Atlanta, Georgia rapper & singer/songwriter Bktherula back for her 4th studio LP. Beginning a decade ago as a pop/R&B singer, she eventually broke out in the plugg scene after dropping the single “Tweakin’ Together” produced by my lil homie Mars off her debut mixtape Love Santana. This resulted in her signing to Warner Records, following it up with her sophomore tape Nirvana along with the full-length debut Love Black & LVL5. Coming off LVL5 2 & Lucy however, she’s returning 16 months later for N5ON.
“I Go Punk” kicks things off with Whethan fusing grime, dubstep, pop rap & hybrid trap talking about killing the ego right then & there leading into “Activated” produced by iloveit! chaotically admitting she’ll be on her worst behavior once she’s finished with this cup in her hand. “Oh Yay” goes for an atmospheric direction instrumentally yearning to see her lover’s body moving in different ways while “Addicted2U” featuring underscores blends electropop, electro house, dance-pop, hyperpop & progressive house achieving their goal of making something generational.
Cade gets behind the boards during “2002” talking about the club playing her music in a room full of sexy women just before “2wice” confronts someone who walked passed her a couple times like they never shared a name. “Lost in a Rave” talks about her desire of hearing a bass drop until it cuts through the evening & once “Afterz” flexes her money being longer than a pterodactyl, “Drunk” finds herself wanting to get wasted with her partner.
“Wav” hops over a Keyon Christ beat admitting this feels more like a dream to her instead of sincere love while “Push Pull Method” talks about a lost friend of hers who she can’t stop thinking of saying she would marry her when the party ends only to marry some other guy. “Jevitas” lets ¥en Diezel handle the sole verse going full-blown Spanish for an anthem dedicated to all the youthfully attractive women in the function while “Alisha” ends N5ON advising the person addressed not to call her without humble intentions.
Both singles that’ve come out within the past several months were a clear indication of Bktherula making a stylistic departure with N5ON & unsurprisingly, it’s the most experimental thing she’s made thus far. The songwriting’s noticeably more repetitive than anything she’s done previously, but the largely EDM-oriented production contrasting the trap/rage sounds she became known for at the turn of the decade validates it.
Score: 3.5/5
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