'm left with thoughts of wondering if its magic might diminish with time? I think one or two songs could suffer that fate but there is so much brilliance on display. Whats best is a feeling of optimism moving forward. This wasn't just a collection of well crafted appeals but inspired songs moving in new directions. Lil Nas X has the diversity here to really open up and surprise in the future, in my opinion at least.

Rating: 9/10

Monday 30 August 2021

KSI "All Over The Place" (2021)

 

Taking action on ambition and following his dreams, I've got nothing but respect for KSI choosing to step out of one lane and maneuver into another. Little of what I'd heard before lured me in but the Holiday song was the soundtrack to my own summer vacation and since then I've mulled over this one a fair few times, waiting for something to click. Sadly, I haven't escaped what's most obvious, Olajide is currently more budget than talent. Although he brings expression, thoughts and passion to the fold, he is constantly outpaced by production that is as its titled, all over the place!

The records sixteen songs fracture into a lot of interesting vibes. Strongly inspired by the British music scene, one can hear the classic stylings of the 90s electronic, 00s Garage and R&B with a sprinkling of Grime. The project is mostly packaged with modern aesthetics, taking a predictable yet occasional path into Trap beats wedged between mostly warm, uplifting instrumentals with some colorful Caribbean flavor too.

With KSI revealing how his features are paid for, it adds a sad note as his guests pretty much outshine him at every corner. I'd always figured features were a friendly affair, artists working with friends for the art but it seems in the Rap scene this can be purely business too... or somewhere in between as things are never black and white!

Holiday is still the albums best track. In fact its the one song where KSI shines, getting everything just right. For the most part he does sound like someone attempting to find their voice on the rest of the cuts. Ironically its the more candid and plainly spoken Sleeping With The Enemy that is most endearing. Although his flow is plain jane, the words really hit home, an authentic expression. My conclusion here? I'm really not sure, this record essentially sounds like what it is on paper, someone with a big budget giving a shot at the music game.

Rating: 5/10

Saturday 6 March 2021

Slowthai "TYRON" (2021)

 
Following up on his remarkable debut Nothing Great About Britain, the Northampton based Slowthai returns with an album of two halves. Separating the gritty attitude and boisterous swagger from his substantive social commentaries, TYRON splits these fourteen new tracks. Stylized with capital letters, the first seven are slamming bass led club bangers to blow your socks off. The remaining songs, presented with lower case names, drift into an emotional journey with subdued melancholic Jazz Hop vibes as Slowthai gets serious. Play With Fire acts as the transition track between these two dramatically different tones. His last recorded melded these elements wonderfully. Separated, they are simply that, it feels like two short albums.

Its first halve is easy to love. Coming out the box wild and barking, Slowthai sparks off sharp at witty rhymes with a feisty attitude to play of the raging bass which has been rumbling my room sweetly on my new Yamaha monitors. The production is sublime, tight, crisp, snappy percussion leaves a sweet space for the sub bass tones to pump away obnoxiously. It comes into its own when reuniting with Skepta for an instant classic instrumental with Cancelled. Focusing on boisterous raps and fiery flows, Slowthai's creativity runs away with plenty of clever word play and references. Its fun and engaging but far from the emotional journey about to unravel.

As the topicality shifts so do the instrumentals, steering away from bumptious bass and bringing colorful, moody samples to light. A notable inclusion of pitched up voices, prominent on Nhs and the acoustic guitars of Push give me serious Brockhampton vibes. A handful of these tunes tend to reflect a Pop adjacent space some Hip Hop sounds have been exploring as of late. In these songs Slowthai's flows feel at the mercy of his narratives as he slumps into a spoken word pacing, leaving much of the teeth and snark that makes him jump off the track behind. Equally though, the stories, musing and commentaries have their potency with heart felt verses.

Ultimately Ive landed on this feeling that his magic as an artist is in the space between this deliberate separation. When his grin soaked rapping is bouncing off the walls of that gritty attitude, the potency of his emotive remarks and political points have punch. His flow doesn't suite the vulnerable instrumentals that try to lean into that aspect of his lyrics. The first half ends up triumphant here as the less serious side is fun and well executed. Although loaded with a lot of heart felt expressions, its second instance just doesn't have the power to grab and lock in the same way. The approach may have not been the best here but Slowthai is clearly still one to keep a close eye on.

Rating: 7/10

Monday 4 January 2021

Clipping "There Existed An Addiction To Blood" (2019)

 
I'm struggling, yet to form a strong bond but on this outing I very much hear a conceptual angle playing out in the form of deconstruction. The picking apart of ideas, tropes and normalites become apparent on a handful of tracks that make up this seventy minute meaty slug of cold artistry. Experimental Hip Hop trio Clipping have been on my radar for a while but I've found myself unable to connect with the critical praise Ive seen heaped upon them. I have however enjoyed the challenge and appreciate the immense talent of rapper Daveed Diggs and their Avant-Garde production style, which raised eyebrows on their debut album CLPPNG, featuring a rigid yet rapid rap riffling off over the grating sound of an alarm clock.

There Existed An Addiction To Blood is the groups third, including a bunch of features which mostly emphasize what seems most obvious to me. The challenging nature of hearing highly involved lyrics over ambience and noise makes much of Diggs raps a harrowing and dark narrative to follow but his guests seem to line up with a strong through line. Rattling off typical Gangster Rap and club hooks over menacing abrasive noise and unnerving screams, Diggs flips the perceived glorification on its head. Many themes common to the gang and club music get deconstructed as both verses and juxtaposed hooks get sung in contrast to the norm. This is where the instrumentals shine, the comfort and tunefulness is voided and replaced by uncomfortable, grating hashes of Industrial and Noise. Its tone molding that paints a picture of the uncomfortable reality behind the topics and narratives shared.

This artistic stride only occurs in fractures for me, between it detours of interlude ambience and crushing noise distortion simply drone on. There is also a fair bit of convention where kick and snare snap into place to form more digestible songs, ironically in this convention they tend to loose a spark. It tends to take place when a guest steps on the beat to give the record some relief between the challenging darkness. Ultimately, the moments of genius play out not quite to my taste and I again appreciate what Clipping do but find myself struggling to create a clear picture of the record with all the chaos going on. No doubt though I will continue to follow this act and see where they go with their unique and crafty music.

Rating: 5/10

Monday 28 December 2020

Kid Cudi "Man On The Moon III" (2020)

 

Oh boy do I wish this album had arrived earlier in the year! I can't help but feel It would of made my up and coming top albums of the year list. Right now I'm intoxicated by its particular mood, an airy mix of club and urban street vibes, subdued by its laid back pacing and dreamy, psychedelic tinge. Records like this need time to mature and given how much I loved my introduction to Kid Cudi through Kids See Ghosts, a collaboration with Kanye West, I wouldn't be surprised if this one delivers its magic for time to come. After binge listening for days on end, it still has a sparkle.

Kid Cudi's voice is a charm, soft and moody, he drifts between casual R&B singing, spoken word temperaments and monotone raps all interwoven with spacey auto-tune both flavorful and expressive. Not one to linger to much on lyrics which generally go in one ear and out the other with me, I picked up an introspective individual reflecting on a moment to pause and expresses life with a kind warmness. Anchored to reality in its uplift and happier vibes, the music comes across with a slight sense of melancholy, humanistic and soulful, a connection to the reality that all good things come to pass.

The instrumentals compliment his tone well, these beats are tight and snappy yet spaced out with a keen sense of where silence has power, Quite often do they drop entirely for bars at a time. With a modern percussion design, one might mistake these drums for subdued Trap beats. Although they share some textural similarities the patterns being sparse and complimentary tend to serve the bigger picture, rather than dictate groove and bombast through the rhythmic drive. Behind them, bass kicks articulate the occasional melody and whenever given some direct attention one can really appreciate the art of subtlety at play on pretty much all these songs.

One number that stands apart is Show Out. Teaming up with London rapper Skepta and Pop Smoke it crosses over into Grime territory with a lively kick drum rattling off and grittier raps to lean on a darker mood. It slips in well to the overall tone which is more upbeat, led by Cudi's swooning sung vocals and synthetic backdrop. Many airy synth tones create these easy going atmospheres. Soft organs, choral voicing and all flavors of osculation in between forge a setting for subtle melodies to gracefully breeze with the easiness. A variety of instruments, pianos, guitars and keys give each track its texture and perhaps acoustic guitars that struggle most on Elsie's Baby Boy.

Somehow they seem to rub up against Cudi's voice, his held notes seeming off from the brightness of plucked strings. It illuminates that for all the praise, nothing is perfect. It seems wherever the main formula, which has plenty of variety, is strayed from, things don't quite hit the same heights. In praising the subdued percussion, the rattling Trap hi-hats of Sad People sounds a little grating. As an album it loads its better tracks in the front but given tracks are short and sweet, some not even crossing the three minute mark, its meaty eighteen tracks, just shy of an hour, it gets by as its weaker cuts tend not to linger for long. Given the mellow, indulgent fragrance of Man On The Moon III, it gets by but curation could of really elevated the experience.

Rating: 8/10

Thursday 10 December 2020

Future & Lil Uzi Vert "Pluto X Baby Pluto" (2020)

 

Of the handle of spins I've given this one since its release, I'm left with little positive to say. I'd checked out Future before, a big name in Trap music, very much enjoyed his approach to the sound. Lil Uzi Vert is one of the more exciting modern artists, his Eternal Atake that dropped earlier this year was mostly disappointing but had some undeniably interesting stylistic choices in its opening third that I'm still enjoying when they pop up on shuffle. The two coming together under this florescent space themed album art was enticing but across its sixteen tracks nothing matched the curiosity invoked by its trippy record cover.

If a theme is present, these instrumentals do have a flavor detouring from the club and street vibes but holding all of those conventions. My cosmic leanings are more to the liking of an Aeons Confer, however for fans of Hip Hop I can see how this has an astral tone softly worked in there. Either way the beats handled by an entourage of accompanying producers are this projects saving grace, if it has one. Deep, slow subdued bass grooves, rattling hi-hats with shuffling inflections and timely pedal kicks prop up the framework for loose fitting samples and soft instruments to play out laid back melodies. Its a moody design for the backdrop, laying down the vibes and rarely pushing bold leads or musical hooks upfront.

This sets the stage for Future and Lil Uzi Vert to shine however both seem to be on autopilot as not a single track brings anything of worth verbally beyond the river of self affirming swagger. Perhaps the pacing of some flows and auto tune accents bring a little excitement but on the lyrical front this project is hollow. Its unfocused braggadocio at its finest. An aimless stream of consciousness rapping revolving around sexual exploits all to often. The rhyming is lacking and so many lines set off alarm bells for the lack of self filtering. There are countless lines that "work" but for what? "Bitch I'm plugged into the wall like a phone charger" after rhyming the word charger twice already seemed like a low point. However there are plenty of lines like this through the record that should of been trashed.

Its hard to hate on an album and that is too strong a word anyways. Every record I buy with love, I want to get into music, not find myself walled out. These two are both capable of so much better and there coming together seems to be without purpose or intent. Their union doesn't yield anything of artistic note. Instead it just seems like a run of the mill, autopilot creation. I'm sure they enjoyed themselves putting these tracks together and speaking their minds but as a listener this really lacked anything of merit. Even though the beats are competent its hampered by these incessant vocally manipulated voices that say little of interest and the whole thing quickly becomes a dull drone in the background.

Rating: 3/10

Monday 5 October 2020

Rich Brian "The Sailor" (2019)

The Sailor is young Indonesian rapper Rich Brian's sophomore effort. His debut record Amen has quite the charm. His deep baritone voice pitched at a steady pace had a strong persuasion over the glossy Trap influenced instrumentals, despite a lack of lyrical substance. With time passed, its youthful immaturity became the spell that kept giving when songs would pop up on shuffle. Fun, carefree with that youthful spirit, I was looking forward to more of the same with The Sailor however this is not just another twelve cuts. Its ambitious, ultimately condemning itself in the process.

Brian has talent, there is no doubt. The RZA even turns up on track two to give the teenager his endorsement. He does however have distance to travel and The Sailor feels wrapped in the idea of personal evolution and maturity that can't escape a lack of it. This manifests not just from personal musing stories in the lyrics but also the Beats. Leaning into classical compositions for a sense of grandiose while borrowing its most stylistic elements from Kendrick Lamar's soulfully sung thematic links, the albums identity lacks originality. Bekon and The Donuts mostly handle production which often sways to the temperament of Blueprint era Jay-Z's upbeat jazzy tone.

There is a few others I could name drop here when similarities arise. Its overall vision draws from a an unoriginal variety that doesn't offer more than its parts. Brian's lyrics often reaching for deep meanings and personal growth seem typically naive lacking in experience and perspective. That being said, hes still a kid and Ive got a few years under my belt so maybe I'm an old fart who doesn't get it? Criticism aside, there is plenty of fun flows and the occasional catchy experiment like Slow Down Turbo's stereo panning speeding up his verse. In all of its short comings this record does have some competence. The instrumentals are broadly on the better side, even if not thematically embellishing his ambitious vision. Its a fair, listenable record but doesn't feel like a move inline with his potential.

Rating: 5/10