• 

• 

Overall Rating and Impression: 6.75/10

CrasH Talk is ScHoolboy Q’s fifth studio album, released on April 26, 2019. It arrives almost three years after the Blank Face LP.

I came out of this album feeling like I wanted more, but not in a particularly good way. While I enjoyed Q’s style and vibe across most tracks, a lot just fell flat for me and felt a bit basic and halfhearted. Lyrically and sonically I think this was a good album, but there were more than a few times where I saw places that easily could’ve been improved. There was a decent amount of features on this track, but a lot of them just got stuck on a hook or a chorus which made me feel disappointed and made the tracks feel like they could’ve been more. Sticking Kendrick to just a few ad libs on the intro particularly felt like a waste of talent as a verse from him and many of the other features artists could’ve made lackluster tracks feel a lot more full. I enjoyed the tracks that had a harder instrumental and flow as those felt more his style and like the most well done tracks. The rest felt decent, but definitely lacking a certain something. When Q was focused more on one topic the tracks felt more cohesive and thorough than ones that talked about multiple topics over a short span which didn’t allow for much elaboration. It doesn’t feel like there’s a lot of filler bars since Q does have good bars and punchlines, but I can’t help but feel a lot of songs were somewhat bland. Overall the album was fairly enjoyable, but there are definitely some easy improvements I feel could’ve been made. 

Personal Ranking:

1. Lies (feat. Ty Dolla $ign & YG)
2. Numb Numb Juice
3. CrasH
4. Floating (feat. Kid Cudi)
5. 5200
6. Dangerous
7. Tales
8. Attention
9. Gang Gang
10. Water (feat. lol Baby)
11. Die Wit Em
12. Drunk (feat. 6lack)
13. CHopstix (feat. Travis Scott)
14. Wasted

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• Lies (feat. Ty Dolla $ign & YG)
• Numb Numb Juice
• CrasH

Gang Gang starts off the album with the themes that are present throughout which are gangs, drugs, and the hood in general. This track is somewhat gritty with the instrumental and Q comes with some energy when the bass drops. 

Tales is transitioned in to from the ending of Gang Gang which I liked, and talks all about gang banging and the street life. 

CHopstix is all about a girl who he’s comparing her legs to chopsticks. This song is pretty basic lyrically but is still decent in my opinion. This track features Travis Scott but he only does the chorus which feels like a somewhat wasted feature as I felt a verse could’ve gone pretty hard from Travis on this one. 

Numb Numb Juice features another harder instrumental and flow which is where I think Q really shines. The instrumental pitches down for the second verse which I enjoyed sonically and stylistically. Overall I felt like this was one of the better songs on the album, which makes sense as it was released as a single. 

Drunk features a piano where Q starts by talking about family dying. Although in the chorus he says he isn’t drunk and just a little buzzed, he says he is drunk at the end of the first verse. 6lack has very relaxed and soothing vocals for his short verse if you can call it that, it’s more like a brief bridge. The third verse has layered vocals with a deep vocal track way back in the mix which I liked as we hear about Q fucking this girl. This was another song that felt like it somewhat wasted a feature. 

Lies starts with a glistening strings and harp that then transforms into a slap synth beat which I really enjoyed. In this song Q and YG talk about people that lied about them. YG in particular talks about a girl he fucked that claimed he fucked her without protecting, but he says that isn’t true. This brings up the idea of women trying to trap them for their wealth by having a kid, or allegedly having a kid. However as we hear from Q across this album, he very much loves his daughter so I think it’s safe to say he’s not trapped. 

5200 made me excited when I heard Kendrick in the intro with ad libs paired with a hard flute synth type beat. This song is more about the gang lifestyle which is a common theme. I thought it was delivered well enough from Q, but I was disappointed that Kendrick isn’t actually on it aside from his ad libs in the intro. This again just felt like a wasted feature since Kendrick would’ve gone well here. 

Black Folk is about wasted talent and commentary on social justice a bit, you get the feeling that things aren’t equal here for black people in many cities which is true. He also brings up that he doesn’t want to talk if it isn’t about money which shows he’s really focused on not wasting his own potential. 

Floating has a chopped up and out of tune piano that somehow works really well on this track. This song has a hard bass and overall grittier feeling which I liked since I feel like that’s what Q fits with best. The title most likely refer to being intoxicated off drugs or alcohol which is talked about a bit in the verses. This song features a full verse from 21 Savage which felt nice instead of just having him on the hook or something like a lot of the other features. 

Dangerous starts with an out of tune guitar and makes for a wavy instrumental. This song somewhat mimics feelings of being drunk which made for an interesting production which I liked. Kid Cudi is on the chorus but doesn’t have a verse. I feel like there was definitely a spot for him in this track and really would’ve liked a verse. 

Die Wit Em- immediately harder production, crimes, a lot about guns, catchy but kinda flat 

CrasH transitions straight in from Die Wit Em on this track that talks about family, money, and the need to balance his life. He talks about his past life of crime but how he doesn’t do that anymore. He also talks a lot about his daughter which I thought was sweet and a nice moment for the album. Overall I thought this was one of the better tracks on the album 

Water features chopped strings paired with a deep bass on this song all about diamonds and jewelry. I liked the energy Lil Baby comes with and was glad that he got a full verse in this song and didn’t just get stuck on a chorus. However this track felt kinda basic to me and lands towards the bottom for me, albeit a harder track which stylistically I thought I would’ve liked more n

Attention is the final song on the album and starts with just vocals. This changes to a simple instrumental at first which them sees a bass enter. Strings enter later on too in this track with lots of name drops where Q talks about his influences and his peers. I thought this track was decent, but that it felt like a rather lackluster ending for this album which left me a bit disappointed. 

• 

• 

Overall Rating and Impression:  8.75/10

Milky Way is Bas’ third studio album, following 2014’s Last Winterand 2016’s Too High to Riot. The fourteen-track album boasts features from J. Cole, A$AP Ferg, Ari Lennox, and two appearances from Correy C.

Overall I very much enjoyed this album. I thought that the mixing and production was great on this album that provides a plethora of great vibes. Although there were a few chilled out songs with more low key vibes such as Icarus and Barack Obama Special, the majority of the album was more upbeat yet still relaxed with songs like Tribe that are nothing but good vibes. With 12 tracks and 2 skits this project feels solid with only a few tracks that felt a bit lackluster or a bit like throwaways, but still provided great vibes nonetheless. I feel like this is both an album I could put on for great background music, but also a project I can listen to on its own which I really like. I thought it was interesting how some of the tracks have features listed as “with” instead of “feat”, I think that really shows respect to those artists and shows the friendship. Overall I liked the first half a bit more, but really loved the project as a whole as it provided an engaging experience throughout. 

. Makes for a very fun album, just makes you feel good 

Personal Ranking:

1. Tribe (with J. Cole)
2. Purge
3. Fragrance (feat. Correy C)
4. Boca Raton (with A$AP Ferg)
5. Front Desk
6. Spaceship + Rockets (with LION BABE feat. Moe Moks, mOma+Guy)
7. PDA
8. Designer
9. Barack Obama Special
10. Icarus (feat. Ari Lennox)
11. Sanufa
12. Infinity + 2 (feat. Correy C)
13. Great Ones
14. Infinity 

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• Tribe (with J. Cole)
• Purge 
• Boca Raton (with A$AP Ferg)

Icarus starts off the album with a chilled out song about being blinded by success which the titles references since Icarus flew too close to the sun in the old fable. I really liked Bas’ flow and the all around great vibe where Bas talks about staying grounded despite the success that inflates your ego. 

Front Des is a more upbeat song about people, specifically women, that came back to him once he got success. This song has a very catchy chorus and funny punchlines. 

Tribe has some of the best vibes on the album in my opinion. I really loved the guitar and drums on this track as well J. Cole’s verse. In this song they talk about the come up and in general this is a love song about a girl. It’s possible that this girl could represent they relation with music in general which would make sense being a double entendre since this girl is in the booth with Bas and also in the coupe with Cole, but it would equally make as much sense that this girl is just his inspiration and always with him. 

Boca Raton brings more fun vibes in this song. I loved A$AP Ferg’s verse and as libs, the bridges are fun, the verses are fun, this track is just all around great in my eyes. 

Barack Obama Special slows it down with a deep bass and a very much east coast feel with a New York jazz piano style. This song is very smooth and similar in vibes to Icarus.

Purge is about rising to success and taking out anyone that’s in the way which is why the title refers to. In this song he talks about letting someone go as he’s driven in this road to success. This was another song that I thought was very well procured and executed and easily placed towards the top half for me. 

Fragrance is a song about a girl which provides more great vibes. He talks about how the girl that wants to get with him and how he smashed her but she got annoying and he wasn’t afraid to let her know it. The lyric “it was you it wasn’t me”, is absolutely savage and made me laugh in this overall happy song. This song only wants money and fame from Bas, so he simply had to let her go. 

Infinity is a skit/conversation from the movie White Men Cant Jump where there a couple arguing about loving each other. The man says he loves her infinity, to which she says that isn’t enough. He asks what’s bigger and she says infinity plus two to which he repeats that and she says he’s stupid for not saying infinity plus infinity. This short Interlude adds a bit of comic relief and segue into the next song. 

Infinity + 2 is a more chilled out song which feels somewhat like an interlude itself. For me this track was a bit flat and felt somewhat like a throwaway but was still enjoyable. 

Sanufa has more thumping and dance vibes and is mostly comprised of the chorus and bridge. This also kinda feels like a throwaway but is still a fun song at almost three minutes long. “You know I come back” is repeated just like in Front Desk which is interesting as well. 

Great Ones is the second skit on the album about how you only get three great women in your life. This continues the love vibe of the album and reminds the listener to pay attention to what’s in front of you. 

PDA has a more distance and wavy instrumental in the intro which is then paired with a deep bass. I really loved the instrumental in this song about spending his life with a girl and reconnecting with her. However, they’re both busy and working on their own thing, but he hopes they’ll end up together and it all works out. 

Designer is the true final track in the album and has a bit of a choppier production which makes for a syncopated with hook. I liked this style and how Bas talks about different things that are designer from synthetic drugs to clothes, to the rapper Desiigner. This isn’t a flexing track as the title might make you think since he actually talks about how all this designer stuff and luxury hurts people.

Spaceships + Rockets is a bonus track and has a similar club vibe and dancing vibe like Sanufa. I really loved Bas’ flow in the first half of the track which then turns into a deep bass on the pre chorus as the track starts to really embrace the club and dancing vibe. From front to back I really enjoyed this album.  

• 

• 

Overall Rating and Impression: 7.75/10

Blonde (originally titled Boys Don’t Cry) is the second studio album by the enigmatic Frank Ocean. The album was released on August 20, 2016, following a four-year hiatus after the release of channel ORANGE.

This album gives me very late night vibes since I could see myself vibing to this when it’s dark out and I’m relaxed. This is a very relaxing record as Franks voice is often melodic, drifting, and chilled out as we get an inside look into his life and last relationships. This album feels pretty personal and hits on relatable themes, but it’s very much about Frank himself. Frank has an amazing singing voice which I didn’t expect as I came into this thinking this was more of a rap/hip hop album but it’s very much more of an R&B, light pop, and somewhat soul centric album. This really is mood music to me, so I couldn’t see myself personally going out of my way during the normal day to sit down and listen to Frank Ocean at this time, but if I’m trying to relax and unwind this is absolutely perfect. If you listen patiently through some of his rather slow songs you really do get a very personal take on his life. I didn’t find it to be the most engaging or exciting album, but that’s not the vibe that he was going for here so that’s fine by me. Vocally, sonically, and production wise this project felt well done, but it’s just not my all around style. For me this is borderline 8, but at the moment I’m feeling more of a 7.75, but very close. 

Personal Ranking:

1. Solo
2. Self Control
3. Pink + White
4. Nights
5. Ivy
6. Nikes
7. Seigfried
8. Solo (Reprise)
9. White Ferrari
10. Godspeed
11. Pretty Sweet
12. Futura Free
13. Close To You
14. Skyline To
15. Facebook Story
16. Be Yourself
17. Good Guy

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• Solo
• Pink + White

Nikes starts the album with a chilled out vibe and pitched up singing in the first verse. Overall this song is a commentary on materialism which was interesting. I personally liked the second verse more which is rapping, and also turned out to be one of the few rap verses on the album. 

Ivy is a song reminiscing about past a relationship as a kid and is all about how it failed. The screaming at the end and breaking things down was a bit intense and really shows his frustration.

Pink + White is one of my favorite songs on the album and features a beautiful strings and piano mix. This song is about someone who passed away. He also talks about how he’s reached the peak of a relationship, presumably one from his childhood. 

Be Yourself is a short skit about being yourself and not trying to be or act like someone else. Specifically whoever the narrator is really doesn’t like marijuana as their main point is to stay away from it. 

Solo is my favorite song on the album and is about being alone and doing things by yourself. I really liked the chorus and the double entendre of the word solo that’s also sounds like so low. In this song he’s seemingly ignoring the warnings in the skit about not smoking or drinking. This song puts a big focus on Frank wanting to do things on his own. 

Skyline To is somewhat of an interlude and seems a bit unstructured but talks about sex and drugs briefly. 

Self Control is more about a failing relationship and features a high pitched intro somewhat similar to the intro track to the album. It has a very slow acoustic guitar as he talks about the bad timing of the relationship being the main reason it didn’t work out. He keeps remembering this love in his current relationship and wants them to do the same about him. It seems he can’t get over it which is sad and relatable.

Good Guy has somewhat distorted vocals over a bare keyboard instrumental. This is a short Interlude about loneliness as we approach the halfway point of the album. 

Nights starts off by talking about his past relationship which is a general theme, but halfway through the beat slows and distorts downwards. This turns into a pure guitar riff repeated until the beat totally switches to a slowed down beat with deep bass and crisp 808s. This marks the halfway point of the album. 

Solo (Reprise) interpolates Solo but this time it’s all done by André 3000. He now uses so low instead of solo but maintains similar themes to Solo. This short track serves again as an interlude and transition.  

Pretty Sweet has a frantic production which feels very clustered and chaotic. This songs gets more structured at the end and felt rather experimental and interesting overall. 

Facebook Story is a short skit and commentary about dating and social media. The man talks about how he didn’t want to accept this girls request on Facebook because it means nothing to and doesn’t see the point since he’s with her in person all the time. The girl takes this as a sign that he was cheating and ends with them breaking up over this. This is a pretty drastic story, but apparently it’s also true which is bizarre. 

Close To You is a cover of the Stevie Wonder song which Frank sings in a pitched voice. I’m not sure where to rank this as it’s a cover and not an original song, but it was very well done. 

White Ferrari is a bit more about Franks relationships where the white Ferrari is symbolic purity and good memories. 

Seigfried talks about how he’d rather live any other way than to live the typical lifestyle in the suburbs, and also talks about mortality. This song has glistening strings and a verse of rapping which is a rare moment on the album. He says he’d do anything for this person, but only in the dark which is an interesting insight about how he doesn’t want to make anything too public and on display. 

Godspeed is about leaving his lover and has gospel influxes as heard by the church organ. This song is very slow, beautiful, and sad much like a lot of the songs on here. 

Futura Free is the final song on the album which is 9 1/2 minutes. It starts with a reversed audio synth combined with piano and features another bit of rapping. He talks about how making music is therapy, and uses auto tune in the third verse for singing which is interesting because his voice is fine on its own. It turns into more of a trap beat halfway through the third verse before the first half of the song cuts off. There’s a long, deafening silence before the outro begins. The outro is a chopped up interview which I’m not quite sure how to describe, it’s really something you’d have to listen to yourself. 

• 

• 

Overall Rating and Impression: 8.75/10

KIDS SEE GHOSTS is the eponymous debut studio album by hip-hop ‘super-duo’ KIDS SEE GHOSTS, which consists of Kanye West and Kid Cudi.

At 7 songs and 24 minutes in length, Kids See Ghosts is a rather short album, but it feels very tight. It feels very developed and well thought out, so I’m glad it they didn’t try and make this a typical 45-60 minute LP that could be more prone to filler bars and songs. My initial ranking for this album was a flat 8 as I felt like it was missing something that truly wowed me, but upon listening to it again I realized that there isn’t a single track I didn’t enjoy, and how well put together it felt. Right now it still feels like it’s missing some sort of X factor that would boost it to a 9 and beyond in my eyes, but I still really enjoy this record where Kanye and Kid Cudi explore their past and mistakes and begin to really embrace who they are as people and artists in a newfound freedom on this album. You could tell there’s a lot of different sounds inspirationally on this album as we here things from old 30s/40s swing samples on 4th Dimension, Kurt Cobain grunge samples on Cudi Montage. In this way it felt quite experimental and was enjoyable to listen to. While pretty introspective, I still feel like this is missing some sort of wow factor for me, but it’s still a very tight and well put together album. 

Personal Ranking:

1. Freeee (Ghost Town Pt. 2)
2. Reborn
3. 4th Dimension
4. Cudi Montage
5. Kids See Ghosts
6. Fire
7. Feel The Love

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• Freeee (Ghost Town Pt. 2)
• 4th Dimension 

Feel The Love features some airy synths and a single verse by Pusha T. This song has a very trance style element to it as Cudi belts out the name of the track in the chorus throughout the sing. Kanye comes I’m towards the end with some weird staccato vocal sounds that are almost like gunshots which worked strangely well with the drums. I thought it was interesting how Kanye purely used his voice as an instrument on this song. 

Fire has a more old western style and lawless feel to it with a tambourine in your right ear which I loved. This song feels very marching and alive in movement as we hear about Kanye and Cudi’s past failures.  

4th Dimension has an old swing sample which I loved and thought was very creative to interpolate. I really like Kanye’s flow as well on this song, but thought that the laughing Interlude was a bit strange, perhaps showing the more manic side of Ye on the album that otherwise seems like a more reflective and lower point energy wise for Kanye. The ending spoken word piece which is commentary on music that says you “only want two and half minutes if you can get it” for a song made me laugh as this song is 2:33. However none of the other songs on the album are shorter than 2:30 which is interesting to note. Additionally Kanye’s line “she said I’m in the wrong hole, I said I’m lost” in his verse all about sex made me laugh at its absurdity. 

Freeee (Ghost Town Pt. 2) has a grittier and stuttery production where the rock influences really come out. This song is all about feeling free from whatever was holding them back or affecting them. This track seems a bit darker but also seems to be the high point and climax of the album and that the rest of the album is furthering this newfound feeling of freedom. I found this to be my favorite song on the album for all that it offered. 

Reborn is about moving forward from mistakes. From Cudi this is emotional issues and feelings of self doubt, for Kanye this seems to be the media. They talk about finding peace over the simple piano production on the verses. However on the chorus there’s a more synth chord heavy production that makes his song very relaxing and catchy. Church organs enter the mix near the end of the song which shows even more influences from the wide array of sounds used. 

Kids See Ghosts is the title track and has a more crawling vibe and admittedly ghostly style. Kanye talks about fame and what’s expected of him over the light 808s hidden behind a more wooden and hollow beat, while Cudi gives an introspective albeit brief look into his life.  

Cudi Montage is the final song on the album which I really liked production wise. The acoustic guitar felt really good on this track as we hear about how Cudi wants God to save him. The chorus is building and feels more triumphant and Kanye delivers my favorite verse in the album about social justice and cycles of violence. This seemed a bit off thematically as they were previously exploring their own pasts and failures, but I still thought this was delivered very well and made for a very solid song. 

• 

• 

Overall Rating and Impression: 9.25/10

Flower Boy, also known as Scum Fuck Flower Boy, is the fourth studio album by American rapper Tyler, The Creator. It was officially released on July 21, 2017 by Columbia Records. The album was solely produced by Tyler, but features contributions from artists such as Frank Ocean, Rex Orange Countyand A$AP Rocky.

Having only listened to IGOR by Tyler, I was unsure what to expect from this album. I was met with fantastic production and an exploration of who Tyler is at his core and the problems he faces. It was interesting to hear his swing of emotions in different songs that range from bright and happy to downright depressing. I enjoyed all of the vivid imagery and garden/outdoorsy metaphors and personifications which were interwoven across the album. Overall it felt fairly seamless, comprehensive, vivid, and three dimensional. The range of inspirational sounds and influences across the album were interesting to see as well, it’s clear there’s a lot of different sounds that inspire Tyler. I thought it was clever how some of the tracks run into each other or have certain elements such as one track ending with a call going to voicemail, and the next ending with the voicemail apparently not even being recorded. This adds another layer of depth as we get a whole new range of emotions just from an extra piece of projection. Tyler does a great job at clearly laying all his emotions out on the table at the same time as providing a great listening and entertaining experience. Overall I liked this a bit more than IGOR, but they’re rather different projects. I feel like I need to listen to more Tyler after this since he sound is so interesting and unique. This is certainly at least a 9 for me, it has everything I’m looking for in an album experience. 

Personal Ranking:

1. Garden Shed
2. Where The Flowers Bloom
3. Who Dat Boy
4. Glitter
5. 911/Mr. Lonely 
6. See You Again
7. November
8. Boredom
9. I Ain’t Got Time!
10. Foreward
11. Pothole
12. Droppin’ Seeds
13. Enjoy Right Now, Today
14. Sometimes

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• Garden Shed
• Where The Flowers Bloom
• Who Dat Boy

Foreward is the introduction to Flower Boy in which Tyler talks about his motivations, loneliness, and isolation. This sets up the themes for the album. Towards the end he paints the picture of drowning in his pool and questions if he dies who would care. He says that he thinks the only way to find out is to die. This is a bit darker than a lot of the songs on here, but is also very up front and real. 

Where The Flowers Bloom is a more hopeful song with brighter strings and general vibe. By putting this song second he’s immediately showing what the title means and how he uses the flower as a metaphor for his career and blossoming as a person. This is the start of what is a lot of tree and flower verbiage across the album. 

Sometimes is a short piano interlude that is gone straight into from the previous song. This is a short skit of a radio station which paints the imagery of being in a car. This is another somewhat central theme as connected to the cover art, Tyler is taking a ride through a field of flowers in his car. 

See You Again has lots of strings and orchestral elements which makes for a full production. This song is more of a ballad and reminds me of the general vibe of IGOR. He talks a lot about love on this song, but it doesn’t seem like a lasting love but more of a longing for love which is rather sad. 

Who Dat Boy starts with frantic scattered horns that’s feels very much like Jaws and the slow creeping song it’s famous for. The strings slowly start to build in the mix until eventually it leads up to a bass drop where Tyler goes in with a hard flow. I loved the Rocky feature on this song where he talks about people questioning who he is and reassuring him that he’s that boy and he’s the shit. This is a very confident track which is entirely different thematically than a lot of the songs where he questions who he is as a person. 

Pothole is a song that uses driving as a metaphor for his feelings where the pothole is keeping him from moving forward. As he did in the intro track he talks about drowning in his pool again for a single bar. This continues the driving narrative that is portrayed in the first Interlude and in the cover art. There’s about 45 seconds of jazzy instrumental at the end which I really liked as Tyler’s production is amazing. 

Garden Shed uses the garden verbiage to represent being closeted and struggling with his sexuality which is central to the album. There’s an intense reversed audio snippet and the start which was interesting but the track overall has a beautiful guitar that is very relaxing. This is a very slow track and has a more psych rock feel. I absolutely loved the production. The beat gets more frantic and distorted as we enter the second verse and Tyler talks about how he’s been hiding in the shed and it is very heavily alluded to that he is gay or bi but he doesn’t flat out say it. 

Boredom continues the vibe and guitar from last song in this song about loneliness. It’s very in depth and sad and he says continuously that he’s gotta find some time to do something because he’s bored. In the scope of the album this is rather depressing as it shows a general boredom with life and feeling stuck like he was in the song Pothole. 

I Ain’t Got Time! completely contrasts the end of the last song which loops gotta find some time. This track is more energetic and feels frantic with the syncopated beat. In this song he says that he doesn’t have time for anything because he’s so busy. This song also contains the line “next line will have them like woah, I’ve been kissing white boys since 2004” which is somewhat of a bombshell but further confirms the themes of his sexuality on this song as he’s all but out of the closet on this song. He also says that’s he’s dat boy in this song which shows that his confidence is back which is probably why he was so straightforward with his sexuality here. 

911/Mr. Lonely is a two part song that starts off surprisingly upbeat. I think what he’s talking about here is that he’s so lonely that it’s to the point it’s an emergency how much he wants someone to talk to. He also talks about how he hides being lonely before the beat switch into Mr. Lonely which is a sadder production and more lowkey but has a  faster flow. These lyrics are more depressing especially as he talks about how he wants someone to really ask how he’s doing and doesn’t want to have to call 911 which possibly alludes to a suicide attempt. 

Droppin’ Seeds is the second interlude with a lot of gardening imagery again. This interlude is a minute long and features Lil Wayne on the first 50 seconds who spits bar after bar using all these colorful and vivid descriptions of gardens and plants to develop the album thematically. 

November is gone straight into from the interlude and talks about insecurities in his life and general reminiscing over his life. In this song he starts to seriously question himself. He notes that November represents the best times in his life and not the actual month and for him his November and high point in his life was the summer of 2006. This track ends with people saying what their November is and what the best times in their life were. Tyler is desperate to go back to those times which is sad to hear about. The song ends with calling someone on the phone, but they don’t pick up so he has to leave a message. 

Glitter is the message which Tyler is leaving to this unknown person on this song that has his voice pitched up. Stylistically this sounds very much like IGOR and the very opposite of Mr. Lonely. On this song he says he’s now the brightest of them all instead of the loneliest. Theres a shift in the track where it distorts and pitches his voice down which could be from the person he’s callings perspective. This bit is about how it’s not gonna work out and the phrase “scum fuck flower boy” is interlaced with the backing vocals “how you feel?” For a decent portion of time. This shows his inner conflict again and how he’s struggling with his sexuality. Flower Boy is a positive idea about blossoming as a person, but scum fuck is absolutely vile and shows a sense of self hatred. This song ends with the voicemail message saying his message wasn’t recorded. This is how we know this whole song was meant to be a message as alluded to on the previous track. It’s rather sad how it wasn’t recorded and I think is meant to show how nobody is actually listening to him and how he doesn’t know how to portray his feelings to the world. 

Enjoy Right Now, Today is the closing track and starts with a harder slap bass on this all instrumental song. This feels like the credits rolling on a movie which I enjoyed. It has many different styles sonically such as plucky strings and shiny glistening synths on this 4 minute song. It ends with Tyler getting out of his car and closing the door which competes the journey and car ride that was alluded to over the album and on its cover art. 

• 

• 

Overall Rating and Impression: 8.25/10

After reviewing Rodeo and being impressed by the production and style that Travis Scott brings to the table, I was expecting  a much less refined sound from his earlier mixtape Days Before Rodeo. However, I found this project to boast impressive production still that’s built around that deep bass sound and has that very Travis Scott style that I can’t quite put my finger on that makes him sound so good overall. It feels a little less focused thematically than Rodeo did, but that didn’t detract in the least as this is still an all around great project. For a mixtape and not a studio project, I find this very impressive and surpassing my expectations. There were a few songs that I thought were a little sub par at points, but still found them enjoyable nonetheless. There was a recurring style of letting the instrumental play for the final 20 seconds of the track which I found interesting, and really adds to the party style sound of Travis. I find this aligning much more with my taste and still having that deep core trance style that some people like about Playboi Carti, except I feel this is much more well done. My rating has nothing to do with comparing it to Carti or anybody else, I just feel like this album is multifaceted in what it achieves and moods it can be played in and that’s what makes it so versatile and impressive. I liked Rodeo more than this tape, but it still feels like a solid project overall. 

Personal Ranking:

1. Mamacita (ft. Rich Homie Quan & Young Thug)
2. Quintana Pt. 2
3. Grey
4. Don’t Play (ft. Big Sean & The 1985)
5. Drugs You Should Try It
6. Backyard
7. Skyfall (ft. Young Thug)
8. BACC
9. Sloppy Toppy (ft. Migos & Peewee Longway)
10. Days Before Rodeo: The Prayer
11. Zombies
12. Basement Freestyle

Days Before Rodeo: The Prayer kicks off the album with dark and ominous church organs and production which plays into the prayer and church aspect of the title. The bass feels a bit muddy at first on this song which is a prayer blessing the album. The heavy reveeeb and reversed audio outro were interesting stylistically and something Scott has dabbled with in other projects. 

Mamacita is my favorite song in the album, I really liked the drums and guitar intro in the intro and the clear rock influences. The production overall paired with the faster flow and layered vocals felt really solid. Rich Homie Quan and Young Thug work perfectly on this track as well which just added to my overall praise for the song. 

Quintana Pt. 2 has more 80s pop synths but in the minor key which made for an interesting production. There’s beat switch going into T.I.s verse which gets a lot choppier and intense before dropping with a hard bass and 808 heavy beat. The beat switches back to how it started after T.I.s verse in this song that’s all about finessing. At the end the beat pitches up and Travis’s voice pitches way down which I liked. T.I. ends this song by narrating Travis’s life much like he did in Rodeo which was interesting to see. 

Drugs You Should Try It has a light, plucky electric guitar and is very chilled out. There’s lots of reversed audio as Travis portrays the effects of drugs and talks about falling in love while high on this song. I liked the layered vocals where one vocal track is very deep and breathy, it had a certain Travis style that I’ve grown to love. At the end the track spirals down for the last 20 seconds which could represent coming down from a high. 

Don’t Play features a harpsichord and sounds incredibly Travis production wise. This song is dark and intense and has a chorus that’s sweeps from ear to ear. It kinda sounds like previous song but sped up which is interesting. This song is about how he isn’t “playing with these niggas” which makes him sound very dominant. This song also ends with another 20 second outro of the complex instrumental which I like being able to hear in full. 

Skyfall is about artists falling off and not being able to connect with the current generation as explained by Travis. There’s lots of double entendres about how artists are the drug that he doesn’t get high on anymore which makes a lot of sense due to his explanation of the track. It would be easy to miss this deeper message without the explanation so I’m glad I saw that. This track also features Young Thug who goes great on it. 

Zombies is a very eerie track which goes further into the themes of the last song and now talks about the new wave of music and artists. It has a darker production where Travis talks about how he relates to kids and how they can relate to his music. 

Sloppy Toppy feels a little muddy production wise but is very full vocally. This song features Migos and Peewee Longway ok this 6 verse song. I liked the choppy piano in mix, but this track was a bit flat lyrically as it’s mainly abou women and sex as the title would suggest. 

Basement Freestyle feels like just a fun track similar to Backseat Freestyle which the title reminds me of. He talks about being the same person he was before fame and a bit about his earlier life. 

Backyard is song about how quickly his life changes and is by far the smoothest track on the tape. The chorus is very relaxed as he paints the image of chilling in a backyard smoking, drinking, and getting high. 

Grey is another very relaxed and is kinda bleak overall as he uses the color grey to symbolize his outlooks on multiple topics. He talks about his life when he was in high school a bit here. I thought this song would sound amazing high due to the instrumental and vibe. The instrumental stops for the second verse so it’s just his voice. This makes you listen to what he’s saying but I thought it was somewhat of a lackluster ending and I wish it was the chilled instrumental. It however does feel like a solid ending to the project. 

BACC is the true final song on the tape but is credited as a bonus. This is a fun track with a single verse from Travis. He talks about how he’s back now, and he’ll be back for his next project Rodeo. 

• 

• 

Overall Rating and Impression: 10+/10

To Pimp a Butterfly is Kendrick Lamar’s third studio album. It was released on March 15, 2015, via Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records.

I really don’t know where to start with this album. Everyone praises this album, but it truly goes above and beyond my expectations. I thinks it’s absolutely genius to weave a poem in and out of the end of tracks, adding a little more each time where the final line sets up the next song, and then having the poem in full plus a whole lot more in the final track which explains in depth what you just listened to in a fictitious conversation with Tupac. The production is insane, there were many points where I literally said out loud “Holy shit” because I was so impressed with what Kendrick was doing with the tracks. For Free? is hands down my favorite for the energy and full, rich sound it brings, but there’s not a single song on this album which I didn’t thoroughly enjoy. This is another album that feels like a movie, and almost like the follow up to GKMC where instead of a day in the life in Compton, we follow Kendrick after he’s gotten success and see his reflections on it and the community where he came from which he now can hardly recognize. I loved the jazz influences and all the topics Kendrick covers in this which is a wide array including love, self hate, hatred of your own community, and many political issues. This album sets incredibly high standards for music and where it can be that makes me excited to see what Kendrick can come up with in the future, as well as other artists. 

Personal Ranking:

I never thought an interlude would be my favorite song on an album, poem throughout is genius

Personal Ranking:

1. For Free? (Interlude)
2. The Blacker The Berry
3. How Much A Dollar Cost
4. i 
5. Alright
6. These Walls
7. u
8. King Kunta
9. Wesley’s Theory
10. You Ain’t Gotta Lie (Momma Said)
11. Complexion (A Zulu Love)
12. Mortal Man
13. For Sale? (Interlude)
14. Hood Politics 
15. Institutionalized 
16. Momma

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• For Free? (Interlude)
• i 
• The Blacker The Berry

Wesley’s Theory opens the album with what sounds like record is being out on and is crackly. The instrumental slowly gets louder and starts the funky vibe with Thundercat on bass that is found through the album. This song is about black artists and talks about typical rapper things he’ll do when he gets signed. The song is pretty energetic. Part of the chorus is “we should’ve never gave niggas money” which is an introspective look into the music industry. The second verse is from the governments perspective talking to Kendrick which is interesting and thematically present across the album.  The song ends with screaming “tax man coming” multiple times at the end which is interns and chilling. Wesley Snipes is known for tax evasion which is some excellent wordplay considered Kendrick talks about how the government will snipe you if you don’t play the game correctly.

For Free? (Interlude) is gone into straight from Wesley’s Theory due to a single note played on saxophone. This song features a big production that starts by going full gospel. It overall has a big band jazz feel with a very frantic flow. This song is about industry pimps which plays into the title of the album which talks about the music industry that pimps black artists which are represented by the butterfly. This song has an absolutely insane rhyme scheme and is very intense. This takes the cake for my favorite song on the album by a long shot. 

King Kunta being back Thundecat on bass and an additional guitar on the chorus which I loved. This song is very triumphant and talks about running the game and how everyone hates him, or what King Kunta represents. I love the gunshot part at the end as well stylistically. This song starts the poem that is read in the final track Mortal Man by reading the first couple of lines. 

Institutionalized is opposite of King Kunta thematically and features a switch up in the second half which I really liked. There’s a part of the track where “zoom zoom” is repeated and it very much feels like it’s in your head the way it’s mixed. He then talks about how focused people are on getting money and talks about Compton. This song has a feature from Snoop Dogg whose favorite bar of mine at the end is “you can take the homie out the hood” but you “can’t take the hood out the homie”.

These Walls starts by continuing the poem another couple of lines. This song is very lyrically complex as the walls Kendrick talks about could be jail walls or vaginal walls. In this song almost everything has a double meaning. The second verse is political commentary and could be interpreted to mean that the walls in question are now figurative and stand for holding back the black community. This song ends by continuing the poem another few lines further at the end. It ends with how he finds himself screaming in a hotel room. 

u starts with Kendrick now screaming in the hotel room. This song has a darker feeling and darker production that a lot of the songs. Lyrically this song feels gripping and is about doubting himself. He reveals that loving himself is what’s complicated as the hook is “loving you is complicated”. This song is emotionally heavy and also has a  break and a short skit type piece which is really strange production wise as it cuts in and out from ear to ear. Kendrick sounds just as broken as this audio in the  following verse as he gets into very personal personal problems and now sounds drunk. The line “money can’t stop a suicidal weakness” seemed especially dark on this song as he talks about how money really can’t solve your problems. This song is the antithesis to the later track, i. 

Alright is about some newfound hope and moving past problems in u and his breakdown in the hotel room. This song has a crazy rhyme scheme at parts, and around the US and world this song now serves as an anthem for the black community and is entrenched with the Black Lives Matter movement. The bar from the intro about Uncle Sam is reused her but Kendrick changes it to Lucy meaning Lucifer instead of earlier when he said “see my name is Uncle Sam, I’m your dog” it’s now “see my name is Lucy, I’m your dog”. This song goes further into the poem to the point of talking about the evils of Lucy that are all around him. 

For Sale? (Interlude) is the second interlude and is a lot more low key than For Free?  I liked the lineSherane ain’t got nothing on Lucy” from Lucifer’s perspective which is a callback to GKMC which talks a lot about Sherane. Kendrick says he’s crazy and doesn’t accept Lucifer, but Lucy here says Kendrick invited him into his life by himself. At the he wants him to sign a contract which is more commentary on the music industry and how they’re the devil. The poem continues a few lines again at the end to the point where he now comes back home after running for answers after his breakdown. 

Momma is Kendrick coming home as he said he was going to in the last line in this song that has a very complex production. He talks talks about all the different things he’s learned in his life especially after success, but says he didn’t know anything when he came home to Compton. He feels like he lost his roots and is out of touch. This is another main theme of the album which is self doubt. This song fades out softly which makes it almost feel like a break and a brief intermission for the album 

Hood Politics talks about what he does know about the hood despite the fact he said he forgot about what’s going on in Compton in the last song. This song has an interesting production that feels experimental. I liked the deep bass and the beat grew on me as the song went on. The poem is progressed quite a bit at the end by going several lines deeper. He talks about survirorvs guilt as dark strings start to enter the mix at first and then other instruments enter as well. These turn into the instrumental in the next song which I thought was very clever and really makes this feel seamless. 

How Much A Dollar Cost is a story about Kendrick’s trio to Africa and takes place at a gas station. It starts with a homeless man that Kendrick won’t give money to that’s begging for for food cause he thinks he’s an addict and will spend it on drugs. He somewhat regrets not giving it to him since it’s only a dollar but thinks back to when he needed money and refused to take handouts. He really paints a vivid scene in this song that makes you think. Kendrick questions the cost of success as well in this song and what it cost him in terms of things he had to give up, not just in a monetary sense. At the end of this song there’s a twist and it turns out that the homeless man was God testing Kendrick and says his refusal to help cost him his spot in heaven. This gives a whole new insight looking back at the song which gives it a unique second listening and beyond. 

Complexion (A Zulu Love) is all about beauty and complexion. The main theme is that complexion doesn’t matter. Kendrick uses slavery as a vessel to talk about complexion in this song. Kendrick is the field slave in this narrative which means he’s darker, but he’s talking to a girl that’s a house slave so she must have a lighter complexion. They talk about how complexion really doesn’t matter which is a good message. I really liked Rapsodys voice and verse which has soulful backing vocals. She talks about the same things as Kendrick does and about how abt color of skin is beautiful. This song has a different outro, spoken word from Kendrick and sounds like its coming from Lucy. Kendrick ends this outro by saying he now sees Compton as hell on Earth. 

The Blacker The Berry continues the outro of the last song and is very dark and gritty. It really sounds like we’re back in Compton from the production style. Kendrick says multiple times that’s he’s the biggest hypocrite of 2015 and by the end of the song you’ll see what he means. He talks about people that hate black people and originally make you think it’s just the government. But at the end you realize it’s black People hating black people since being in a gang made him “kill a nigga that’s blacker than me” which is what makes him a hypocrite. You can see the hypocrisy in full affect as he talks about feeling pain for shootings such as Trayvon Martin but he knows that gang banging lee him to murder someone based on their complexion as well which makes him no better. This adds to the conflict, pain, and self doubt that’s present across the whole album. 

You Ain’t Gotta Lie (Momma Said) is a lot lighter and jazzy and has a very catchy hook. This song is about what people say to impress him but they just seem fake. This pairs nicely with the last song since he only had to kill someone darker than him for acceptance which he realizes is worthless. This song is about how people try so hard to fit in but it’s fine to be yourself when chilling with Kendrick. He talks about complex emotions and then there’s a three second pause in the middle of the track to make you really think about what he said before the track starts again. I loved this stylistically and thought it was genius. At the end of the song theres a rowdy crowd cheering which goes straight into the next song.  

i starts with a man introducing Kendrick performing in this club. There’s a shredding backing guitar on this positive song about loving yourself which juxtaposes the song u where he struggles with loving himself. As the song continues the crowd starts to argue after the third verse. This really shows the problems with accepting themselves and self hate that we’re portrayed in The Blacker The Berry. The fourth verse is different than the single version as the crowd gets so rowdy that Kendrick stops performing. He talks about the problems the community faces and how they can’t be bringing that type of thing to his show. The crowd continues to argue but they actually stop and listen to him as Kendrick goes on and becomes the leader and king he’s talking about in his speech. It really feels like he’s completed his story at this point and is finally accepting of who he is and has transformed. This feels like the logical ending to the album, and the next track feels more like a bonus song and almost like the credits on a movie. 

Mortal Man is a 12 minute long closer. This song asks the question “when shit hit the fan are you still a fan” frequently and talks about all he’s done but questions if when things go from bad to worse who will still stick around. This song also has lots of deep morality questions and talks about influential people being betrayed after being loved. All in all this song has five minutes of rapping and rest is him finishing his poem that was started in the other songs. It’s satisfying hearing the conclusion and is beautiful in full. This poem explains all of the songs in the album thematically. This then turns into an interview with Tupac where he starts by sharing the poem which feels very well put together. There a bit of piano in the back as he talks to him about the general themes of the album which makes this a really nice conclusion. At the end he explains the title and how the butterfly is the artist and the pimp is the music industry. He also talks about the caterpillar which seems to be Kendrick when he liven in Compton but now he’s the butterfly. At the end Tupac is gone as Kendrick asks for his perspective as the track gets more intense and cuts off mid sentence. This device again forces you to think about what he said and makes you take it all in. Nothing I can say will do justice to this masterful track, it really has to be experienced in full to get the effect and ideas. 

• 

• 

Overall Rating and Impression: 5.5/10

Die Lit is Playboi Carti’s debut studio album and a follow-up to his eponymous debut mixtape. The album boasts features from Young Thug, Lil Uzi Vert, Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, and Skepta, among many others.

I have very mixed feelings about this project. On the one hand I absolutely am unimpressed by lackluster Carti’s style, repetitive hooks, and instrumental loops that seem to drone on and on as I sat down and listened to the project. On the other hand, this music isn’t meant to be something you listen to to get anything out of (I hope, if you are he miserably failed at that). This music makes for good background noise and party anthems, not something to listen to for the experience and entertainment value. I personally absolutely despised Carti’s voice on many tracks, it often left me feeling like I had to spit because it sounds like he has a retainer in and I was getting some of that second hand somehow. Objectively his music is terrible, I really don’t think there’s a way to argue that. His basic lyrics are flat out laughable at how bad they are at points, and the 3 second looping samples drove me nuts in some tracks. Repeating “I’m on top of the building” for no joke 90 full seconds of a song is abysmal and you can’t argue that. However, sonically there is something impressive about his music. The loops make every song catchy to an extent and something that makes for easy listening. For just throwing something on at a party all of these tracks worth well. But overall this album left a bad taste in my mouth. Personally for me it’s not to a 6, but it’s also above a 5 for the values that I did like. 

Only thing that saves him is production which although is basic is decent, very basic and repetitive hooks, background music because the lyrics are incredibly basic and instrumental is constantly looped, laughable lyrics, objectively terrible, sonically it’s not bad

Personal Ranking:

1. Shoota
2. Pull Up
3. Long Time – Intro
4. Old Money
5. Love Hurts
6. Foreign
7. Lean 4 Real
8. Middle Of The Summer
9. No Time
10. Fell In Luv
11. Right Now
12. R.I.P. Fredo (Notice Me)
13. Choppa Won’t Miss
14. Flatbed Freestlye
15. Poke It Out
16. Mileage
17. Home (KOD)
18. R.I.P
19. Top

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• Shoota

Long Time- Intro is the introduction track that reflects on how long it took for Carti to get success. The verse feels like a chorus the way it’s mixed and delivered which I wasn’t the biggest fan of. The instrumental is a little repetitive but not bad but the chorus is too repetitive for me. I immediately realized that I really personally don’t like his voice, but I put that aside for the review. 

R.I.P has a bass that feels muddy and not deep enough. The chorus made me laugh at how bad it was and is purely about flexing, fucking girls, and has the same repetitive instrumental that I personally don’t like stylistically. He doesn’t try and hide that he’s a mumble rapper in the line “bought that crib for my mama off that mumbling shit”. Overall I thought this track was bad and poorly done. The only thing a lot of songs have going for them in my opinion is the trance element. 

Lean 4 Real has a deeper bass and a chorus that is hard to understand but about pills and lean. The first verse is five lines which makes this song almost all chorus and hook which is fine since it’s meant to be catchy. I liked the production with crickets in the mix, I thought that was somewhat creative. 

Old Money has a lot of ad libs which I found interesting and has more basic lyrics. This song is largely about having old money and a new hoe. 

Love Hurts has a very crisp deep bass, basic and light production which I liked, but again this music is far too repetitive and just meant for a vibe which really isn’t what I’m into. 

Shoota was the only track that stood out to me and Uzi saves the track for me. The chorus is catchy and the two do make a good duo. I liked the twinkly production as it was a bit different from the rest of the songs. 

Right Now is a song about money and sex, but at this point all of the songs are. This one in particular made me ask what the fuck is this song about out loud, it felt like total throwaway more so than the rest. 

Poke It Out has more glistening and shiny synths and a lot of filler in the mix. He says poke it out about 500 times, or at least that’s what it get like. I liked the flow in first verse in this song about how easily he gets girls. The bridge from Nicki is atrocious,I liked decently long verse from Nicki better. Another thing about this track is that I can’t help but hear it as polka dot instead of poke it out because he words are so slurred. 

Home (KOD) is about money, more specially spending money on a girl. I hate the hook as it’s incredibly annoying and I really don’t like the organ production either as it’s a 3/4 second sample looped continually. I’m not sure what KOD refers to in the title, but I’m pretty sure it has nothing to do with J Cole. 

Fell In Luv is another song about sex and drugs. It has a decent sample used and I liked the Bryson Tiller verse more but that might just be because I seriously dislike Cartis voice and repetitive topics so it’s at least refreshing to hear a different voice even if they’re talking about the same thing. 

Foreign is about Carti’s lavish life style. This song would make decent background noise, as would the rest of the songs cause there’s no lyrical depth. 

Pull Up has a deep bass and more basic lyrics. It has a catchy instrumental and is one of the harder tracks on the album. 

Mileage brings back the shiny synths and was another song that made me ask what the fuck is this about out loud. Apparently Miley Cyrus since that’s related a lot, but the main theme is that he doesn’t care if their pussy has mileage and he’s willing to fuck anything that walks. 

Flatbed Freestyle reminds me of backseat freestyle title wise but is nothing like it. This song is about money, drugs, women, and is one long verse. This song especially reminds me how much I hate his voice. I especially despised the outro and ending of the verse.

No Time is chilled out somewhat more than the others. I liked Gunnas verse more which is really something since I really don’t like Gunna either. 

Middle Of The Summer is about money and women and features a deep bass. I liked Redd Coldhearteds voice and delivery despite the basic topic. 

Choppa Won’t Miss blasts a Young Thug feature which is decent. Theres not much to say really, this track is as basic as the rest but I thought the outro is ridiculous but also comical as you hear gun sounds done with one of their mouths. 

 R.I.P. Fredo (Notice Me) reminds me how much cartis voice makes me want to spit because it sounds like he has a retainer in. The Young Nudy feature is decent, sadly I was glad that the album was almost over at this point. “notish me” is especially what gave me the impression that he must have a retainer in or something because Jesus Christ how can you not pronounce the word notice correctly. 

Top has a short basic verse and is almost all “chorus” which just repeats a single line. He repeats “I’m on top of the building” for 45 seconds straight. TWICE. That makes for 90 seconds total of one line on a 2 1/2 minute track which made me laugh at how bad this song is, making it by far my least favorite. 

• 

• 

Overall Rating and Impression: 7.75/10

Some Rap Songs is the follow-up to 2015’s critically acclaimed I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside. In the New Year of 2018, Earl promised the release of new music on Twitter, which would bring an end to his close to 4 year absence from the rap game.

Seeing this album was a brief 24 minutes comprised of 15 songs had me concerned at first that this album would suffer from feeling unfinished and underproduced, but after the first track those concerns were completely gone. Earl has a production style that is completely experimental and like nothing I’ve ever heard. None of these songs are what I would consider conventional in the least, but that’s by no means a bad thing. On my first listen through of many songs I admittedly found myself utterly confused and found myself having to start the tracks over to grasp onto new lines to try and decipher them. The songs feel incredibly dense and straight to the point. There’s no dancing around ideas on a 3 minute track with hooks and chorus’s, this album is track after track, bar after bar nearly the whole way through. Lyrically there’s a lot of wordplay going on that makes this album feel more like poetry at points, but also so straightforward that it doesn’t quite feel that way. This album is a wide array of raw emotions that come across as a low point in his life where he uses this project almost as a coping mechanisms just so he can get these feelings out somewhere. I’m still left confused after a lot of the songs, but I think that speaks to how his music really demands that you listen to his words since they all carry meaning. While the production style is extremely instrumental I don’t feel like it makes it unlistenable, but very different and not something I find myself personally drawn to. However the rich lyrics to add something for me that make this project a borderline 8, but not quite there in my mind. I will definitely be revisiting this in the future since it truly demand multiple listen throughs. 

Personal Ranking:

1. Nowhere2go
2. The Bends
3. Eclipse 
4. Red Water
5. OnTheWay!
6. Azucar
7. Peanut
8. The Mint
9. Riot!
10. Playing Possum
11. Veins
12. Cold Summers
13. Loosie
14. December 24
15. Shattered Dreams

Adding to Playlist:

• Nowhere2go
• The Bends
• Eclipse

Shattered Dreams opens by talking about Imprecise words which sets up the idea that this album is a collection of words that could never say as much as he means which is impressive since he really does say a lot. I would’ve liked his vocals higher in the mix personally. This song has one of the more simple production styles on the album and is full of complex lines which makes the short track feel dense.

Red Water features a stuttery and skipping production which repeats the same set of bars. I found myself confused on the first listen, but I feel like this production style is meant to put emphasis on the words in this track about that reminisce on his late father. 

Cold Summers is a one minute track that depicts a robbery among other things and is more solid in themes unlike some tracks which are all over the place thematically. 

Nowhere2go is mainly about his depression and is pretty dark, especially with the line “noose on my chain is gold” which really shows how money doesn’t solve your problems. This was the point where I really realized that I’m going to miss some of the lines of I’m listening carefully as they’re said so care free but mean so much. 

December 24 was a track I thought fell a bit flat. I enjoyed the basketball themed wordplay for a few bars, overall this track felt just as dense as the others though. 

On the way! features an electric guitar sample and a complex production (like the rest), but feels much more upbeat and happier than everything else on the project. It feels like a glimmer of hope in the sea of depression. 

The Mint has a piano sample mixed into the production and is about mental health, which is thematically similar to the rest of the album. 

The Bends dives a bit into where he and his friend come from him and features some complex wordplay about money. I found this to be one of the more digestible and enjoyable songs on the album. 

Loosie is about a falling out with someone and a bit about his enemies. While this is a good track, it also places in the bottom half of me just based on personal preference. 

Azucar is a song about depression which seems rather contracting of the title which means sugar as depression isn’t sweet at all. This one features lots of distortion of the instrumental which made for an interesting production, but then again every song was very experimental in production. 

Eclipse is a very dark song about removing himself from the public view, and I found this song to be one of my favorites. This song hit harder for me than a lot of the others, perhaps because it’s a little more digestible in production and lyrical style. 

Veins continues to talk more about being out of public view but also talks about self doubt in addition to this. This sat fairly middle of the road for me, but was interesting regardless. 

Playing Possum is a spoken word piece by his mother and father which I thought made for an interesting interlude of sorts and also somewhat of a conclusion. It sets up the next track which talks about his depression after his fathers death. 

Peanut is about depression and his father/his death which is somewhat of a continuation of the last spoken word track. This shows exactly where his depression is coming from at this point in his life which made this a pretty emotionally raw song. 

Riot! is the final song and by far the easiest song to listen to production wise, but is also the least “Earl” as it most closely resembles a typical song perhaps because it’s only an instrumental. However there’s still a bit of an Earl spin on it which made for an interesting conclusion to the album that left me with a lot of questions. 

• 

• 

Overall Rating and Impression: 8.75/10

KOD is J. Cole’s long-anticipated fifth studio album. The 12-track album serves as a follow up to his 2016 album, 4 Your Eyez Only.

Having only reviewed 2014 FHD drives at this point, KOD is a lot more lowkey in comparison. The production is a but less impressive on this album as it was on FHD with Cole himself boasting production credits for each song, but this time the message is all about the different ways people cope with pain. While this didn’t seem as seamless as FHD, each track does tell its own story about coping mechanisms that are mentioned in the intro and early on. Cole mentions power , greed, money, molly, weed, percs, Xanax, fame, and love as coping mechanisms on KOD and these are all explored and more across the course of the album. He talks about addiction in a way that glorifies it at times, but he always shows the negative sides which is what I really enjoyed. In fact, the cover art includes the text “This album is in no way intended to glorify addiction” in case anyone missed the crucial parts where he does the vast negatives. The production, lyrical skill including clever wordplay, and message felt well crafted on KOD. What I really like about Cole is that he actually talks about something rather than just flexing. This album is very well made, but I don’t think it reaches and invokes the same feelings and passion that 2014 FHD did for me. Overall it is very well done though. 

Personal Ranking:

1. Kevin’s Heart
2. BRACKETS
3. KOD
4. Once an Addict (Interlude)
5. ATM
6. Window Pain (Outro)
7. 1985 (Intro to “The Fall Off”)
8. The Cut Off
9. Motiv8
10. FRIENDS
11. Photograph
12. Intro

Standout Tracks/Adding to Playlist:

• Kevin’s Heart
• KOD
• ATM

Intro introduces the idea that we all have choices and we must choose wisely, especially when dealing with pain. This intro is fairly ominous and really sets up the vibe for the album which is a bit more lowkey.  

KOD is the true opener and Cole talks about his childhood, drugs, and all the questions people ask him about his career and ways they try and shape him. I really liked the relentless flow in the second verse and the wordplay about Eminem and in general. The song ends with the voice from the intro talking saying different words that are revealed to be the different drugs people are addicted to, although they’re not all substances. These include power, greed, money, molly, weed, percs, Xanax, fame, and what he says is the strongest drug of them all, love. This song is very catchy and the spoken word outro sets up the different addictions that are explored across the album. 

Photograph is a song about falling in love with a girl over her pictures on Instagram and is a commentary on social media which is the drug people are addicted to in this case. The refrain reminds me of 03 adolescence since he seems afraid to shoot his shot in lines such as “I shoot my shot and it brick”. Production wise this song is very relaxing with the guitar sample. I did enjoy this song, but I thought a lot of the other songs on this album just offered more. 

The Cut Off is about trust issues and having to cut people off. This song explores using drugs and alcohol to cope with pain. I liked the stir sticks on the snare drum way back in the mix which adds some jazz elements especially combined with the gentle piano. This album does have a jazz/hip hop fusion vibe going throughout a few tracks. 

ATM as revealed in a tweet by Cole stands for addicted to money. This track is very introspective and uses money as the vice and addiction as we heard about in KOD. I liked the money counter sound throughout, I thought added some great production value. This song is rather satirical since he knows money won’t actually solve all his problems which the second verse talks about. 

Motiv8 has a lot of interesting sounds in mix and again talks about money and the motivation to get money. I really liked the wordplay in this song and the refrain which starts quieter and gets louder as he repeats “I’m feeling alive”. This song slaps talks about popping pills and that side of addiction which is seemingly what’s making him feel alive in the refrain and adding energy to the vocals. 

Kevin’s Heart talks about love being the strongest drug of them all as referenced in KOD and is all about cheating. The title is a reference to Kevin Hart’s infidelity and cheating scandal. I loved the production and how tight the drums. I felt like a Cole really rides the beat well on this song. This song talks a bit more about drugs and money, and sex, but love and lust is the main focus. 

BRACKETS is a reference to tax brackets and the government taking money. This focuses on the greed and power aspect of addiction. Cole talks about how taxes aren’t setup fairly especially for those under privileged in the black community. This touches on the idea of taxation without representation. The line “lord knows I need something to fill this void” also highlights why some people turn to substances to feel better and self medicate. The Interlude adds some comic relief in a skit about making a million dollars but then owing half in taxes which sets up the second verse talks about how it doesn’t make sense how the government is setup, especially how schools don’t represent the black community and always try to “white out they sins” which is a clever play on words about both hiding history they don’t like but also about making everything about white people. The hard hitting ending reminds listener of the point of the song as we hear about a mother of a murdered boy who is under all this stress but is still is pressured to pay taxes over everything. 

Once an Addict (Interlude) brings back ideas of intro and develops them more. This interlude is a bit late in the album and comes near the end as there’s only two more songs on KOD excluding the final track which feels a bit out of place. I loved the production and vocals where Cole talks about his childhood and how his mother used alcohol to cope with depression. He thinks he can run away from his problems with physical distance despite wanting to help her but not knowing how. I  hindsight he wishes he did more in this introspective verse. I loved the hook which felt almost haunting and how the track ends with “life can bring much pain, there’s many ways to deal with this pain, choose wisely” which definitely feels haunting and like a warning. I think this interlude was placed really well to remind listeners about his message. 

FRIENDS talks about drug abuse as Cole clearly starts “I wrote this shit to talk about the word addiction”. He talks about all the things you can blame for your condition but ultimately how it’s just become the normal which is sad. He talks about how you would normally need therapy for the things people in the black community face everyday but they’re so used to it that it’s not as shocking to them. He says people often turn to substances to cope but that they should meditate instead of self medicating. 

Window Pain (Outro) starts with a spoken word piece from a little boy telling the story of his cousin getting shot. The fact that it’s a young boy telling this really shows the truth of the last song and the things they face. The instrumental feels ominous as we hear about all of Coles dreams from a child up to now and how they’ve changed. He reflects about what he left behind, questions gangs, and what people will do for acceptance. This song ends with the same child in the Intro and is very much a warning about how God is trying to teach everyone a lesson and how he’s going to restart the world. The very much horror themes synths exaggerate this point making the track somewhat chilling. This song ends with the phrase we’ve heard throughout the album about how life can bring much pain and we must “choose wisely”. 

1985 (Intro to “The Fall Off”) feels like a bonus track and really does feel like an intro to a new project. In this song he talks about new school rappers and gives advice on what to do with their new found money and success since they seem to blow it on cars, clothes, and jewelry instead of investments. He says he respects them having fun but he’s not with the  the drug culture they promote which really fits the album well. Cole says that he  thinks they’re only hot temporarily for riding trends unlike himself who will be around forever due to having lyrical skill and actually having a message. He thinks they’ll be left with regrets at the end of their career as they start to realize that they should’ve listened to his advice. This track is definitely a shot at Lil Pump since he uses the line “come here Lil man let me talk with ya” and says that if it’s true he was dissing him then he’s fucked. This is most likely a reference to Lil Pump starting a fuck J Cole chant at one of his shows. Instead of sending shots the whole time in this song, it really does feel like more of a warning than a flat out diss track which I respect.