Olu is a 37 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia notable for being 1/2 of the EARTHGANG & a member of the Spillage Village collective. His partner-in-rhyme WowGr8 made his solo debut 12 months ago with Howl at da Moon leaning more towards a comedic hip hop style for something vulnerably dramatic compared to everything he’s done in the past, but Johnny Venus has been hinting towards a full stylistic departure for his own debut embracing an R&B sound & signing to Epic Records rather than putting it out independently.
After the “11:00” intro, “On & On & On” co-produced by Wu10 sets the tone of what’s to come with this R&B intro singing about being in love prior to the self-produced “Porsche 911” taking a smoother approach altogether pleading for her to break it down to the floor. “Runway Killer” moves on from there atmospherically singing about running away from heartbreak with a killer guitar during the hook while “Sarahtonin” featuring Alissia & Ink finds the trio bringing back the funk for some seductive vibes.
“American Dream” mixes elements of trap, rock & R&B singing about this woman’s religion being his peace to conclude the midway point of Johnny Venus’ debut just before “So Beautiful” featuring 6LACK kicks off the 2nd half with a duet yearning to call their partners throughout the whole evening over a slick Wu10 beat. Want to further mention Dominique Sanders known for his output for Strange Music as 1/2 of The Xtraordinair$ or solo getting behind the boards for “I Want You Back” was a pleasant surprise, where Olu’s singing about wanting to rekindle the flame with an ex.
The song “Feng Shui” slows it down admitting sex got ‘em fucking up the positive energy while “Swallowed Pride” would be another moment I’d revisit from the Patrick Paige II instrumental to the lyrics about putting his ego to the side. “Nightmares” hops over a guitar singing about having bad dreams being in love with this individual & “Can You Pray for Me” sends off The 11th Hour in the form of an appropriate Spillage Village posse cut featuring Asha Imuno clocking at almost 8 & a half minutes.
Now that both members of the EARTHGANG have their solo debuts out of the way, The 11th Hour makes me think of the comparisons that’ve been made between them & OutKast in the sense of this Howl at da Moonbeing like Speakerboxxx retaining a hip hop sound & this being a stylistic departure similarly to The Love Below. I felt like the funky & atmospheric R&B production Olu handles other than a few big names was superior to WowGr8’s album last fall & sings as well as he raps.
Score: 4/5
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