genre: sadboy – Self-Titled review

genre: sadboy is an Ohio duo consisting of rapper, singer/songwriter, musician & actor MGK alongside rapper & singer/songwriter Trippie Redd. Both of whom have already crossed paths with one another quite a few times over the years on tracks like “all I know”, “Red Sky”, “Pill Breaker” & “Candy”. So obviously looking back on their history of working with one another as well as the simple fact that they’re both from the same neck of the woods, one shouldn’t be too surprised by them forming genre: sadboy & putting out a debut EP.

“lost boys” unceremoniously begins with this emo-folk cut talking about how it’s just another one of those nights again whereas “beauty” takes the somber trap route sampling “Let Go” by Frou Frou dropping corny bars like “Ship across the sand like The Mandalorian”. “time travel” immerses everyone into their worlds showing a back-&-forth chemistry over a spaciously drumless beat while “struggles” goes head-on rock again whining that they’re not happy to be here.

Moving forward, “suddenly” brings that trap flare back trying to be edgy by saying that’s everyone’s alive except for them while the cloudy yet tedious “half dead” moans about being all alone. “hiding in the hills” discusses running from themselves with Satan as Ronny J mixes rock & trap just before the dreary trap cut “no more” talks about giving 0 at this point. J.I.D’s feature on the rap rock “who do I call?” is the best verse of the entire EP asking where do they go from here & the stripped-back “summer’s gone” finishes self-titled by telling y’all to let them dry & rot.

It was pretty much a guarantee that genre: sadboy was gonna come out with one of the absolute worst EPs of the year & they sure did not disappoint considering the standard that was already set by the couplet of singles we’ve gotten in over a week. The poppy trap & rock production is ok considering that both members of the duo have ventured out in those particular sounds previously, it’s just that Trippie’s performances are significantly better than the 2 & they just aren’t enough for me to keep coming back to the EP.

Score: 1/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

MGK – “Binge” review

MGK is a 27 year old rapper from Cleveland, Ohio who signed to Bad Boy Entertainment at the beginning of the decade. However, his style never really stuck with me. His 2012 debut Lace Up was just ok, but General Admission & bloom was one of the worst albums of last year. However, he’s returning with his 2nd EP just a week after Eminem ripped him apart with “Killshot”.

Things begin with “LONG TIME COMING”, which is a 1-minute cringed auto-crooner. The next track “LOCO” gets braggadocious over some heavy bass & a generic hook while the song “G.T.S. (Going Thru Shit)” sees MGK is a melodramatic story about what’s on his mind over a bland banger beat. The track “RAP DEVIL” is a corny & basic diss towards Eminem that’s carried by a solid Ronny J instrumental while the song “NYLON” is another boring brag over a nondescript beat.

The track “LATELY” talks about an ex, but his attempt at getting melodic just comes off as annoying. The song “SIGNS” with 24hrs sees the 2 talking about a bad bitch over a spacey trap beat while the penultimate track “GET THE BROOM” is the best track on the EP period. MGK’s sounds very animated & the Honorable C.N.O.T.E. production suits him perfectly as well. The EP then finishes with “LIVEFASTDIEYOUNG”, where he tells us he doesn’t give a fuck over a murky trap beat.

This should’ve been called Cringe because while it is slightly better than MGK’s last 2 albums, it’s still pretty bad. There are a few actual compelling moments compared to his last 2 albums, but the beats are mostly generic & MGK’s basic does nothing for me.

Score: 1/5

MGK – “bloom” review

About a year & a half after the release of his mediocre sophomore album General Admission, Bad Boy Entertainment signee MGK is now putting out his 3rd full-length album. The opener “The Gunner” is decent with it’s piano/explosive drum instrumental & it’s ambitious lyrics, but the album takes a massive nosedive right after that. The next track “Wake + Bake” is a weed anthem with a cheesy psychedelic-esque instrumental & while his rags-to-riches story on “Go for Broke” isn’t too bad, but the instrumental & the James Arthur hook turn it into a generic radio-hit. I can also see where he’s getting at by talking about being imperfect & not giving up on “At My Best”, but the way he does it is so painfully corny. The gaudy beat & the Hailee Steinfeld hook exactly don’t help at all, either. The song “Kiss the Sky” has a bland instrumental, a tedious hook & sappy lyrics about not needing stars to grant wishes because he’s famous. The track “Golden God” talks about going from working at Chipotle to being a successful artist, but the beat is pretty boring. I can definitely see the song “Trap Paris” being a club banger, but the trap instrumental from Sonny Digital as well as the catchy Ty$ hook & the Quavo verse are really the only things about the track that make it worth vibing out to. The track “Moonwalkers” is another dumb weed anthem with a decent trap beat while the song “Can’t Walk” generically talks about being on pills over an plain electro instrumental. The lovey dovey “Bad Things” with Camila Cabello is probably the worst track on the entire album. Not that I have an issue with rappers making love songs but this one in particular is so sugary, that you might get diabetes after listening to it for the first time. The song “Rehab” cornily compares his love for this woman to drugs over an acoustic instrumental while the penultimate track “Let You Go” talks about an ex over an awkward rap rock instrumental. The torture finally ends with the decent “27”, where he talks about the 27 Club since he turned 27 a few weeks prior over a twangy guitar & some pianos. As a whole, this is definitely one of the worst things I’ve heard all year. There are very few tolerable moments on here but for the most part, it sounds way more commercial than ever & Machine Gun Kelly’s lyrics are at it’s corniest

Score: 0.5/5