Jerry – “ACCAPELLA” review

Trenton, New Jersey emcee, singer/songwriter, producer & music video director Jerry is back for his 5th extended play. You may know him for coming up as 1/2 of the duo MellowHype alongside Left Brain in the mid/late 2000s under the original moniker Hodgy Beats prior to helping I Smell Panties, Casey Veggies & The Jet Age of Tomorrow form the impactful albeit now defunct alternative hip hop collective Odd Future. He was also the first person in the Wolf Gang to put out a solo effort, dropping his debut mixtape The Dena Tape only 9 months after the crew put out their 1st tape as a unit The Odd Future Tape. Higashi Miyagi would go on to expand his solo discography with 2 more mixtapes & 3 EPs prior to his full-length debut Fireplace: TheNotTheOtherSide a day before my 20th birthday which to this day, I still think it’s possibly the most criminally overlooked offering that we’ve gotten since OF’s disbandment due to how much growth was shown on that album. Entitled was a solid comeback EP experimenting with contemporary R&B on top of a predominant west coast trap sound, coming off the singer/songwriter explorations of lovemesooner & No Receipt to go ACCAPELLA after his final rap offering Gayngsta.

After spending a bulk of the the 30 second “Hymns” intro vocally harmonizing, the opening track “Luck” sings about who one will trust when all of their fortune’s gone whereas “Firefly” pleads for his light to not be put out. “Racecar” continues from there clocking at almost a minute to sing about wanting to participate in auto racing & after the “Ayelive” interlude brings a gospel flare to the table for only a brief period of time, “Jose Meows” once again continues the harmonization we heard at the beginning.

“JoshuaTr##” kicks off the 2nd act singing for one of the iconic Mojave desert plants to be brought to him while “Missgrass” passionately find himself comfortable sitting in the bleachers & observing this person who desires of becoming a perfect leader. “Happyness” sings about keeping your worries right at the door & there being no fire to endure but after “Darling” asks if this person he loves knows he cares for them, the closer “TooEarly” ends the ACCAPELLA experience bridging a short verse in between the hook.

Gayngsta was still a bittersweet moment in Jerry’s career regardless of it not living up to my expectations & ACCAPELLA fully embraces this new chapter as a singer with an EP that I didn’t enjoy any more or less than the album he gave us only a month ago. Not that I don’t appreciate him trying to break his own artistic rules because his I find his a capella vocals more interesting than lovemesooner & No Receipt, but he needs to get with the right producer or producers that’ll elevate this new direction he’s going.

Score: 2.5/5

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Jerry – “Gayngsta” review

This is the 3rd studio LP from Trenton, New Jersey emcee, singer/songwriter, producer & music video director Jerry. You may know him for coming up as 1/2 of the duo MellowHype alongside Left Brain in the mid/late 2000s under the original moniker Hodgy Beats prior to helping I Smell Panties, Casey Veggies & The Jet Age of Tomorrow form the impactful albeit now defunct alternative hip hop collective Odd Future. He was also the first person in the Wolf Gang to put out a solo effort, dropping his debut mixtape The Dena Tape only 9 months after the crew put out their 1st tape as a unit The Odd Future Tape. Higashi Miyagi would go on to expand his solo discography with 2 more mixtapes & 3 EPs prior to his full-length debut Fireplace: TheNotTheOtherSide a day before my 20th birthday which to this day, I still think it’s possibly the most criminally overlooked offering that we’ve gotten since OF’s disbandment due to how much growth was shown on that album. Entitled was a solid comeback experimenting with contemporary R&B on top of a predominant west coast trap sound, coming off the singer/songwriter explorations of lovemesooner & No Receipt to get in his Gayngsta shit.

After the intro, the title track hops over a bell-woven trap beat so he can talk about being a G whereas “lose your mind” goes for a melodic approach in terms of delivery acknowledging his awareness of this woman doing her best. “slickrick” comes through with more energetic rap verses over a synth-driven instrumental talking about a swindler trying to get shit outta him just before “options” confronts a woman for calling him selfish when he helped her move out the country.

“halloween” chaotically talks about needing the pressure since he’s on the verge of exploding whole “vvs” atmospherically shows off his singing chops once again recalling a woman going away after saying the wrong thing. “pay mee” reaches the midway point of Gayngsta talking about taking whatever he wants in a robbery watching out for schemin’ bitches & double teamers while “W.W.J.D. (What Would Jesus Do?)” includes a line homaging the late, great MF DOOM & talks about running the block so long he’s reached O.G. status.

Continuing the 2nd half, “UK” experiments with a UK drill sound warning that he’ll run up in the flats of anyone disrespecting his family while “wrong” psychedelically confronts a woman who he believes is worth his time although that might not be the case. “skid row” talks about experiencing this world until he died, reaching his prime in his mid-30s & muhfuckas being straight up bums while “east orange” brings some rage vibes to the table reminding everyone of his New Jersey origins.

“heart open” winds down the last few moments of Gayngsta singing about love once more on top of this glitchy beat while “lil bop” cloudily describes a woman who gets dicked down constantly & being content with her running around the streets as long as she isn’t a thot. “n.g.c.o. (not getting cheated on)” talks about going out with a smile on his face & denying the implications of his partner being unfaithful to him while “fairy” ends the album assuring that he doesn’t have anything to worry over.

Jerry himself confirmed at the beginning of the week that he would no longer be rapping because he hasn’t felt inspired to continue making music in that vein for some time, which already seemed apparent when lovemesooner & No Receipt both came out. But unfortunately, Gayngsta doesn’t leave much of a lasting impression on me compared to Fireplace: TheNotTheOtherSide or even the untitled EPs & both installments of The Dena Tape series. Sure it’s bittersweet to hear him making 1 last hip hop offering until fully embracing the singer/songwriter in him, I was admittedly expecting more out of the production.

Score: 2.5/5

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Syd – “Beard” review

Syd is a 34 year old singer/songwriter, DJ & producer from Los Angeles, California known for being one of the now defunct Odd Future collective’s earliest members alongside her younger brother Taco. She would also front the alternative R&B band The Internet, who would go on to drop 4 studio LPs. I should also mention the Raunchboots solo mixtape back in 2011 along with her 2017 full-length debut Fin under Columbia Records & the accompanying Always Never Home extended play. Her sophomore effort Broken Hearts Club arrived in 2023 & had hopes of her Warner Records debut albeit 3rd LP artistically elevating herself beyond her previous material.

“Walls” starts us off with a settle R&B intro singing for her lover to come over to her place whereas “Callin’” featuring Blu June finds the pair using 911 for a metaphor detailing how much these 2 lovers need each other. The self-produced “Jasmin 17” embraces a groovier vibe instrumentally singing about this woman’s physique being therapeutic to her just before the bossa nova-inspired “My Love” gives a fuck less if anyone thinks she’s crazy for proving her love to this person.

Jordan Ward appears on “Always Be Mine” depicting a couple who doesn’t want to leave each other’s sides leading into “Closet” featuring CUBE wrapping up the 1st leg having Raphael Saadiq play bass singing about feeling the complete opposite of usually desiring for their own space. “Bad Guys” co-produced by Benny Cassette kicks off the 2nd half reminding us all that every villain was once goodhearted at some point while “G.M.F.U. (Got Me Fucked Up)” featuring Big Sean on the remix talks about being misperceived.

“Do Better” finds Syd refusing to go in circles again telling this woman she’s crazy for that she needs to make some improvements after the love she had for her became a weapon while “Any Time” featuring James Fauntleroy neo-psychedelically sings about always losing when running from the individuals addressed. “Water” assures the female partner she adores that she wouldn’t have if she found someone else & “2 Many Days” sings about working too hard to not make any money.

Nearly everything Syd has released on her own up until this point has left listeners torn, but I adamantly believe Beard sticks out in a league of it’s own compared to her early output although I wouldn’t put it above Steve Lacy’s new album Oh Yeah? that dropped earlier today. The largely self-handled production distills the contemporary/alternative R&B influences of her earlier output, coming into her own mixing them with some smooth & trap soul undertones.

Score: 3.5/5

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Steve Lacy – “Oh Yeah?” review

Steve Lacy is a 28 year old singer/songwriter, guitarist & producer from Compton, California known for being the guitarist of the now defunct Odd Future collective’s The Internet. Following a demo extended play in 2017, he would make his full-length studio debut in the spring of 2019 with Apollo XXI & his sophomore effort albeit major label debut Gemini Rights under RCA Records marked a huge artistic evolution compared to his early solo output to there point where his 3rd studio LP has become the most anticipated of his career.

The self-produced title track has a bit of a repetitive approach to the songwriting singing about being let out for the evening since he’s too young for death whereas “Is It Cool?” featuring SZA co-produced by his OF/Internet brethren Matt Martians blends alternative R&B, neo-soul, downtempo & neo-psychedelia to admit that the pair don’t even trust themselves. “The Feeling” incorporates secondary influences of psychedelic soul, bedroom pop & sophisti-pop asking why this person tested his patience.

Erykah Badu herself appears on “Pure Colour” teaming up to sing about 2 partners who desire to let them take control of one another so they can feel lighter while “Show You Me” reaches the midway point of the album with some cheery acoustics expressing the love he has for a bad boy. “Doom” continues from there with a nihilistically grungy 2-parter observing that people value validation instead of genuine connections while “nothing” sings about the inability of getting someone off his mind.

“LoveSexDrugBomb” winds down the last few moments of Oh Yeah? including a writing credit from Tyler, The Creator warmly yearning to have his partner right beside him while “Nice Shoes / In Your World” splits itself into 2 separate halves, climatically spiraling downwards for the sole purpose of him keeping to wish this body of work bestowed upon us. The alt-rock closing track “Bebe” sends it all off recalling the time I got my life screwed up.

Watching him blow up since Gemini Rights has been a long time coming for Steve Lacy as someone who’s been paying attention to him for almost a decade & Oh Yeah? contradicts the expansiveness of his idea. His production continues to push boundaries exploring neo-psychedelia, bedroom pop, indie folk, indie rock, alt-pop, singer/songwriter, alternative R&B, neo-soul, downtempo, psychedelic soul, sophisti-pop, alternative rock & grunge to tackle his usual themes of lust & longing from every angle he can possibly find.

Score: 4.5/5

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Earl Sweatshirt – “Utility” review

Brand new studio LP & the 7th altogether from Santa Monica, California emcee, producer & singer/songwriter Earl Sweatshirt. Beginning his career almost 2 decades ago using the alias Sly Tendencies as the son of Cheryl Harris & late poet Keorapetse Kgositsile, he posted a handful of tracks for a mixtape called Kitchen Cutlery on MySpace, but the tape would never be released to this day. He formed a short-lived rap trio with 2 of his friends called The Backpackerz & planned to release a mixtape together titled World Playground, but they disbanded sometime in 2009. Shortly after, he joined Odd Future & appeared on their 2nd & final mixtape Radical that May. 10 months later, he put out his only mixtape to date Earl with OF’s de facto leader Tyler, The Creator producing a bulk of it. The tape received a lot of buzz until Earl’s mother would send him to a therapeutic retreat school for at-risk boys in Samoa sometime after until February of 2012. He was then granted his own Columbia Records imprint Tan Cressida Records & released his full-length debut Doris a decade ago to critical acclaim right before I started my junior year of high school for his clever rhyme schemes & the gritty production from The Neptunes to even the RZA. He then formed the duo Hog Slaughta Boyz with OF affiliate Na’kel at the beginning of 2015 & released his sophomore album I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside. a couple months after. Many of which consider to be better than Doris for its darker aesthetic. Some Rap Songs not only wound up being my 2018 Album of the Year, but the bastard child of one of my all-time favorite albums: Madvillainy. Feet of Clay the year after marked a new distribution deal Tan Cressida signed with Warner Records was a cool collection of SRS outtakes preluding his full-length debut on the label Sick!, which the flawless Voir Dire produced by one of my top 10 producers of all-time The Alchemist cleared. Last summer’s Live Laugh Love detailed his experiences of becoming a father & has brought the Surf Gang in to produce Utility.

“this2shallpass” clarifies over an ambient plugg beat from Evilgiane & Harrison that the only destination going forward is up whereas “:( again :)” goes for a more general plugg vibe talking about finding the strength to get up again. The 3rd & final single “Home on the Range” instrumentally combines plugg & trap confessing he’s not quite over the hill yet while “React” talks about going from basic to advanced training.

Meanwhile on “Hot Water (Cahuilla)”, we have Earl laughing off the idea of him folding & that the hate on the way down be the realest just before “Rectangle Lens” goes for a more experimental vibe talking about shit getting more serious by the day. “Leadbelly” featuring MIKE blends plugg, cloud rap, ambient & experimental hip hop putting a minimal emphasis on each of their distinctively abstract styles just before “quikk” feels like a 2 minute compositional intermission.

“Ew!” would rank amongst my top 5 tracks from the beat to the lyrics about anyone trying him only stumbling & stacking up all kinds of cheese in the cut while the lead single “Earth” fuses cloud rap, ambient plugg, lowend & experimental hip hop speaking of having to scratch the surface so he could breathe. “Chali 2na” compares himself to the Jurassic 5 member of the same name & references WWE Hall of Famer Mr. T while “Sisyphus” talks about freezing over Hell on a daily basis.

Lerado Khalil joins Earl on “Locusts” to discuss how they’re steaming now rather than smoking while “Tour de France” talks about a little mouthful whenever he’s feeling content. “Chicago” compares himself to a merchant the way he stays outside over a Tony Seltzer beat while “Book of Eli” assures he won’t ever go away despite quieting down here & there. “AOK” looks back at when all he wanted was a tub & his father while “Don’t Worry!” sends it all off talking about him deserving to be burnt the 1st time around.

Right when “Making the Band (Danity Kane)” came out on SoundCloud a couple years ago, I knew the possibility of the Surf Gang producing an entire body of work for Earl Sweatshirt was a guaranteed & it’s as brilliant as I would’ve imagined. I already prefer the production more than Live Laugh Love mostly because it’s a lot different than what those who’ve become familiar with Earl’s discography would expect, expanding on the previously mentioned loosie’s cloudy plugg ideas & demonstrating his capability of rapping over anything.

Score: 4.5/5

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Domo Genesis – “Scram!” review

This is the 4th studio LP from Inglewood, California emcee & songwriter Domo Genesis. Starting in mid-2009 as a member of the now defunct Odd Future collective, he’s gone on to give us 3 full-lengths accompanied by 4 mixtapes & an EP excluding the Facade Records trilogy within the last dozen years, my personal favorites of which being his debut mixtape Rolling Papers, The Alchemist-produced 3rd mixtape No Idols, the Evidence-produced debut EP Aren’t U Glad You’re U? and sophomore effort Intros, Outros & Interludes. Doms’ last album What You Don’t Get!? produced by Graymatter had a more drumless sound & coming off World Gone Mad this summer, they’re advising any & all competition to Scram!.

“Sheddingweight” begins with a delicately drumless beat talking about being paid in pounds & not needing any extra baggage whereas “Makemealilmoney” takes an orchestral route instrumentally looking to get paid. “Goodgracious” talks about time waving the long hand wondering how fast it’ll prior to “Clocking2u” featuring Evidence bodying a bare sample together.

Moving on from there, “Money” discusses the most important thing that builds his ego with a more suspenseful sound just before the calming “Dedication” talks about always staying on his feet even when he’s sleeping. “Kurtrambis” kicks off the 2nd half reminding that he’s been running up numbers & others being too afraid to call it the way it is while “Deyknow” references 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, 14-time WWE world champion, 5-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 3-time WWE tag team champion & the WME Group-owned TKO Group Holdings division’s CCO Triple H.

“Plainface” brings some synths into the fold speaking of those trying to use his likeness while the heavenly “Tiresmoke” talks about letting bullshit breathe instead of drawing guns. “Buenosnachos” chops up a soul sample to advise that his latest efforts aren’t a tone else’s honors while “Everythingimnot” featuring 3wayslim talks about changing in many ways. “Pray4u” wraps things up with a message to a person he loves more than himself.

Finally accepting himself at face value, Scram! sorta feels like everything that makes Domo Genesis who he is combined into 1. Graymatter’s production more soulful than What You Don’t Get?! & World Gone Mad were, both guests were refreshing to hear as much as I enjoyed both predecessors for holding the fort individually & Doms pens what could very likely be the most abstract lyrics of his entire career accepting himself at face value.

Score: 4/5

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Earl Sweatshirt – “Live Laugh Love” review

Santa Monica, California emcee, producer & singer/songwriter Earl Sweatshirt surprise-releasing his 6th LP. Beginning his career in 2008 under the name Sly Tendencies as the son of Cheryl Harris & late poet Keorapetse Kgositsile, he posted a handful of tracks for a mixtape called Kitchen Cutlery on MySpace, but the tape would never be released to this day. Then he formed a rap trio with 2 of his friends called The Backpackerz & planned to release a mixtape together titled World Playground, but they disbanded sometime in 2009. Shortly after, he joined Odd Future & appeared on their 2nd & final mixtape Radical that May. 10 months later, he put out his only mixtape to date Earl with OF’s de facto leader Tyler, The Creator producing a bulk of it. The tape received a lot of buzz, but Earl’s mother would send him to a therapeutic retreat school for at-risk boys in Samoa sometime after until February of 2012. He was then granted his own Columbia Records imprint Tan Cressida Records & released his full-length debut Doris a decade ago to critical acclaim right before I started my junior year of high school for his clever rhyme schemes & the gritty production from The Neptunes to even the RZA. He then formed the duo Hog Slaughta Boyz with OF affiliate Na’kel at the beginning of 2015 & released his sophomore album I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside. a couple months after. Many of which consider to be better than Doris for its darker aesthetic. Some Rap Songs not only wound up being my favorite album of 2018, but also bastard child of one of my all-time favorite albums: Madvillainy. Feet of Clay the year after marked a new distribution deal Tan Cressida signed with Warner Records was a cool collection of SRS outtakes preluding his full-length debut on the label Sick! about 3 & a half years ago, coming off one of my top 10 producers of all-time The Alchemist for the flawless Voir Dire to drop Live Laugh Love almost a week since the listening party.

“GSW vs. SAC” starts with a throwback to the Some Rap Songs era talking about how he’s always been a slow roller whereas “Forge” hooks up a Middle Eastern sample advising to stick along for the ride. “Infatuation” goes for a drumless chipmunk soul direction referencing the Bessie Anderson Stanley poem Success leading into the funky “Gamma (Need the <3)” giving a nod to the late Roy Ayers’ biggest hit “Everybody Loves the Sunshine”.

The strings that Navy Blue heavily samples during the course of “Well Done!” reminding us that he already said nobody could get a rise out of a real one just before the 2-parter “Live” produced by Black Noi$e cautions not to get beheaded with only a month left of summer. “Static” drumlessly references WWE Hall of Famer Muhammad Ali at the beginning & later Jean Dawson at the halfway point of his verse while “Crisco” continues to strip the drums to talk about his upbringings.

“Tourmaline” counts down the final minutes of Live Laugh Love by coming to his senses while “Heavy Metal aka Ejecto Seato!” recalling a dream he had in 2016 vaguely similar to a scene in the movie Trainspotting where Renton began hallucinating as a result of him detoxing from heroin. “Exhaust” lastly sends off the album sampling a flute advising that it’s really just you & whatever you think at the end of the day, to which he’s not entirely wrong about.

If Some Rap Songs had a sequel that bridges the teenager we were formally introduced to 15 years earlier & the family man Earl Sweatshirt has become presently, you’d get Live Laugh Love. The production is a little more experimental than Voir Dire’s was 24 months previously & it brings a smile to my face knowing that the most skilled lyricist to come out from the OF camp is in a better place mentally.

Score: 4.5/5

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Left Brain – “Wild Fire 5 Ball” review

Left Brain is a 35 year old producer, rapper & photographer from Los Angeles, California who helped form the impactful albeit now defunct alternative hip hop collective Odd Future alongside his MellowHype cohort Jerry, I Smell Panties, Casey Veggies & The Jet Age of Tomorrow. His solo debut tape Mind Gone & its sequel Gone, Never Forgotten were both welcomed to mixed reception & was interested to see this extended play under EMPIRE Distribution having no guest appearances whatsoever.

The self-produced “Neck & Neck” combines a guitar, hi-hats & a woodwind for an intro about having his foot on muhfuckas’ necks whereas “Gameboy” incorporates advising not to give the game away since you either have it or don’t. “On My Brain” smoothens things out explaining what’s running through his head & after “Wildlife” cooks up a synth-driven trap beat talking about being here 1 day only to be gone the next, “Smoke Clears” ends Wild Fire 5 Ball with a trap outro getting flamed up.

Going back to the Odd Future era, there were always moments where Left Brain had proved his skills as a rapper since there was always a song or 2 throughout MellowHype’s discography where occasionally contributes to verses & there’s no doubt in my mind that Wild Fire 5 Ball offers the strongest portrayal of what an entire full-length debut could potentially sound like compared to the Mind Gone series. His trap production aside from “Gameboy” is still as good as it was when OF, MellowHype & even MellowHigh were all still around in my high school days & those who enjoyed his older verses will appearing hearing where he’s at presently.

Score: 4/5

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Domo Genesis – “World Gone Mad” review

Inglewood, California emcee & songwriter Domo Genesis linking back up with Graymatter for his 2nd EP. Starting in mid-2009 as a member of the now defunct Odd Future collective, he’s gone on to give us 2 studio albums accompanied by 4 mixtapes & an EP excluding the Facade Records trilogy within the last dozen years, my personal favorites of which being his debut mixtape Rolling Papers, The Alchemist-produced 3rd mixtape No Idols, the Evidence-produced debut EP Aren’t U Glad You’re U? and sophomore effort Intros, Outros & Interludes. Doms’ last LP What You Don’t Get!? had a more drumless sound & they look to recapture that feeling in a World Gone Mad.

After the intro, “Weezy Face” is a jazzily drumless opener with a hint of a rock music talking about being the underrated greatest whereas “Church’s Chicken” gives off an orchestral boom bap vibe talking about having belief in half of what he’s seen. The title track strips the drums again explaining that he’s exactly what he sells because it’s his real life & “Rough Diamonds” soulfully ends with Domo talking about still drawing pictures in the sand.

What You Don’t Get!? to me was a solid continuation of the drumless sound he went with on Intros, Outros & Interludes even if I still have that as my favorite solo album of the 3 that Domo Genesis has dropped. World Gone Mad regardless maintains the jazz elements of What You Don’t Get!? aside from Graymatter occasionally venturing out in favor of chipmunk soul, boom bap or a small dosage of rap rock & Doms spitting heat for 10 minutes.

Score: 4/5

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Tyler, The Creator – “Don’t Tap the Glass” review

New surprise LP & the 8th overall from California emcee, singer/songwriter, producer, actor, visual artist, designer & comedian Tyler, The Creator. Emerging as the de facto leader of Odd Future, his evolution both artistically & personally since the collective’s disbandment last decade has truly been amongst the most fascinating ones I’ve ever witnessed in my lifetime going from the bratty edginess of Bastard & Goblin to the undeniable maturity & versatility shown on Flower Boy & Igor. Call Me If You Get Lost happened to be his best lyrically & Chromakopia was a mature refinement of Cherry Bomb, releasing Don’t Tap the Glass in the middle of his ongoing tour.

“Big Poe” featuring Pharrell instrumentally throws it back to something The Neptunes would’ve made in the early 2000s with both of them introducing us to this new alter-ego possibly homaging the late Big Moe of the Screwed Up Click whereas “Sugar on My Tongue” takes on a more sexual tone with the lyrics experimenting with hip house. “Sucka Free” lyrically carries over the confidence of his “hey now” freestyle last Christmas except for a g-funk beat backing him until “Mommanem” drumlessly compares his haters to children.

One of the craziest instrumentals Tyler has ever made lands on “Stop Playing with Me” fusing Miami bass & electro calling for detractors to hop off his dick while “Ring Ring Ring” goes for an Off the Wall-era Michael Jackson vibe singing for his lover to pick up the phone & hoping they’re well. The title track boastfully laughs at the idea of him losing touch with the regular folks when he’s never been regular his whole career & “Tweakin’” brings back the synths to find himself trippin’ making the first 2-parter since Call Me If You Get Lost.

“Don’t You Worry Baby” lets DAISY take over the vocal performances singing about having the time & giving it to him before he falls asleep showing a Miami bass influence again while “I’ll Take Care of You” comes off as more of an interlude heavily sampling both Killa C & Princess’ verses during the Crime Mob’s biggest hit “Knuck If You Buck” for 3 & a half minutes. Including the Cherry Bomb title track’s drums. “Tell Me What It Is” ties up the half hour experience with a closer reminiscent of IGOR feeling skeptical of opening up his soul for love since he doesn’t know exactly how to.

Tyler, The Creator commemorates the 8-year anniversary of Flower Boy by straying away from the conceptual themes throughout a bulk of earlier material & whipping up a candidate for Album of the Summer with only a couple months left. It’s more centered around the pop rap & dance styles than anything he’s done previously pulling further inspiration from synth-funk, Miami bass, electro, neo-soul, dance-pop, hardcore hip hop, hip house, Atlanta bass & contemporary R&B doing what Drake thinks he did on Honestly, Nevermind but far superior.

Score: 4.5/5

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