Bryson Tiller – Self-Titled review

This is the eponymous 4th full-length LP from Louisville, Kentucky singer/songwriter & rapper Bryson Tiller. Beginning over a decade ago off his debut mixtape Killer Instinct, he would eventually sign to RCA Records & release the ground breaking debut T R A P S O U L celebrating it’s 9-year anniversary this fall. The sophomore effort True to Self was underwhelming & A N N I V E R S A R Y proved to be a step in the right direction but coming off 4 more tapes & EP since (more recently the Slum Tiller trilogy, Bryson’s looking reintroduce himself & show the world what he’s capable of.

After the “http://” intro, the first song “Attention” is a spacey R&B opener singing about being drawn by a captivating woman whereas “Stay Gold” clashes the pop rap & R&B styles together to address the value of the relationship & willingness to make things work. “Persuasion” featuring Victoria Monét is a trap soul duet detailing a flirtatious encounter between 2 people, but then the standout “Ciao!” sings about being finically taken advantage of over a laid-back instrumental from Charlie Heat, FNZ & Leon Thomas III.

“Peace” continues to mix passionate vocals derived from contemporary R&B with nocturnal & atmospheric trap production to admit his need for peace just before another favorite “Rich Boy” finds Vinylz, Boi-1da, Ging & Allen Ritter sampling “Throw Some D’s” by Rich Boy himself spending everything on his romantic interest qfrom the night. “R.A.M. (Random Access Memory)” brings some heavy synthesizers into the fold wanting the old him back that is until “No Thank You” blends hi-hats & lower register synths talking about an endured bond.

The summery guitars on “Find My Way” singing that believe in love except the problem is that he doesn’t know what else to call it while yet another highlight “Prize” fuses alternative R&B & pop rap to tell the woman in his life that no one ends can do it the way that she does. “Waterfalls” brings a psychedelic flare to the beat to sing about paintin’ waterfalls in his woman while “ÆON L U S T” goes afrobeats thanks to KAYTRANADA telling the story of being fascinated by someone special.

“Calypso” was a mediocre contemporary R&B choice of a single with additional elements of afrobeats & dancehall likening her body to Carribean music altogether while the cloudy albeit snappy “Outside” expresses his sexual desire to a freshly single woman who was unable to escape a disastrous previous relationship. “Undertow” strips things back saying he can feel her heartbeat in his chest while “F4U” flips ”Feenin’” by JoDeCi rapping his ass off. “Assume the Position” goes for a groovier approach telling her to put both her hands where he can see them prior to Whatever $he Wants” ending self-titled with a flavorful hybrid of pop rap, Detroit trap, alternative R&B & even hyphy music.

Decent album altogether, but the highs are high enough to the point where I’d actually put this eponymous effort right behind A N N I V E R S A R Y as my 3rd favorite LP of his. The production matches the caliber of that previous full-length combining contemporary R&B & none other than of course the trap soul sound he pioneered with pop rap, afrobeats, alternative R&B & electropop as Bryson invites listeners into a world where genre boundaries are not only crossed but reimagined in vignettes of his love life.

Score: 2.5/5

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Future – “We Don’t Trust You” review

This is the 10th full-length LP from Atlanta, Georgia rapper & singer/songwriter Future. Coming up as a member of the Dungeon Family thanks to his cousin Rico Wade of Organized Noize, he officially made his debut in 2012 with Pluto & would later follow it up with a hot streak of modern day trap essentials like Honest, Monster, Beast Mode & my personal favorite of his: D.S. 2 (Dirty Sprite 2). However since 2017, Future has mostly been painting himself in a corner & prioritizing quantity over quality. I mean sure HNDRXX took a more sensual approach & SUPER SLIMEY showed a pretty great chemistry with fellow trap trailblazer Young Thug, but Beast Mode 2 was a step down from the predecessor & he got with Juice WRLD to put out a collab tape that literally should’ve never happened: WRLD on Drugs. Finally at the very beginning of that next year, The WIZRD was just passable even though it showed NO artistic evolution whatsoever & Save Me was a decent attempt at being more vulnerable, High Off Life admirably found him staying true to himself in the midst of trying new things & I Never Liked You put the toxicity claims about him to rest. That said: Metro Boomin’ reuniting for Future’s first double album since FUTURE HNDRXX was surely going to surpass them both when you think about the history between the 2.

The title track is a cloudy trap opener with some synthesizers talking about having hate written all over you leading into “Young Metro” taking them into church with co-production from Mike Dean & even The Weeknd supplying additional vocals. “Ice Attack” finds the So Icey Boyz takes the dynamic route instrumentally cautioning not to put too much jewelry on, but then the bell-driven “Type Shit” featuring Playboi Carti & Travis Scott is essentially the new “Carnival” finds the trio making it known that they do NOT fuck with rats out here referencing WCW founder Ted Turner.

“Claustrophobic” starts with pianos, strings, hi-hats & a spoken word Prodigy intro talking about feeling claustrophobic himself just before the horn-inflicted “Like That” featuring Kendrick Lamar finds the trio or quintet of you include ¥$ on the remix talking about poppin’ bottles & Kendrick recapturing that “Control” aura sayin’ “Fuck sneak dissin’, first person shooter, I hope they came with 3 switches I crash out like “Fuck rap,” diss Melle Mel if I had to. Got 2TEEZ with me, I’m snatchin’ chains & burnin’ tattoos” alongside “Motherfuck the big 3, n***a, it’s just big me” followed by “I’m really like that & your best work is a light pack, Prince outlived Mike Jack. ‘Fore all your dogs gettin’ buried that’s a K with all these 9s, he gon’ see Pet Sematary”.

The otherworldly atmosphere of “Slimed In” goes forward getting on his slime shit suggesting that y’all should be hittin’ him up through the Meta Platforms-owned WhatsApp & having additional Young Thug vocals on the pre-hook while “Magic Don Juan (Princess Diana)” is this off-the-wall 2-parter co-produced by Boi-1da & Honorable C.N.O.T.E. likening himself to Bishop Don Juan serving as the soundtrack to buying drip to.

Travis joins Pluto on the psychedelic “Cinderella” talking about their racks being stuck together while “Runnin’ Outta Time” has to be endearing moment on the album featuring co-production from Zaytoven admitting that he can’t trust nobody calling out everyone that has ever turned his back on him. “Fried (She a Vibe)” goes back into a cloudier direction talking about still being high from the other night while the symphonic/trap crossover “Ain’t No Love” co-produced by Outtatown clarifies that it isn’t love when motherfuckers be acting fake out here & that’s facts.

“Everyday Hustle” featuring Rick Ross has a more soulful flare to it as they both discuss hustling 24/7 while the WWE Bad Blood IV theme song “GTA” finds the So Icey Boyz & Wheezy hooking up keys & hi-hats looking to crash out. The song “Seen It All” flips “Quiet Storm” by Prodigy feeling like he truly has seen & done it all while the penultimate track “W.T.F.Y.M. (What The Fuck You Mean?)” kinda has this otherworldly tone to the beat going crazy in the trap. “Where My Twin @?” concludes Future’s best album since DS2 by paying tribute to Thug.

Future’s output in the last 7 years has generally been mid although I do enjoy the highlights off each album, but We Don’t Trust You is basically a refined version of self-titled & Future’s strongest LP in almost a decade. Metro has evolved tremendously behind the boards since they last worked with one another, the hidden features were a fun touch & Pluto is absolutely back in his element. We Still Don’t Trust You in a few weeks has pretty much been confirmed to be a spiritual successor to HNDRXX stylistically much like this & if anything, it’ll make you love We Don’t Trust You more.

Score: 4.5/5

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Matt Champion – “Mika’s Laundry” review

Woodlands, Texas rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Matt Champion releasing his full-length solo debut LP. Someone you may know for being a founding member of the now defunct BROCKHAMPTON collective alongside Kevin Abstract, Ameer Vann, Merlyn Wood & JOBA. He also released a solo EP Harley in the spring of 2017 right before the classic SATURATION trilogy but now that the best boy band since 1 Direction broke up a couple years ago already, Matt’s stepping up to the plate by releasing Mika’s Laundry following Slime in the Ice Machine & Blanket.

The self-produced “Green” starts us off smoothly talking about that Alabama blue whereas “Aphid” featuring Dijonfuses neo-soul & alternative R&B with additional elements of pop rap, psychedelic soul & even bedroom pop asking if one can say hallelujah for him to know they’re wild. “Steel” featuring Dora Jar brings a funkier groove to the table instrumentally not minding if his lover asks him to hurry, but then the vibrant albeit woodwind-driven “Gbiv” talking about blowing the paint like a piston.

Meanwhile, “Purify” groovily asks if he can trust this individual just before “Dogfish” mixes indie rock, art pop, slowcore, neo-soul & experimental hip hop all into 1 talking about the kind of smile people say he has. “Code Red” gives off a melodic trap flare thanks to Jabari Manwa hoping his lover is ready to go leading into the synth-heavy “Aren’t You Excited?” talking about wanting to be a part of her world except that he’s stuck inside a video screen.

“Slug” crosses over electro-disco, neo-soul boogie, synth-funk, synthpop & psychedelic soul desiring someone he’d never leave no matter what he does while the summery “Everybody Likes You” asks his partner what they do when no one else is around. “Project” acoustically gets reminded why he let an ex of his go while “Slow Motion” featuring JENNIE dabbles with atmospheric liquid drum fusing that with adult contemporary, art pop & alt-pop talking about moving slowly. The delicately-produced closer “Meetin’ You” finishes Matt’s first solo album never needing another thing.

Kevin went for a completely different sound on Blanket last fall & for anyone who liked the alternative R&B/neo-soul direction that Harley took months before BROCKHAMPTON’s popularity skyrocketed, you should know what you’re getting yourself into on Mika’s Laundry. Matt’s continuing to reveal his artistic range with his passionate songwriting/vocals generally going for a predominant alt-pop feeling with undertones of alternative R&B, neo-soul, pop rap, art pop.

Score: 4/5

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Flo Milli – “Fine Ho, Stay” review

Flo Milli is a 24 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Mobile, Alabama who went viral in 2018 off her charismatic “Beef” freestyle. She then signed to RCA Records & put out her debut mixtape Ho, Why Is You Here? a couple summers later following by the full-length debut You Still Here, Ho? nearly 2 years later. So continuing the biyearly work cycle, it’s only right that she returns with a sophomore album since spring’s coming up.

To get us started, “Understand” acknowledges that she’s different from all these other women in the game over a Memphis style instrumental from Bugz Ronin whereas “New Me” featuring Anycia works in synthesizers & hi-hats thanks to Honorable C.N.O.T.E. talking about feeling like a brand new person. “Got the Juice” cautions that she’ll beef with you forever if you go at her first over a thunderous Kid Hazel beat, but then “Neva” featuring Monaleo refuses to conform with the help of Juicy J, Lex Luger & Purps providing a bit of a wealthy atmosphere.

“Never Lose Me” featuring Lil Yachty which I like more than the remix featuring Cardi B & SZA mixes pop rap with pluggnb, trap soul & even chipmunk soul affirming self-worth leading into “Toast” dabbling further into plugg courtesy of Cardo telling her ex to leave her alone. “Can’t Stay Mad” gets more melodic explaining she can put the bullshit behind when he loves her a certain way just before “Edible” featuring Gunna finds Bangladesh blending a guitar riff with hi-hats talking about how hard the sex be hitting.

Moving on with the 2nd half, “Lay Up” moodily makes it clear that that’s exactly what she wants to do while the minimal “Life Hack” produced by ATL Jacob refuses to let anyone play her & that she can’t be replaced. “Clap Sum” returns to put hoes in the ground accompanied by a monstrous Mike WiLL Made-It beat & after “Tell Me What You Want” goes for a bouncier vibe asking her lover what he needs from her, the final song “Not Sorry” talks about being unapologetic over another plugg instrumental.

From the moment I heard her “Beef” freestyle, I knew that Flo was talented & that it was going to flourish going into the current decade as one of the best females in the game. Sure enough: Fine Ho, Stay ends the 4-year trilogy with the most intimate installment of them all. A couple spotty features here & there, but we get expansive take on her lively sound & we find all of her alter-egos colliding together.

Score: 3.5/5

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21 Savage – “american dream” review

London, England, United Kingdom born albeit Atlanta, Georgia raised rapper, songwriter & occasional producer 21 Savage back with his 4th full-length solo LP over 3 years since the previous one Savage Mode II. Appearing on the iconic 2016 XXL Freshman Class list, he continued to make a household name for himself in the current trap landscape by dropping his 2nd EP Savage Mode with Metro Boomin’ producing it in it’s entirety shortly after. Then came his full-length debut Issa Album & an incredible collab album he did with Offset called Without Warning the following year, but it wouldn’t be until the end of 2018 where 21 dropped his most mature work to date with i am > i was. Fast forward a little over a month later, he was arrested by ICE after it was revealed that he was born in the UK & stayed in the US on an expired visa to freed 10 days later. But as he gears up to release his own biopic this summer coming off Savage Mode II, he’s giving us the soundtrack 6 months early.

After the titular intro, the first song “all of me” is a spaciously trap opener sampling Rose Royce talking about becoming the person that he is today whereas “redrum” works in more hi-hats & an operatic vocal flip thanks to London on da Track getting on his murder shit. “n.h.i.e.” featuring Doja Cat comes through with a moody pop rap duet discussing playing by the rules prior to the cloudy “Sneaky” laced by Coupe talking about how it be every time he gets with his bitch.

“pop ur shit” featuring Metro Thuggin’ finds both 21 & Young Thug getting braggadocious on top of a dark Metro Boomin’ instrumental except the “It smell like gas, I think somebody pooped” line is cringe just before the sample-heavy “letter 2 my brudda” is a sequel to “letter 2 my momma”. Metro returns behind the boards with BoogzDaBeast for “dangerous” featuring Lil Durk telling all the fuck boys to stay out their way over some crooning vocals & hi-hats, but then “née-nah” featuring Travis Scott goes into orchestral turf talking about people getting them fucked up.

Meanwhile, “see the real” takes the atmospheric route with the help of OG Parker explaining his dog don’t want nothin’ out of life but to kill motherfuckers while “prove it” featuring Summer Walker finds Coupe flipping Faith Evans so both of them can deliver a pop rap/R&B duet. “should’ve wore a bonnet” featuring Brent Faiyaz keeps the trap/R&B fusions rolling as Cardo samples “I Don’t Want to Do Anything” by Mary J. Blige featuring K-Ci while “just like me” addresses “the judge for my crimes” over a soulful trap beat Metro & FNZ made.

The penultimate track “red sky” sees Honorable C.N.O.T.E. blending these strings as well as hi-hats to begin the encore of the american dream soundtrack matched with 21’s lyrics about tides risin’ up to new highs & finally, “dark days” featuring Mariah the Scientist on the hook is a profound note to end the album on being unable to stand the thought of losing all his dawgs. I also felt that Kid Hazel played his part in enhancing the overall emotion to the track too.

Although I wouldn’t put it on the same pedestal as Savage Mode II as far as 21’s full-lengths go, we still got a solid follow-up from him nevertheless in my opinion. The production expands his trap sound by additionally pulling from gangsta rap, pop rap & chipmunk soul so he can formally address the long-standing queries about the UK-born rapper’s origin story & the immigration troubles that ensued in the intervening years.

Score: 3.5/5

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B.G. & Gucci Mane – “Choppers & Bricks” review

This is a brand new collaborative mixtape between B.G. & Gucci Mane, one of whom hails from New Orleans, Louisiana starting as 1/4 of the Hot Boy$ & the other coming straight outta Atlanta, Georgia becoming one of what I like to call the big 3 trap pioneers. The only time we’ve ever really heard them together previously was in 2015 on the track “Try It Out” & with B.G. being released from prison this past fall, he & Wop are joining forces throughout the duration of Choppers & Bricks thus making the collab tape the first body of work from the Baby Gangsta ever since he came home.

“Talk” is a chilling trap opener produced by DJ Paul cautioning that shit’s gonna start getting real here pretty quickly whereas “Guwop & Gizzle” gives off a more suspenseful atmosphere instrumentally so they can both break down the significance of both their nicknames. The title track boasts that they got plenty of sticks & weight on them accompanied by a bouncy beat, but then “Cold” gives off a vibrant approach with the help of Mike WiLL Made-It reflecting on the days where they were both incarcerated.

The Atari-synths that Honorable C.N.O.T.E. hooks up throughout “My Bitch” aren’t too bad breaking down how much they spoil the special women in their lives leading into the spacious “Run a Bag Up” that ATL Jacob cooked up talking about making that paper. “Paperwork” makes it clear what they’re standing on over a solemn beat with co-production from 30 Roc, but then d.a. got that dope radiates a chilling atmosphere during “Idiot’s Worst Nightmare” declaring themselves to be exactly what these bitches fear.

“At This Point” has one of the weaker features on the tape from Lil Jairmy despite the bell-infused trap instrumental making it known that there ain’t no stopping for any of them while “Rewanksta” pretty much recreates “Wanksta” by 50 Cent down to Bandplay heavily sampling it. The song “Project Baby” featuring C-Murder finds the trio breaking down what it was like in the PJs for them while KLC gives “She Say She Love Me” more a dirty south feeling telling the baddies to let them see ‘em bend over. “Beautiful Life” happens to be a profound closer expressing gratitude that both of them are home.

I know B.G. said he wrote 7 or 8 albums worth of material during his time behind bars & stand by that we could be in for the best music that he’s released post-Cash Money if he gets the right producers & features. If anything, Choppers & Bricks could very much be the beginning of that. My favorite thing Gucci has done within the last few years & a consistently solid way for B-Geezy to reintroduce himself to everyone. The production’s better than Breath of Fresh Air & it’s fun hearing these 2 different worlds of southern hip hop colliding.

Score: 3.5/5

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Busta Rhymes – “Blockbusta” review

Brooklyn emcee, songwriter, producer & actor Busta Rhymes has returned for his 11th full-length solo LP. Coming up as a member of the Leaders of the New School, he would go on to turn heads in the spring of ‘92 off the strength of his verse on “Scenario” off of A Tribe Called Quest’s iconic sophomore album The Low End Theory. The dragon would see greater success as a solo artist with full-lengths like The Coming, When Disaster Strikes…, E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front, Anarchy, Genesis & The Big Bang. However when E.L.E. 2 (Extinction Level Event 2): The Wrath of God dropped a couple Devil’s Nights back, it would find Busta returning to form considering the mixed to subpar reception of B.O.M.B.S. (Back On My Bullshit) & the Cash Money Records-backed Year of the Dragon. However after preluding Blockbusta last year by putting out The Fuse is Lit to mixed responses, Busta’s ringing in Black Friday put unveiling his Epic Records debut.

“The Statement” asks how many times does Busta have to remind everyone that he’s one of the greatest over a cloudy trap beat from Timbaland whereas “Remind ‘Em” featuring Quavo finds the 2 talking about running it up over some hi-hats attached to a loop with this Godly aura surrounding it. “Beach Ball” featuring BIA draws inspiration from snap music thanks to Hitmaka boasting that they blow money faster than Rozay just before “OK” featuring Young Thug details both of their lifestyles over a celebratory Cool & Dre instrumental.

Moving forward, “Could It Be You” featuring Yung Bleu brings the 2 together on top of a bass guitar explaining that the way they live is different & the bag chase is consistent leading into the funky “Luxury Life” featuring Coi Leray laced by Swizz Beatz displaying a back-&-forth chemistry from both artists getting lavish. “Big Everything” featuring DaBaby breaks down the big money & dreams that they both envision even though the instrumental doesn’t catch my interest, but then “Roboshotta” featuring Burna Boy talks about fucking everything up & Pharrell bringing a tropical vibe musically.

“Tings” aesthetically picks up where the last cut left off keeping it equatorial so Busta can boast his lyrical abilities while “The Return of Mansa Musa” gets in his warrior bag over a tribal beat that I personally find to be appropriately fitting. “Stand Up” featuring JNR CHOI dabbles with drill music a bit sampling “Gangsta’s Paradise” by the late Coolio as both of them call out those whom they initially thought were loyal individuals while “Open Wide” featuring Shenseea fuses elements of dancehall with hip hop tackling themes of romance.

Meanwhile, the woodwind-heavy “Hold Up” that Dez Wright helped Timbo cook up flexes that he be showing up on every single block while “The Hive” featuring Giggs returns to trap territory to warn everyone that’s tuning in that their killer bees do in fact sting. “Homage” featuring Kodak Black addresses going from Y.G.s to O.G.s. in the rap game with Wheezy supplying one of the best trap instrumentals on the album while “Legend” talks about everything being legendary letting her see the way he does it & the beat here is actually underwhelming.

The song “Slide” warns not to get caught up inside another trap & that he’s steppin’ over an infectiously catchy instrumental from DJ Ted Smooth while the penultimate track “Legacy” featuring his children Cacie, Mariah & Trillian is a family affair lavishly telling everyone to show them some love. Things end with a cutthroat sequel to “If You Don’t Know Now You Know” produced by Cardiak & Focus…, which was a bonus cut off B.O.M.B.S. (Back On My Bullshit.

Considering how great of a comeback E.L.E. 2 (Extinction Level Event 2): The Wrath of God was & the 3 executive producers that Busta brought in for his first major label outing in almost a decade, I didn’t really have any reason to be concerned about Blockbusta. Now that the final product is in front of us, I’m admittedly torn on it unlike that previous LP that we got during the pandemic. He returns to a more commercial sound compared to the predecessor’s rawness which I completely understand, it’s just hit or miss sadly.

Score: 2.5/5

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André 3000 – “New Blue Sun” review

It’s still surreal to me that I’m actually fucking saying this but this is the official solo debut album from Atlanta, Georgia emcee, singer/songwriter, producer, actor & visionary André 3000. Coming up as 1/2 of the greatest hip hop duo of all-time OutKast with Big Boiwhom he met at Lenox Square Mall when they were both 16, they were also a part of the Dungeon Family collective & released some of my favorite music EVER! This includes ATLiens, Aquemeni, Stankonia & Speakerboxxx / The Love Below. The 2nd disc of which was basically the closest thing we got to a solo album from 3 Stacks up to this point. However after what would eventually be their final album Idlewild serving as a soundtrack to the movie of the same name they would focus on their solo careers. Francis the Savannah Chitlin’ Pimp mostly notably putting out 3 full-length LPs of his own as well as an eponymous EP as Big Grams & an eponymous debut album as Big Sleepover too. André 3000 however stuck to doing features & pursuing an acting career most recently in the A24 Films comedy drama Showing Up, putting out an avant-garde jazz EP on Mother’s Day 2018 called Look Ma No Hands. So considering that, I’m not too surprised by New Blue Sun expanding on jazz music in a flute-heavy fashion because I like to consider Dré as the Prince of hip hop in the sense that he can do just about anything musically.

“I Swear I Really Wanted to Make a Rap Album, But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time” is a peaceful 12 & a half minute opener to the LP that I can imagine hearing after waking up on a beautiful morning whereas “The Slang Word Pussy Rolls Off the Tongue with Far Better Ease Than the Proper Word Vagina. Do You Agree?” takes the atmospheric route instrumentally & I absolutely agree with the question. “That Night In Hawaii When I Turned Into a Panther & Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn’t Control…” makes me feel like I’m walking through a jungle for 10 & a half minutes in the best way possible, but then “BuyPoloDisorder’s Daughter Wears a 3000® Button Down Embroidered” sounds like he made this 13-minute piece in the midst of watching The Mandalorian or something.

To start the 2nd half of the album, “93 ‘Til Infinity & Beyoncé” is the shortest cut on the entire LP yet still absolutely euphoric from start to finish just before “Ghandi, Dalai Lama, Your Lord & Savior J.C. / Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer & John Wayne Gacy” keeps the peaceful vibes in tact. The penultimate “Ants to You, Gods to Who?” goes for a futuristic approach sonically & “Dreams Once Buried Beneath the Dungeon Floor Slowly Sprout Into Undying Gardens” is a magical 17 minute closer.

Like I said on Twitter at the beginning of the week: I’m not even mad at 3 Stacks for doing an ambient, new age spiritual jazz album because he’s just one of those guys who can do just about anything & it makes me very happy that this day has come as a long time OutKast fan because this is way better than Look Ma No Hands over 5 years ago. His production also showcases elements of progressive electronic, tribal ambient, Andean new age & Native American new age in the most soothing ways you can imagine.

Score: 4.5/5

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The Kid Laroi – “The First Time” review

The Kid Laroi is a 20 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Waterloo, New South Wales, Australia who emerged as a protege of the late Juice WRLD. Subsequently, he signed to Grade A Productions & Interscope Records. He eventually introduced himself to a wider audience on his debut mixtape Fuck Love receiving mixed-to-negative reviews & even going on to release not 1 but 2 deluxe EPs off it for whatever reason over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. But for his debut full-length LP over here, Laroi has since jumped ship to Columbia Records interestingly enough.

“Sorry” is this airy opener produced by FNZ & BoogzDaBeast apologizing for getting stuck while high whereas “Bleed” dabbles with alt-pop & indie pop this time around tackily asking how others’ hearts mend so easily when his is still bleeding. “I Thought That I Needed You” has one of the better instrumentals throughout the LP thanks to both BNYX & F1LTHY of Working on Dying singing about a love that was lost nearly a year ago, but then “Where Do You Sleep?” mixes some synthesizers & even a soul sample with co-production from Dez Wright asking a nameless ex partner where she be staying these days.

Central C & Jung Kook both join Laroi for the contemporary R&B/pop rap hybrid “Too Much” that Emile helped cook up asking if those they’re no longer seeing would wanna kick it with them again leading into “Tear Me Apart” melodramatically apologizing for hurting this woman over some acoustics from John Cunningham. Clams Casino brings a psychedelic vibe to “Nights Like This” after the “Strangers” interlude even though I don’t care for the lyrics about him needing the love of his life with him just before “What’s the Move” featuring BabyDrill & Future brings the trio together over a soulful trap beat telling the significant others to marry them.

After another “Strangers” interlude, “Call Me Instead” featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again goes into a piano-driven direction addressing lovers whose heart they no longer have full grasp on while “Deserve You” brings more soul samples & hi-hats together singing that this chick doesn’t deserve him whatsoever. “What Went Wrong???” gives off a more hard hitting instrumental reminiscing on a previous relationship that came to an end while “The Line” featuring future teenage murderer d4vd turns into stripped back territory as the duo take a trip down memory lane tackling the themes of past relationships.

“What Just Happened?” switches gears in flavor for an alt/pop-rock cut admitting he doesn’t know if they just crossed the line ‘cause he don’t even know what just happened while “You” is peppier joint with keys, kicks & snares talking about how they weren’t workin’ out ‘til we ended up workin’ out. “Love Again” tediously paints the image of a toxic-love hate relationship although I appreciate the folk pop instrumental while “Where Does Your Spirit Go?” is this average adult contemporary singer/songwriter jam dedicated to his late mentor.

After the “You Never Forget Your First Time…” interlude, the closer “Kids Are Growing Up”actually ends Kid Laroi’s debut album on a profoundly mature note opening up to the world on top of displaying his personal growth & vulnerability over an aquatic beat. He does this by namely addressing the loss of his uncle Wayne, dropping out of school in 9th grade & expresses gratitude to his mother for her resilience during difficult times.

“Baby I’m Back” produced by Rogét Chahayed starts the deluxe run sampling “Baby Come Back” by Player reflecting on the past year whereas “Stick with Me” further butchers “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss” by P.M. Dawn expressing his grievances over an imbalanced relationship. The synth-heavy “Pick Sides” expresses jealousy over his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend & questions if she still thinks about their time together while the sequel to “Nights Like This” starts out as much as the predecessor.

Lil Yachty joins Kid Laroi for the pop rap/trap cut “Hatred” opening up about their love lives while “Girls” was a cool pop rap, hip hop soul, hyphy & contemporary R&B single exploring themes of freedom & fun in relationships. “1,000 Miles” acoustically sings about his journey through recent relationships, sharing troubles he has with them & the final bonus track “Heaven” was an underwhelming finish to the deluxe mutating pop & singer/songwriter with adult contemporary & soft rock reminiscing on a journey of change.

14 with a Dream, Fuck Love & even both of the deluxe EPs that followed suit have all done very little to win me over on Kid Laroi’s music up to this point. The First Time however is a slight improvement over those previous bodies of work. Although it’s quite possibly the most well-produced I’ve heard him sound fusing alt-pop as well as folk pop & chipmunk soul into his pop rap stylings, the features are ok & I still find Laroi to be an underwhelming performer.

Score: 2/5

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Kevin Abstract – “Blanket” review

Corpus Christi rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & director Kevin Abstract back with his 5th solo LP. Making his debut in 2014 in the form of MTV1987, he followed it up 2 years later with the fantastic American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story & rose to stardom as the de facto leader of the now defunct BROCKHAMPTON collective the year after. Both of Kevin’s solo efforts since then ARIZONA baby & The Family were solid although I liked the latter more for it’s chipmunk soul heavy sound. However almost a year after BROCKHAMPTON’s disbandment, it seems like Kevin’s going for a new vibe on Blanket.

“When the Rope Post 2 Break” opens the album with some guitar passages from Romil Hemnani whispering to stay put whereas the title track is a mediocre indie rock cut with elements of noise pop & slacker rock which doesn’t sound bad, just feels extremely underwritten. “Running Out” draws inspiration from emo pop & even post-punk revival to not take time for anyone that this point in his life right now that is until “The Greys” comes through with an upbeat jam about not needing the rest of the party.

Meanwhile, “Voyager” goes into a synth-based direction with a bit of a Kanye influence so Kevin can admit that he feels himself growing older for the first time ever just before “Madonna” mixes bedroom pop with indie folk & indietronica singing about rewriting the past & not looking back on it from hereon out. The indie rock infused “Today I Gave Up” doesn’t really need any further explanation with the subject matter, but then “What Should I Do?” gives off a predominant indie pop flare to it talking about telling ghost stories to friends through fences.

After the “Mr. Edwards” interlude, “Scream” singing over a delicate beat to someone that he can only hear through the whispers of the trees while the catchy “Real 2 Me” apologizes for inviting himself & being spellbound by a friend. The stripped-back “Heights, Spiders & the Dark” checks his muses’ world every night to see if they’re alright making him so confused to keep all of them & “My Friend” is an acoustic closer singing that you’ll never understand the way Kevin feels about this individual.

This dude has so much talent & will easily have the biggest solo career out of everyone in the BROCKHAMPTON camp even though I just enjoyed the new Ameerlyn EP Slime in the Ice Machine from last weekend. However, Blanket is a complete stylistic departure from what we got on The Family. Romil’s production is more centered around indie rock & indie pop with elements of bedroom pop & slacker rock as Kevin has more than enough vocal chops to pull it off.

Score: 4/5

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