This is the latest project from the young Brooklyn rapper Desiigner, who you may remember rose to prominence in 2016 with the release of his hit single “Panda,” a song that, thanks in no small part to it being sampled on "Pt. 2" from Kanye West's "The Life of Pablo," shot to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and even finished at #6 on the Year-End Hot 100. He continued to make waves in 2016 when he was signed to Kanye’s GOOD Music Label, was part of that year's XXL Freshmen List, released his debut mixtape “New English,” and released another big single in “Tiimmy Turner,” which hit #34 on the Hot 100, and #98 on the Year-End Hot 100 in 2016. He did have a relatively quiet 2017 as, outside of his feature on BTS’s “Mic Drop Remix” with Steve Aoki charting at #28 on the Hot 100, none of the five singles he released last year (all of which, might I add, are not on this EP) charted in the Hot 100, leading many to proclaim that he “fell off” and writing him off as a “one-hit wonder.”
Now, admittedly, while I’ve appreciated Desiigner’s energetic personality from afar, I never really took him all that seriously as an artist. Sure, I liked “Panda” when it first came out, but I reviewed the “New English” mixtape (a year late, mind you, but it was still the second music review I ever wrote) and found it to be pretty lackluster, repetitive and flat-out unfinished in the worst of ways. On top of that, while I initially liked “Tiimmy Turner,” repeat listens helped me realize that it was just like all of his other tracks: repetitive and leaving a lot to be desired. I thought he would be down and out, but here he is with this new project, and admittedly, I can smell disappointment in the air because, while this album doesn’t have any 30-second tracks like the last one did, he has been hyping this up for years as a full-length album, but it’s upon us, and it’s instead a 7-track EP that he dropped out of the blue with no promotion. That said, it’s under 20 minutes, so hopefully, it’s not too much wasted time. Let’s check it out!
Priice Tag: Desiigner wastes no time bragging about his success on this track, talking all about money, drugs, clothes, and jewelry over a very basic trap beat. It’s standard trap-music for sure, and Desiigner doesn’t really switch up his flow a lot on this one, but I will admit it’s a decently energetic track and the hook is not all that bad. Not something I feel like I’ll come back regularly, but as repetitive as it might feel, it does feel like a bit of a step up from a lot of his “New English” material.
Tonka: A more bouncy track, Desiigner continues to talk about his wealth and his position in the rap game. Again, a lot of what I said about the last track applies here: it’s very standard trap-rap music and Desiigner’s flow and cadence don’t really change too much throughout the track, but it does have a pretty cool vibe to it and it definitely feels more like a full-length cut than most of what was on “New English.” It’s not reinventing the wheel, but it’s fine enough overall.
After Party: A song that talks all about after-parties and the experiences that go on at said after-parties, it’s a pretty bright and upbeat track that does see Desiigner go a bit more rapid-fire at certain moments. It does occasionally feel a little repetitive, but it’s certainly head-noddy and it does have a very intoxicating vibe to it. Admittedly, for as long as it goes on, the hook is kinda catchy. Definitely think this is a decent track.
Pop iiT: A song that sees Desiigner doing some autotune-assisted sing-rapping on the hook, he gives off a pretty woozy performance on this track. The trap beat on this one again feels somewhat standard, but it’s definitely exciting enough to work. And admittedly, as woozy and half-asleep as he sounds on the hook, I think it actually works in some really weird way. I don’t know if it’s one of my favorites on the EP, but I’m definitely willing to give it a few more listens and let it grow on me a bit.
Destiination: A much more somber, emotional song, Desiigner croons on this track about a girl that’s trying to “get to him.” I definitely think it feels very basic, and doesn’t quite pull off the “emotional feel” amazingly, but it does have a pretty neat, moody vibe to it and, for as much of a Future clone as he seems to be, Desiigner still gives a pretty smooth vocal performance on this track. It does have a little too much empty-space to it, which isn’t amazing since the instrumental is nothing too special, but it’s not a bad cut overall.
LA to NY: Again, Desiigner gives a pretty energetic performance over a very standard trap beat on this one, but I definitely find this to be one of the least interesting tracks on the EP. Everything about it just feels pretty basic to me, and while Desiigner has some fun on the hook and on some portions of the song, it just feels like a very painfully standard trap-rap song, and I also find the lyricism uninteresting even by his standards (I get it’s supposed to be turn-up music with no obvious meaning but “Ape, Bape, Planet, Ape, Snake, Jake?” That the best you’ve got, Desiigner?). Yeah, not a great track.
HOOD: The final song on this EP sees Desiigner autotune-crooning on the hook about how he doesn’t want to lose his life. I get if he’s trying to go for an emotional feel here, and I do think he tries to switch up his flow at points to keep things interesting, but when he’s also throwing out lyrics like “Take a plane to China / To go test the rifle / I like fuck vagina / Shotgun homicidal,” I don’t get that emotional feel (I also want to dispute when he says “And I don’t recycle” since everyone always calls him a Future clone). Still, there is a somewhat interesting vibe to the song and the hook is kind of interesting, I just wish he had taken a bit more time to really polish it up.
Overall, is the long-awaited “L.O.D.” an improvement on “New English?” Well, to a degree, yes, but that’s on the strength of the songs on here not really being “bad” and most of them just being “eh, whatever.” I feel like very little from this EP will really stick with me long after this review gets posted, but I do think his hardcore fans that have stuck around, while they might be disappointed that it’s an EP and not an album, might find the songs to be pretty decent. For the most part, though, this EP just feels like Desiigner upgrading his songs from being “so bad you’ll unfortunately remember them” to “decent but nothing you’ll care to come back to after one listen,” which again, is better than “New English,” but it’s pretty easy to be better than that. Is Desiigner back? It most certainly seems like it. Is this EP bad? Not really, it’s got a decent vibe to it and it’s nice on the ears. Does Desiigner make a convincing argument with this project that he’s more than just a one-hit wonder? I’m afraid not.
Favorite tracks: After Party
Least favorite tracks: LA to NY
Rating: Okay
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