Eminem "Kamikaze" Album Review

I dunno who saw this coming, but it’s time! Oh yes, it’s time! It’s time for a review of the new Eminem album “Kamikaze!”

Eminem, legendary Detroit rapper, you know him good and well, the “Rap God” is back with his 10th full-length album (a surprise album, mind you), and a very quick follow-up to his 2017 album “Revival.” That record didn’t really strike the note it had intended to and was ultimately seen by many Eminem fans and many critics as one of his weakest projects, especially after 2013’s “The Marshall Mathers LP 2” which received some pretty solid reviews. It seems like Eminem really took some of the negative reception into account when he released the “Chloraseptic (Remix)” with 2 Chainz and PHresher, where he clapped back at some of the people that seemed to form their verdict on the album based on the track listing, as well as the overuse of pop features. He also was featured on Nicki Minaj’s latest album on the track “Majesty” which, even if I didn’t love the song itself, Eminem’s verse on it was possibly one of his fastest, and at 10.3 syllables per second, it even managed to outdo the insanity that was “Rap God.”

Now, I’m sure you guys may remember the shitstorm that “Revival” received upon its release, so I don’t have to talk much more about what others said about it. For me, you may remember that I was slightly nicer to the album than most others were, even going so far as to rate it an “Okay,” but honestly, given that Eminem is one of my favorite rappers and one that I’ve always had so much respect for, he’s someone that, quite frankly, should not be getting “Okay” ratings. And even now, while I still go back to some tracks off of “Revival,” I do think even some of my “favorites” from the album have grown away from me. Thus, I can definitely say I was let down by the project. However, after hearing Eminem on the “Chloraseptic (Remix)” and “Majesty,” I feel like he came prepared on those tracks and, given all the accusations of him “losing his fire” and “falling off,” I feel like those tracks showed me that Eminem can still go ham whenever he wants to. They also showed that no matter what anyone says, the man still has that fire in him. And with an album title like “Kamikaze,” I definitely expect to hear Em go in on this one, instead of taking a more introspective (and somewhat political) approach as he did on “Revival.” Let’s take a look at see if the fire is back:

The Ringer: Wasting no time here, Eminem calls out all of his haters and all the people doubting that he could really “go ham” on a track. He really does on this one. The beat and instrumentation are somewhat minimal, but it’s suitably cold, and Eminem’s flow and lyricism definitely feel like a step up after “Revival.” He mixes a number of different styles here, from rapid-fire flow to some more start-stop cadences, but he makes it all work, and he also comes through with some really clever bars on this thing. Yes, there are a few that are bound to raise a few eyebrows, and I’m sure some might even hear him and think he’s being stubborn towards the very valid criticisms of “Revival,” but I actually like some of his callouts to Lil Yachty, Lil Pump and Lil Xan, and how he basically says he’s willing to diss any modern-day rapper not named Joyner Lucas, Kendrick Lamar, J Cole or Big Sean. It shows here that he definitely has his fire back, and it’s a really solid start to the album.

Greatest: Em continues to brag on this one about how he is the best lyrical rapper in the game, and he also uses some of the flows from other rappers, from “HUMBLE.” by Kendrick Lamar to “wokeuplikethis*” by Playboi Carti and Lil Uzi Vert. The song itself definitely helps prove why Em’s sees himself in such a high standard: the production hits hard, with a lot of energy that meshes well with Eminem’s flow, and once again, his performance on this one is very confident and filled with really great cadences and clever bars, like when he refers to the “controversy” where he mispronounced Die Antwoord’s name for the sake of a rhyme. It’s a very cold track, and Eminem shows on it that he’s not playing around. Really great cut!

Lucky You (feat. Joyner Lucas): Ditching the pop features in favor of more hip-hop leaning features, Em brings in Joyner Lucas (who you may recognize from the very viral hit “I’m Not Racist”) to talk about his underdog lifestyle, while Em himself discusses his high status and position in the industry. It’s an interesting juxtaposition, and the production is very chilly and sinister, with very eerie bells meshing with a very energetic trap-drum beat. Joyner’s rapid-fire flow and performance is hard-hitting and convincing, and Eminem’s extremely fast flow and call-outs to the recent wave of “Soundcloud rappers” and their comments on a lot of rappers that helped pave the way for them (think when Lil Xan called 2Pac’s music “boring” or when Kodak Black tried to say he was “better than 2Pac and Biggie”) helped make the song even harder. You can’t tell me Em wasn’t listening to the negative comments on “Revival” here, he’s going the hell in with this one, and he’s bringing Joyner Lucas with him, which only makes the song better.

Paul - Skit: A short skit where Eminem receives a message from his manager Paul Rosenberg, this one sees Paul basically saying that he’s not sure if it’s good for Em to make an album as a response to the people hating on his recent works, and asks whether or not it means he will make a “Kamikaze 2” album in the future. It’s short, but it’s funny enough, and it definitely feels like something Eminem would put on one of his albums.

Normal: Em talks on this track about the relationships he’s had, and basically asks why none of his girlfriends can be normal. Looks like Kim’s not staying off anyone’s mind anytime soon. The production is a bit lighter on here, and Eminem’s lyrics are very dark and angry on this one. I love his different flows and the energy that he brings to the song is fantastic as always. Unfortunately, I do think the song lyrically doesn’t quite fit with the theme of the album, and some of those lyrics are a bit too dark (I know dark lyrics are nothing new for Em, but that doesn’t make them any better). It’s definitely not a bad cut, but I can say it’s most certainly not for me. I don’t know though, maybe it will grow on me with some repeat listens.

Em Calls Paul - Skit: Continuing from the last track, Em basically responds to Paul’s questions about what he plans to do with all of the people saying negative things about him and “Revival,” and he basically claims that he’s going to the house of some Yahoo blogger who wrote negatively on him. Honestly, I’m fine with clapping back, but if you’re gonna go to someone’s house because they wrote bad things about you on Yahoo…can I call that desperation? Ehh, that's probably the joke. Still, the skit works well enough, given what Eminem is going for, even if it’s a bit silly.

Stepping Stone: Something of a more sad track, Em talks on this one about his former group D12, the soured relationships of the group after Proof’s death, and Em’s own blame for that. When the song started, I’m not gonna lie, I thought that an ad for a cartoon was playing. That’s not the case, it’s actually just a sample of "All These Things" by Mario Resto. Said sample is actually really great, and it gives the song something of an old-school feel. Em’s performance is hard, while also having a bit of emotional edge to it, and with this song, it feels like Em is fixing two of the biggest problems I had with “Revival” when I listened to it: the production, as I said before, is far better, and the hook is WAY better here. This is easily one of the strongest tracks on the album, I really love it!

Not Alike (feat. Royce Da 5’9”): Having a little fun on this one, Eminem kind of mocks some of the artists involved in modern-day rap, notably Tay Keith (the producer of BlocBoy JB) and Migos (by mimicking the flow of “Bad and Boujee”) while also enlisting the help of Royce Da 5’9”. So essentially, this is Bad Meets Evil right here, legitimately being “bad” and “evil.” Sweet. And the production is very fun in how it mocks “Look Alive” while remaining energetic and hard-hitting. Royce da 5’9” comes through with really great flow (I also love the line where he says that today’s “Soundcloud rappers” sound like their songs were inspired by Dr. Seuss), and Em goes hard on his verse, not only dissing the “Soundcloud rappers” but also dissing Machine Gun Kelly on the song. Em’s really taking no prisoners on this one, and he’s proving that he can still stick around with the bests in the rap game. Literally, wow. Just wow.

Kamikaze: Here, Eminem kind of mocks his song “Fack” and also talks about how 2017 didn’t really work out well for him, with “Revival” not being all that well-received and all that. I love the kind of old-school production on this one, and Em’s flow as always is top-notch, as he switches things up and brings a lot of variance on this cut with his different flows. His performance and energy are strong as well, and while I wasn’t initially all that into the hook, it definitely grew on me as I continued to listen. And I also like how Em goes back into the mindset of “not giving a fuck” with his lyrics on this one, and that helps everything come together to make this a really great song. There’s not much else I can say with this song without just feeling like I’m gushing about the track, so just know that I really enjoy it.

Fall: Em promises that he won’t fall off on this track, as he talks about the negative reception to “Revival,” discusses the modern state of hip-hop music, and even brings in Justin Vernon of Bon Iver to help out. I like the very chilly, ethereal production, the autotune-assisted vocals from Justin Vernon are very lovely and the melodies are very catchy and ear-wormy. And even though a few of Em’s lyrics might end up being a bit controversial here (I’m personally not too fond of him using the word “f*ggot,” even if he tried to censor it), I think this has some of his hardest bars yet, as he calls out pretty much every modern rapper that he possibly can in the song’s allotted time. He also does so with a lot of confidence, pulling the typical Eminem style of just throwing out lines while keeping the middle-finger held high. I can see how this song might be controversial in some corners, but I really like it!

Nice Guy (feat. Jessie Reyez): A rather tongue-in-cheek song that seems to paint Eminem as something of a “nice guy,” the song also features an artist name Jessie Reyez. Jessie’s vocals throughout the chorus and verses seem to be really fractured and irregular here, switching from a lower register to some filtered, very high-pitched singing. It’s very unconventional, but it fits well with the very minimal, percussion-led production. Eminem’s flow is really strong as well on this one, and I like his energy on his performance as well. I do think the song ends just a little too soon, and it does feel just a little out of place with the rest of the album, but it’s still a pretty decent cut all things considered.

Good Guy (feat. Jessie Reyez): A continuation of the last track, this one takes things a little bit faster and more upbeat, though it has something of an old-school feel to it. Em’s flow is really fun and, even if he’s not rapid-firing on this one, his performance is very bouncy and charismatic on this one. Jessie Reyez’s vocals at the end of the song help to round it out very nicely as well, as her strong ear for catchy melodies is on full display here. Admittedly, even though the song is once again very short, I think this one is more fulfilling than the last and it’s a really memorable cut.

Venom - Music From The Motion Picture: Ending the album off, Em gives us what appears to be the main track for the upcoming Marvel film “Venom.” The production does feel just a little bit “studio-produced,” like you can tell it was obviously made for the film and less so to stand on its own, but Em still comes through with some very solid, personal lyrics and great flow on this one. Even so, beyond the somewhat “studio-produced” production, I also think that the hook on this is one of the clumsier ones on the album. I feel like Em mostly just included the track for the sake of marketing the movie or something along those lines because I definitely think it’s one of the weaker tracks on the album, and I definitely think it’s an unfortunately poor closer to the album.

Even though that Venom song wasn’t really all that good, this album was damn great. Em, wow. I get that the negative reception to “Revival” must’ve stung, but holy shit, dude. You went in on everyone on here, from the Soundcloud rappers to the non-Soundcloud modern rappers to my harmless grandma to my cousin’s dog to someone’s pet goldfish…okay, I’m taking it too far, but this is the Em I think we’ve all been waiting for. Everyone has asked for Em to get livid and to ill out on an album, and he did that and more here. His performances and flows are extremely confident and indicative that Em still has plenty to offer as an artist, but most importantly, I think he cleaned up on a number of the problems I personally had with “Revival,” by making the production more chilly and hard-hitting (thank Dr. Dre for that), creating more catchy and interesting hooks, and cutting down on the length to a degree. After the hour-long slog of “Revival,” it’s nice to see that Em cut out a bit of the filler and kept this one at a respectable 46 minutes. And where “Revival” didn’t seem to have one solid, consistent theme going throughout, I appreciate that Em kept this project more focused and, overall, more interesting. I think he came through with what he really wanted to make, and it hit really hard. With “Revival,” Em was called into question and received some very fair criticisms. With “Kamikaze,” Em proved that he is still a “Rap God,” and that he really does rap better when the odds are stacked against him.

Favorite tracks: The Ringer, Greatest, Lucky You, Stepping Stone, Not Alike, Fall, Kamikaze, Good Guy

Least favorite tracks: Normal, Venom - Music From The Motion Picture

Rating: Excellent

ANOTHER LOOK: Pusha T "DAYTONA"

I think it’s about time that I did this, but today I want to write what is the first in a series that I call “ANOTHER LOOK.” This is basically a series that I’ll occasionally do when I feel like my opinion changed really drastically on a certain album. 9 times out of 10, though, this will be a series that I do if I previously gave an album a “Not For Me” rating, just to give it another look and see if I can give a more definitive opinion on the album. That, or it'll be done for albums that I may not have expounded enough thoughts on in the past. So, naturally, let’s start by giving another look at the only album that has received a “Not For Me” rating to this point, and that is the latest Pusha T album “DAYTONA.” (Oh, by the way, this doesn't count as review #132. Since this is technically a series in and of itself, it doesn't count chronologically in my reviews. Thought I'd add that in.)

Now, this series will be a bit different from my reviews. Instead of going bullet for bullet talking about why I liked each song as I tend to do in my reviews, I’ll basically just re-introduce the artist to you guys, talk about how I felt when I reviewed the album, why I may have felt that way, and try my best to sum up my new thoughts on the album, with a more precise list of “favorite tracks” and “least favorite tracks,” along with (in most cases) a shiny new rating.

So, for those unfamiliar with Pusha T and “DAYTONA” in general, Pusha is a New York rapper and the President of Kanye West’s GOOD Music label. He first started up with his brother No Malice as part of the hip-hop duo Re-Up Gang. Though the two split up, Pusha was signed to Kanye’s GOOD Music label and appointed the President of the label in 2015, the same year he released his second studio album “King Push - Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude,” two years after his debut album “My Name Is My Name.” He’s also shown up more than a few times as a feature on albums I’ve reviewed, from Desiigner’s “New English” to Belly’s “Mumble Rap” to Logic’s “Bobby Tarantino” and even Linkin Park’s “One More Light.” He also seems to have a very, umm…friendly relationship with Drake, as I’m sure you guys may remember from this past Summer.

Now, I bring that up because, as I said, when I give these albums another look, I want to talk about the mindset I was in when I first reviewed them. Now, when I first reviewed “DAYTONA” back in late May, I didn’t really have it on my radar. I had heard several positive things about the album, but the high praise for it actually had nothing to do with my motivation to write a review. I’m sure it should be obvious, but the entire reason I wanted to listen to it was because of Pusha’s beef with Drake. For those unaware of the beef, on the closing track of this album, “Infrared,” Pusha brought up the claims that Drake’s music is ghostwritten with lyrics like “it was written like Nas but it came from Quentin” referencing Quentin Miller, who was labeled as Drake’s “ghostwriter” back in 2015 (even though Quentin has said several times over that he's not Drake's ghostwriter and that they merely collaborated). The lyric “how could you ever right these wrongs / when you don’t even write your songs?” also references Drake’s track “Legend” and further insinuates ghostwriters.

Drake shot back with the “Duppy Freestyle” where he basically called out Kanye West (the man who produced Pusha’s album) for using Drake himself as a ghostwriter (which was confirmed because Drake helped write the amazing track “Yikes” off of Kanye’s latest album “ye,” and initially didn’t receive the credit for it), and further called out Pusha’s drug-dealing hustle, the fact that he’s not multi-million, and the fact that Quentin was not a ghostwriter, but rather someone Drake was trying to help. However, it was Drake’s simple error of making a joke about Pusha’s fiancée (where he claimed he would “let it ring on [Pusha] like Virginia Williams”) that led to Pusha firing back with the absolutely deadly rebuttal “The Story of Adidon.” On it, he dissed Drake’s estranged parents, insinuated that Drake was hiding a child that he had with artist and former porn star Sophie Brussaux (which turned out to be correct, according to Drake’s “Scorpion”), claimed that Drake was hiding said child for the sake of an alleged Adidas press run (has yet to be confirmed but it wouldn’t be shocking if Drake planned it and then backed out as a result of this track), and fired shots at Drake’s producer 40 and his multiple sclerosis (ironically doing so on the day before World MS Day). Yeah, it went pretty hard.

Now, I know, I just spent way too long talking about the beef, and some people might be like “what? You spent more of your second look talking about a beef than you did talking about the actual music!” and things like that. The thing is, it’s important that I talk about it not only for those unfamiliar, but to give an idea of what I was thinking going into the album: while I do think Pusha’s track was insane, and I think it’s definitely an enjoyable listen, at the time I spent too much time wondering why Pusha decided to make the rebuttal personal after Drake dissed his artistry and hustle on “Duppy” (I know, Pusha said it was because Drake name-dropped his fiancée, but hot damn, Pusha, all that because of a damn name-drop?). Looking back, I feel like there was at least a small part of me that was so burned out from hearing so much about the diss tracks and the beef at the time that I walked into the album with a slightly negative mindset. In the end, I ended up creating the “Not For Me” rating because there were legitimately no tracks that I considered “favorites” and no tracks that I considered “least favorites.” It was easily the most conflicted I had felt after reviewing an album, and even after I posted my review, I felt like I didn’t give it a fair enough shot. After hearing it a few more times afterward, that only rang more and more true to me, so I just had to give it another look and give it a new rating and opinion.

And, I’m glad I did, because hearing it again, I think Pusha really comes through with something very solid on “DAYTONA.” The opening track “If You Know You Know” actually has a pretty fun hook to it, and as I said in my original review, Pusha comes through with some clever bars on this one. It takes a little bit for the song to kick in, but I love the very energetic production when that does happen, and Pusha’s vocal performance is very charismatic as well. During my first listen, I didn’t really find much of it sticking with me, but now I think Pusha’s performance and energy are quite compelling. And the production remains very interesting on the very plucky “The Games We Play,” which again has a very old-school feel to it that I really like. In my original review, I mentioned that I wasn’t crazy about Pusha’s performance, but I must’ve been overly cynical because I think his very aggressive tone is actually pretty strong here. I do kinda wish the song had a better hook to it, but Pusha’s lyricism and flow are commendable, and they keep the song interesting for the entire duration.

Pusha’s energy keeps up on the track “Hard Piano,” which has some more busy, rattling percussion that really works, and again, I love Pusha’s hard tone on this one. I still don’t find myself really digging Rick Ross’s feature all that much here, but I think there’s still a lot to like, from the aforementioned production to the very memorable hook from The World Famous Tony Williams. And Pusha manages to bounce back from that with the very bouncy “Come Back Baby,” a track where he discusses his love for dope and money over an instrumental with some very fun, simple percussion. Pusha’s flow and performance are assured and confident, and the George Jackson hook is one of the most compelling choruses on the record. It stands right up there with the hook on the next song “Santeria,” as 070 Shake comes through with some very eerie Spanish vocals on the refrain. And the rest of the cut around it is compelling as well, with a very dark, sinister edge to it and a Pusha T performance that oozes in assured aggression.

The album does hit a bit of a speed bump on the track “What Would Meek Do?” featuring Kanye West where, despite some very atmospheric instrumentals and enjoyable vocal performances from Pusha and Kanye, I don’t really find Kanye’s lyricism to be quite as compelling as Pusha’s: where Pusha makes some neat references to Meek and really brings some clever bars to the table, Kanye’s appearance just feels like another somewhat clumsy attempt to continue trying to justify the ridiculous “slavery sounds like a choice” comments and MAGA hat-wearing chronicles that he found himself engaging in during the lead-up to his album “ye.” Fortunately, the album ends off with a massive bang on the track “Infrared,” the song that started this whole messy beef with Drake. I love Pusha’s very clever disses not only to Drake, but also to Lil Wayne, the bouncy production leads in perfectly from the last track, and Pusha’s very energetic, hard performance is cold and very attention-grabbing.

I’m really glad I chose to look at Pusha T’s “DAYTONA” again because, the more I listen to it, the more I feel like I didn’t give it a fair enough shot the first time around. With repeat listens, I found that the production was really compelling and that Kanye’s typical sample-hunting worked very well on this record. Pusha and Kanye created a great mix of tracks that managed to blend well between being bouncy, sinister, and at times atmospheric. And beyond that, I found that Kanye’s sample-hunting allowed him to create tracks with very compelling hooks, and Pusha’s performances throughout were consistently entertaining and charismatic. Even on the weaker tracks, Pusha’s performances and lyricism remained clever and extremely enjoyable. If anything is really holding the album back for me still, it’s the length of it. Yes, the songs hit harder for me now than before, and there’s definitely a lot to like about the album that I was missing when I first listened to it, but at just 7 tracks and 21 minutes, I found myself wanting a lot more. Even with “Infrared” being such a strong finisher, I wanted to hear Pusha say more here. Not only that, but at 7 tracks, you really don’t leave room for error, and unfortunately, there are a few weaker moments on the album that very slightly hold it back from being truly fantastic (coincidentally, the two tracks that have credited features are the weak spots, so you can blame the features, too). Still, Pusha really comes through here with a rock-solid album that’s definitely worth experiencing for yourself. I’m glad I went back to listen to it again, and I’m sure I’ll be listening to it more and more in the future.

If I had to pick my favorite tracks, I would pick “If You Know You Know,” “The Games We Play,” “Come Back Baby,” “Santeria,” and “Infrared.” If I had to pick my least favorite tracks, I would say “Hard Piano” and “What Would Meek Do?.” So, with all of that in mind, if I can sum up all that I’ve taken into account from my return to the album and give it a brand-new rating, I would say that Pusha T’s “DAYTONA” would get a “Good” rating from me. It would’ve been an "Excellent," but as I said, at just 7 tracks and 21 minutes (and with those lackluster features), it left me wanting a little more. Still, Pusha really came through on this one, and I’m glad I got to give it another look.

So, to end this one-off, I’ll give you guys a rather funny story: I always listen to albums I review on Spotify, and then once I’m done listening to the album, I just turn “shuffle” on and go to my “favorite songs” so that I can just jump right into all the songs I have favorited next time I want to listen to Spotify. Well, after listening to “DAYTONA” for this re-review, I turned “shuffle” on and hit play on my “favorite songs,” and the first song that the shuffler picked was a Drake song. I think that, even after giving Pusha T a positive review, they still want me to listen to all my Drake songs. Don’t worry, Spotify, I will. Just, also throwing in those Pusha tracks.

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think of this format for “re-reviews” and, while I might not have many more re-reviews in the pipeline, I might do one or two at some point in the future, so stay tuned for those.

Trippie Redd "LIFE'S A TRIP" Album Review

I meant to review this before Ariana Grande’s latest album, but since it wasn’t a top priority, I held off for a little bit. Either way, it’s time for a review of the new Trippie Redd album “LIFE’S A TRIP.”

Michael Lamar White IV, AKA Trippie Redd, is an Ohio rapper, singer, and songwriter who first broke out in May 2017 with his debut mixtape “A Love Letter To You,” which featured the big viral single “Love Scars.” A product of the current movement of Soundcloud rappers, “Love Scars” has currently received 62.5 million hits on the aforementioned Soundcloud and 52 million hits on YouTube at the time of this writing. He also received further recognition when he was featured on the song “Fuck Love” off of the late XXXTentacion’s album “17.” The song became Trippie’s first entry in the Hot 100, and he continued to receive attention from there. After releasing his second mixtape “A Love Letter To You 2,” Trippie released the single “Dark Knight Dummo” featuring Travis Scott, a single that not only made this album but ended up being his first entry on the Hot 100 as a lead artist. And while he hasn’t blown up in the way other Soundcloud rappers have (take, for example, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, or Lil Pump, who have seen massive chart success with their songs), Trippie seems to have carved out his niche in the ever-growing cloud of “emo rappers.”

Now I’m not gonna lie, I’m largely unfamiliar with Trippie Redd’s music. Most of what I know about the guy comes from watching videos of his singing without autotune which, I must say, the kid’s got some pipes on him. And while his recent string of controversies made me a bit skeptical to review this thing, I felt a little less skeptical about reviewing this album in comparison to someone like 6ix9ine (who I don’t want to bother with given his overall disgusting behavior and inability to even try to improve as a person). In the lead-up to this album, I did listen to the single “Dark Knight Dummo” and found it to be relatively fun, though I was a little worried going into the album itself because of the broken promises it brought with it: originally, it was supposed to be a whopping 26 tracks, and while I’m glad he shortened it to 14, the thing that worried me was that Trippie originally teased that the album would feature collaborations with Lil Wayne and Erykah Badu, neither of whom are featured in the album credits. Part of that has me a bit worried that the record went through some turbulence on its way to release, but I guess we’ll just have to listen to find out, right? Let’s take a look.

Together: A song that’s said to be about friendship and unity, Trippie kicks off his album by talking about how we, as people, are stronger together than we are alone. Interesting that he’s trying to spread a message about positivity, especially given his constant beefing with 6ix9ine. Either way, Trippie makes something that leans a bit more towards alternative rock on this one, with production that merely consists of some light guitar strumming. And while I like said production on this track, I think some of Trippie’s vocal delivery is a bit silly, as he awkwardly growls throughout several parts of the song, which really turns me off from it. If Trippie refined his vocals a bit on this one, it would’ve been a bit of a stronger cut, but as it is, it’s definitely lacking in the emotional feel it’s going for.

Taking A Walk: Taking a page from the book of Lil Uzi Vert, Trippie creates a track that has very lighthearted production, while juxtaposing it with very sad lyrics about death. I like the slower-paced drum beat, and the overall breezy, spacey vibe of the song is nice, but I find this to be one of the more problematic cuts on the album. First of all, it’s only 2 minutes, and therefore, the short length makes it relatively unfulfilling. Second, Trippie’s vocals still feel rather unclean, and when he’s spitting bars like “chicken noodle ass n***a, man, you boneless,” it just feels too silly for the vibe the song is going for. It’s not a hideous song, it’s just very problematic, and it could be so much better.

Wish (Trippie Mix) (with Diplo): Trippie collaborates with Diplo to make what has been seen as his version of Lil Uzi Vert’s “XO TOUR Llif3,” as in a song with some more sad production with very emotional lyrics about one of Trippie’s former relationships. Despite said sad vibe, I actually like the somewhat energetic production and beat on this one (thank Diplo for that instrumental), and I think Trippie’s vocals feel less grating and a bit more emotional on this one, especially on the hook when Trippie says that he “might just blow [his] brain,” comparing himself to Kurt Cobain. It's definitely one of the more emotional cuts on the album, and I really like it.

Missing My Idols: Apparently a sequel to a previous Trippie Redd song “Can You Rap Like Me?” off of his “A Love Letter To You” mixtape, Trippie uses a hook that he previously rapped on a freestyle he did for Tim Westwood (he also apparently used this as his XXL Freshman freestyle) where he raps about how he “misses his idol.” I like his flow throughout the hook and I think the rhyme scheme on it is pretty interesting, but once again, the song feels a bit too short and unfulfilling, and I also think the production isn’t quite as special as usual. It doesn’t really play to Trippie’s vocal uniqueness, and it just feels like somewhat standard trap stuff. Not bad, just not special.

Forever Ever (ft. Young Thug and Reese LAFLARE): Another braggadocious song featuring Young Thug and Reese LAFLARE (and apparently Kodak Black has some vocals on here), the trio also talk a lot about love over a more slow-paced, spacey trap instrumental that, while somewhat standard, does sound nice and feels appropriately moody. Trippie auto-croons through his verse and he sounds pretty smooth doing it, and Young Thug’s vocals sound solid as well. Reese LAFLARE ends the song, and while his vocals don’t sound particularly distinct, they do mesh well with the production and give the song a little bit of extra character. Overall, pretty fun track. I dig it.

Bird Shit: Genius.com’s current annotation on this track doesn’t describe what it’s about, it simply describes the cut as “one of the best songs on Trippie Red’s new album.” Couldn’t even spell “Redd” right, either. I mean, if that’s the case, I had high expectations coming into this one. Did it deliver? Well, yeah, it’s a fun track. The production is driven by the click-clack percussion, but I like the cloudy feel of the instrumentals here, Trippie’s auto-crooning is smooth, and even if he does growl and have a few strange ad-libs here and there, they don’t interfere with my enjoyment of the song. Pretty good cut.

BANG!: What seems to be a song about his relationship with his girlfriend AYLEK$, Trippie channels the anxiety he feels surrounding his relationship, wondering if his girlfriend thinks of him while he’s gone. I like the darker, more nocturnal production on this one, and Trippie’s vocals do carry some emotional weight on this one, though I don’t really find there to be anything to compellingly hook me into it. The chorus itself isn’t really all that stunning, and despite that emotional weight I mentioned, some of Trippie’s screaming and growling isn’t quite fitting against the more melancholy production here. There’s certainly some appeal to this cut, though, and I can see it growing on me in the future if I give it a few more listens.

How You Feel: Another more alternative rock-leaning track, Trippie wonders how his girl feels about him throughout this cut, and he sings about this over another more minimal, guitar-driven instrumental. And while I find it a bit strange seeing Trippie say that his love for his girl is “like cookies to a girl scout,” I once again like his more emotional vocals on this cut and the more moody, lowkey production on this one. If anything, I feel like the song does go on just a little bit too long: given that there’s not a lot of beef to the lyrics, and the instrumental isn’t too big or anything, I think this is one of those songs that could’ve been just a tick shorter. It’s still a nice-enough cut that has good things going for it, I just wish it was more condensed.

Dark Knight Dummo (ft. Travis Scott): Something of a braggadocious song where Trippie seems to brag about all the riches he has made since becoming a more known musician, I love the very nocturnal, weirdly-produced instrumental on this one, and I also really dig Trippie’s very energetic, somewhat slurred but still powerful vocals (I think his growls fit a bit better here given the more aggressive production), and I think the hook is easily one of the most ear-wormy and hypnotic choruses on the album. Travis Scott also jumps on this single for a verse, and I think his auto-crooned vocals mesh pretty well with Trippie’s ad-libs and energy. Really nice track, I like this one a lot.

UKA UKA: Hmm, a title that references a character in the iconic “Crash Bandicoot” series that I really enjoy? And what’s this? Trippie actually loves “Crash Bandicoot” and has a chain necklace with Uka Uka’s face on it? Respect, Trippie, respect. And I do find it unique that Trippie embraces the “antagonist” that Uka Uka is with this track by taking some shots at 6ix9ine and painting himself as something of a villain. I like his flow on this one, and I think the more energetic production is pretty nice as well, though I do think the song could’ve used a better chorus. It doesn’t feel like it really effectively hooks in the way that the verses do. Either way, as someone that loves video games, I like some of the references he makes to certain games, and I think he makes a pretty solid song here, even if it’s not one of the album’s best.

Shake It Up: Taking things in a much darker route, Trippie holds nothing back as he talks about the sex his girlfriend gives him. While I do like Trippie’s rather weird, auto-crooned vocals on this one, I once again don’t really find the hook to be all that enticing here, and I think the production just feels like rather standard turn-up music. It doesn’t really leave much of a lasting impression, and that’s a bit of a problem given the song’s length: at just under 2 minutes, you gotta hit hard if you want to make the shorter tracks memorable, but unfortunately, this one just doesn’t quite hit.

Oomps Revenge: Here, we get a bit sadder, as Trippie makes a tribute to his deceased older brother, who was apparently the reason Trippie got into rap to begin with. And while the song is just a little too short (only 2 minutes and 1 second here), I do like the slower-paced production here, the beat is pretty solid, and I think Trippie’s rap flow and performance are pretty solid as well. Admittedly, I do think the song feels just a little bit more braggadocious than it should, given that it’s supposed to be a tribute to his brother, but it still does feel personal enough to work, even if it could’ve been a little longer.

Gore: Okay, back to the flexing. Trippie talks on this song about how he’s gonna keep on winning, even if his attempts at winning end up killing him. Unfortunately, this song does feel to me like a number of trap-rap songs that we hear today. Even though it’s got a somewhat murky vibe to it, it’s something that I feel has been done several times before, the trap-drum beat is very standard, and Trippie’s vocal chops are drowned out to some degree on this one. I do like the hook a little bit, but I don’t really think it’s enough to save this cut from being pretty “whatever.”

Underwater FlyZone: The closer to the album seems to talk about Trippie’s very on-and-off relationship with AYLEK$, and given that it was teased in April when they had broken up, this song seems to describe the “off” end of the relationship. Honestly, with a name like “Underwater FlyZone,” I thought this was gonna be Trippie’s theme park, kinda like how “ASTROWORLD” is Travis Scott’s theme park. That’s not the case, but either way, I think this is a pretty strong cut. Trippie’s vocals actually have very real emotional weight, and I think they mesh well with the somewhat minimal, downbeat piano melody here. Even though it’s the longest cut on the album (at nearly 6 minutes!!!), I think Trippie’s vocals remain interesting enough to keep the song exciting for the entire duration, and I think it’s a worthy finisher to the album.

Overall, it’s kinda funny that I compared Trippie Redd to Lil Uzi Vert at points in this review (he does occasionally sound like Uzi at points, and some of his songs seem to take pages from Uzi’s book), because what I’m about to say about this album is actually what I said around this time last year when I reviewed Uzi’s “Luv is Rage 2,” both in terms of the good and bad sides of the album. On the positive end of things, I think that Trippie does actually bring some very interesting ideas to this album, and I do appreciate how he can take on a couple of different styles here, from more vibrant, turn-up jams to some softer, alternative-rock leaning tracks, and I can kind of see how he’s carved out his own niche in the Soundcloud rap scene. Even despite my Uzi comparisons, I think he’s got a distinct and rather interesting style, and there are several moments on the album where he embraces what makes him special and creates something really good.

That said, I do think there are some very real flaws with the album: he’s still a bit all-over-the-place lyrically, his vocals can be inconsistent (sometimes they fit with the vibe of the song, other times they just feel overly yelpy and annoying) and, for that matter, the album as a whole is rather inconsistent. I’m glad Trippie didn’t make this 26 songs like he originally said (I don’t think he could’ve handled that), but even at its current length of 14, Trippie mixes some great highs (“Dark Knight Dummo”) with some big lows (“Together”), and while nothing on here comes off as truly hideous, I do think a number of the songs could’ve been improved. Even so, I can see Trippie at least going up from here if he can iron out his vocals a bit and maybe provide a little less lyrical cheese, and I see that he has something unique going for him, so I’d definitely be interested in seeing how he grows past this album. As it is, you can do better than this, but given how low Soundcloud rap can go, you can also do worse. I just hope Trippie hits harder on his next release.

Favorite tracks: Wish (Trippie Mix), Forever Ever, Bird Shit, Dark Knight Dummo, Underwater FlyZone

Least favorite tracks: Together, Taking A Walk, Shake It Up, Gore

Rating: Okay

Ariana Grande "Sweetener" Album Review (130th Review)

Alright, everyone, it’s finally here: after months of waiting, it’s time for a review of the new Ariana Grande album “Sweetener.”

This is the fourth full-length album from pop diva superstar Ariana Grande, and it’s also the follow-up to her 2016 album “Dangerous Woman.” In 2017, Ariana’s year started pretty solidly, as her single “Side to Side” with Nicki Minaj stuck around in the Top 10 early on, and she was featured with John Legend on the rendition of the iconic song “Beauty and the Beast” for the live-action remake of the film. Despite not releasing a new project in 2017, she was named Billboard’s Female Artist of the Year, since “Dangerous Woman” continued to chart well during the year, and she also spent 2017 performing on her “Dangerous Woman” tour to promote the album. Unfortunately, her year had one massive, difficult moment that has stuck in the minds of many: in May, her performance at the Manchester Arena in England ended on a horrifying note, with a suicide bomber detonating a bomb in the arena’s foyer, killing 23 and leaving 500 injured. Ariana did show strength in the face of this with her performance in the One Love Manchester benefit concert that also featured artists like Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Pharrell Williams, Miley Cyrus, and many more. She raised $23 million for the victims and their families and was also named the first honorary citizen of Manchester.

It’s difficult having to bring up those events again in this review, especially since they happened what feels like a long time ago, but it feels almost necessary because Ariana, at least subtly, alludes to some of those events on this very record. The leadoff single “no tears left to cry” seems to be Ariana’s way of saying that she’s finally back in a more positive frame of mind after those events, and in the hook of “the light is coming,” Ariana says “the light is coming to give back everything the darkness stole,” seeming to speak to the ideology that, after all that she went through in 2017, positivity is finally back in her corner this year. While the latest single “God is a woman” tells me that not every song will speak to that theme, it seems like Ariana is taking a very interesting, different sonic direction with this album, with what feels like a little more hip-hop influence as well. Ariana, I marathon-reviewed your first three albums and I absolutely adored them, and I’ve loved those first three singles, I am ready to be blown away with this album. Let’s see if she does that:

raindrops (an angel cried): Ariana kicks off the album with a very short intro track (it sits at just 38 seconds in length), which isn’t too out of the ordinary for her given that she started “My Everything” with a 1:20 track. Even as a track with no instrumentals whatsoever, this is an intro I fell in love with on the strength of Ariana’s vocals alone. She sounds very heavenly and angelic, and it’s a sign of what’s to come from her vocally here. I dig it!

blazed (ft. pharrell williams): A collaboration with the legend himself Pharrell Williams (who actually helped produce a number of the tracks on this album), this very danceable banger actually has something of an old-school vibe to it. I love the pounding drum beat on it, and Ariana’s vocals sound gorgeous as she sings about never letting go of someone that she loves. I wish Pharrell had a slightly bigger presence, but I commend that his vocal performance on the hook is very charismatic, and he helps create something that’s pretty catchy as well. As the first full song on the album, this is a good starter!

the light is coming (ft. nicki minaj): Ariana brings in frequent collaborator Nicki Minaj on this one (good, because with the year she’s had, she needed some big help) to rap an opening verse that is a bit sloppy but is nevertheless decent enough for what it’s trying to do. Ariana takes control afterward, sing-rapping (to a degree) about how positivity is back in her corner, and how “the light” will “give back” what the dark, negative cloud that hung over her stole. It’s actually a very weirdly cut, hip-hop banger that, I know has gotten a rather polarizing response thus far, but I really dig it. I love the bouncy production, Ariana’s vocals are very pretty as always, and I think the hook is very ear-wormy and very catchy. Really like this one.

R.E.M.: No, that title is not a gimmick, the song is about sleep…well, kinda. Ariana speaks about how she doesn’t want to wake up from the dream she is having about a lover of hers. This one’s got a much slower feel to it with some very cool, snappy percussion and very spacey, ethereal synths. Ariana sticks into her lower register throughout the entirety of the song, but she sounds great doing it, and she crafts another really catchy, immediate hook as well. Once again, it’s got a much different feel than a lot of Ariana’s other stuff, but it’s a very sensual, lovely track that I really enjoy!

God is a woman: No, if you haven’t heard this single yet, Ariana is not insinuating that God, as an entity, is a woman. I’ve had one or two people ask me about that, but no, that’s not the case. Ariana instead talks here about how the sexual pleasure he provides is so incredible, it will make you believe that she, a woman, is your God. Ariana once again leans toward a trap sound on this one but does so with some very soulful vocals, a really gorgeous hook, and some very ecstatic production. I love the catchy, upbeat percussion, there are some very cool guitar riffs, and even if it’s somewhat unconventional for Ariana, it’s an excellent-sounding single that’ll definitely stick with me in the future.

sweetener: The title track of this album deals with more themes of positivity, as Ariana talks about taking any stressful situation and adding some “sweetener” to it as a way of improving it and making it more positive. This one has another more hip-hop-influenced feel to it, with Ariana kind of rapping her way through the post-chorus (of course, not before providing very glorious vocals on the chorus itself). Ariana’s overall performance feels very sensual and energetic, and she meshes well with the trap percussion and electronic mixing on this one. It’s a song that has the feel of an older Ariana track with some very cool, new vibes as well, and it’s very successful for that.

successful: Speaking of the word "successful," uhh...this song! Something of a more braggadocious track, Ariana talks here about how happy she is to be young and successful, while also flipping it back to be a more positive message to her listeners, as a reminder that they are successful. This one has a more sunny feel to it that kinda feels like a number of 2010s pop songs, and the groovy bassline and bouncy percussion really add to the song. Ariana comes through with some very gorgeous vocal melodies as well, and while I wasn’t that crazy about the hook at first, it definitely grew on me as I continued to listen. I also love how some of the production actually feels like a video game (might seem like an odd comparison, but I felt some “Paper Mario” vibes while listening to it, honestly), and I think the way that mixes with Ariana’s vocals really drew me into this one and didn’t let me go.

everytime: Apparently one of Ariana’s favorite cuts on the album, this one talks about a more reckless love and infatuation to someone, and she sings about this over some more trap-infused production. It’s a darker-sounding track, but Ariana’s vocals up against the trap instrumentals actually feel like a welcome reprieve from a lot of the trap-rap that I hear these days. She sounds gorgeous over the very nocturnal keys, her vocal flow is very strong (she’s also got some great runs on this one as well), and naturally, she manages to create another very fantastic hook on this one. I know that some people might not be quite open to a song like this, as it is a bit strange to see Ariana go in the trap direction, but I’ll just say that I think she handles the trap-infused style better than a lot of these rappers that handle this style regularly.

breathin: A more personal song, Ariana sings on this one about the days where her anxiety makes her feel like she loses her energy to do things. As a man who battles with anxiety on a regular basis, I know all too well how that feels. And again, given that this one deals with themes of anxiety, it’s appropriate that some of the production is darker here, with darker keys and some more snappy percussion. Still, the song itself is very upbeat and danceable, and Ariana takes to this style well, coming through with very powerful vocals and a hook that really sticks in your head for all the right reasons. It’s another cut that feels like an amazing compromise between the upbeat feel that Ariana regularly goes for, while having very interesting, different-sounding production to keep it feeling fresh!

no tears left to cry: You know, after giving this song plenty of repeat listens, I’m a little shocked it wasn’t the opening track on the album. With the fact that it has the theme of Ariana “picking it up” after the Manchester attack, and the overall positive lyrics that speak of rejuvenation, I would’ve thought this would be the perfect song to start off the album with. Either way, I think this is an excellent slice of electro-pop that sees Ariana in top form as a vocalist. Right from the very angelic vocals she provides on the intro, Ariana shows that she’s not playing around, and the production is really strong: the very potent keyboard chords mesh well with the click-clack production on this one, and Ariana’s hook is one of her absolute strongest. Right from my first listen, I knew that Ariana created a bop with this single, and I think it’s already shown some impressive longevity. I really love it!

borderline (ft. missy elliott): Here, Ariana recruits the legendary Missy Elliott for a very bouncy, electro-pop/rap crossover song that’s dominated a lot by its very catchy, click-clacking percussion (that also includes cowbell! Nice!). Ariana comes through with some really catchy vocal melodies on this one, and that percussion I mentioned early is emphatic and very sticky as well. Beyond the percussion, though, there are some very cool, dreamy synths on this one, and Missy Elliot has some pretty solid flow on this one. Again, very different than Ariana’s other stuff, and it might take some getting used to for her fans, but I think it’s really infectious and exciting stuff!

better off: A track that narrowly ended up making the album, Ariana talks here about getting out of a toxic relationship, and she potentially references her former boyfriend Mac Miller. And playing to this sad topic of being in a toxic relationship, the song has a more somber feel, consisting largely of some very moody, thumping strings and a slower overall pace. The percussion is a bit more lowkey as well, and Ariana’s vocals stick into her lower range, but again, I think that fits in with the sad feel of the song. And again, I love the electronic production on this one, it really pulls me in and keeps me interested despite the song’s slightly shorter length.

goodnight n go: A cut that was heavily inspired by Imogen Heap’s “Goodnight and Go.,” this one once again mixes a few different genres, from trap to EDM (as it has something of a beat drop), but it blends them very well, and it mixes a number of Ariana’s feels, from occasionally being more upbeat and poppy, to being more minimal and allowing Ariana’s very breathy, gorgeous falsetto to take the spotlight. I like how this one blends so many feels and ideas together and turns them into such a catchy, vibrant song that never loses focus. A lot of times, when you try to blend as many ideas and genres like this one does, you run the risk of making the song feeling unfocused, but fortunately, this one definitely doesn’t. It’s actually a pretty fantastic cut altogether. I kind of hope Ariana releases it as a single, but even if she doesn’t, that doesn’t take away from my enjoyment of it.

pete davidson: Another short interlude (clocking in at 1:14), this is an ode to Ariana’s fiancé Pete Davidson, and in it, she talks about how happy he made her when he came into her life. Unlike the last interlude, this one actually has an instrumental to it (again, a trap-flavored one). Beyond the very sweet lyrical content, I do really love Ariana’s passionate vocals, as always, but I also think I’m drawn into this interlude thanks to its fantastic production, which consists largely of very pretty strings. There’s not a whole lot to unpack with it, but as a tribute to the love of Ariana’s life, it’s very nice!

get well soon: An appropriate lyrical finisher to an album that spreads positive messages, Ariana uses this song as a way to tell her listeners to take care of themselves, again subtly referencing the frame of mind that she was in in the wake of the Manchester attack, where her physical and psychological self were both heavily affected by the events of the attack. It’s the longest cut on the album (at 5 minutes and 22 seconds, an important detail we’ll bring up in a minute), and right from the start, I was loving the very jazzy feel of the song and the vibrant piano chords in the intro (oh, and the snaps are nice as well). Ariana’s vocals are very charismatic, and even if she goes to the start-stop flow on the hook that I’m not usually crazy about, she really sells it. It’s got a somewhat danceable vibe, especially when the trap drums kick in, and it once again feels like a compromise between the bouncy feel Ariana has built herself on with a great new twist to the production. And, referring back to the Manchester bombing, Ariana actually leaves the final 40 seconds silent as something of a dedication to the victims of the Manchester bombing, and while it seems unconventional, it’s actually fitting, as the song’s length of 5:22 matches the date of the bombing, May 22, or 5/22. It’s a really great, well-thought-out finisher to the album that doubles as a nice tribute and a great listen on its own.

Yep, I was blown away. Ariana Grande’s “Sweetener” was everything I wanted it to be and then some. Ariana takes on a number of different feels with this album (largely trap bangers), and while that may seem unconventional for a pop diva such as herself, she handles it with aplomb, crafting some very gorgeous, energetic, and infectious blends of pop, trap, and electronic music that feel like great mixes of her typical vibe as style, as well as a new, interesting sound. Her vocal chops remain on point as always, and she reminds us once again that she has an incredible ear for hooks as well. And from a lyrical standpoint, given that a number of the songs allude to the tragic Manchester bombing and see Ariana placing herself in a more positive state of mind, I can really appreciate that she can make songs that spread messages of positivity without feeling trite. I know a number of her fans might find the album a bit unconventional, and it might not be for everyone (I mean, I’m not sure how many of us expected someone like Ariana Grande to start putting out trap-inspired music), but I really hope her hardcore fans really give this thing a shot and really support what Ariana’s going for here, because I really think she’s putting out some of her best work with this album.

Ari, I said at the beginning of this review that I was ready to be blown away. Congratulations, you did it.

Favorite tracks: EVERY SINGLE ONE!!!!!

Least favorite tracks: DON’T COME AT ME WITH THAT, THIS ALBUM MADE ME TOO HAPPY FOR “LEAST FAVORITE” SONGS!!!!!

Rating: Excellent

Nicki Minaj "Queen" Album Review

(UPDATE: Though it wasn't initially included on the album, I've apparently been informed that Nicki added her collaboration with 6ix9ine "FEFE" to the album, potentially as a form of chart manipulation so that Nicki's album can get to #1 on the Billboard 200 this week. Regardless of whether or not she does, or whether it ends up getting counted, I'm still gonna talk about the song in this review, and I've edited a few moments just to clarify that the song is included on the record)

Alright, everyone, it’s finally time. I wasn’t really looking forward to this, but here we go: it’s time for a review of the new Nicki Minaj album “Queen.”

You guys know I usually start these reviews by introducing the artist if I didn’t review any of their previous works, but I don’t really think I need to do that here because chances are, you know who Nicki Minaj is: she's been one of the most popular hip-hop artists (and arguably the most noteworthy female hip-hop artist in the 2010s, if not of all time) ever since she was discovered by Lil Wayne in 2009 and featured on the popular Young Money song “BedRock.” She released a trio of highly successful albums in the early 2010s, with “Pink Friday,” “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded” and “The Pinkprint,” and she’s also released a bevy of massive-charting singles like “Your Love,” “Moment 4 Life,” “Super Bass,” “Starships,” “Stupid Hoe,” “Beez in the Trap,” “Pound The Alarm,” “Anaconda,” “Only,” “Truffle Butter,” “No Frauds,” and many, many more. She’s also had several big features and collaborations on songs like “Bottomz Up,” “Monster,” “Make Me Proud,” “Dance (A$$),” “Turn Me On,” “Beauty and a Beat,” “Bang Bang,” “Hey Mama,” “Side To Side,” “Rake It Up,” “MotorSport,” and a whole lot more.

Now, I’ve admittedly defended Nicki a bit against some of the criticism she’s received among some friends of mine who hate every single thing about her because I’m not gonna lie, there is most certainly appeal to her music and some of her songs are quite fun. However, while I’ve come to her defense quite a few times, I can’t say I was very excited going into this record. While the leadoff single “Chun-Li” was fun (if a bit goofy), it felt like all I heard out of her afterward was controversy after controversy, from appearing on the cover of Russia’s “Harper’s Bazaar” in light of the country’s poor treatment of LGBTQ+ citizens (as an LGBTQ+ myself, I definitely don’t think that was the best move) to her heated, aggressive messages towards writer Wanna Thompson and her interview with Elle where she seemed to shame sex workers despite basing her career around being sex-positive.

And not only did that already turn me off going into this album, but beyond hearing that it would be 20 tracks and an hour long, I also approached this with little excitement because, while it’s not her single, the last song I heard Nicki Minaj on was “FEFE” with 6ix9ine, also a hypocritical feature as she is working with, and now apparently touring with, a man who was arrested for Use of a Child in a Sexual Performance. And beyond that hypocrisy, “FEFE” just happens to be a completely hideous song (potentially the worst Billboard Hot 100 Top 10-peaking track this year), and it feels like a poor attempt by Nicki to regain some relevance as, over the last year or so, many have believed that her title of “Queen of Rap” seems to have been taken over by Mrs. Cardi B, who has put out several chart-topping hits and has released a very well-received debut album (I also really enjoyed it), possibly more so than several major hip-hop albums this year. So, while I don't like the idea of pitting female rappers against each other, I’m already walking into this thing with a sour taste in my mouth. Will Nicki actually create something great out of it? Let’s find out:

Ganja Burn: To kick off the album, Nicki takes on something rather upbeat and surprisingly inspired by afrobeat. It’s definitely a surprising direction for Nicki (or, maybe not, I guess since Drake is moving away from the dancehall and afrobeat stuff, someone else has to take it over. Is this another situation where I ask "Drake, what have you done?"), but it doesn’t really stick with me all that much. Nicki’s flow is certainly solid as always, and her vocals on the chorus sound nice, but the hook itself is just unfortunately dull, and the production, while a nice change of direction for Nicki, just feels slightly watered down to the point where it simply feels like “change for the sake of change” instead of “natural evolution.” Not a terrible track, but not really a hard-hitting starter.

Majesty (feat. Eminem & Labrinth): Nicki is joined here by Labrinth, as well as legendary MC Eminem (who she was rumored to be dating at one point), as the three create a rather braggadocious song that has a somewhat dark feel to it. Nicki’s performance is certainly confident, but her flow does little to stick with me (and her singing on the outro is honestly somewhat cringe-y), and Labrinth’s hook is nothing all that special. What really saves the song from being one of the worst on the album is Eminem’s guest verse: I love his confident tone, quick and rapid-fire flow, and his clever lyricism on here. Overall, most of the song is very forgettable, but shoutout to Eminem for reminding us all that he’s still got it after all this time!

Barbie Dreams: This is quite the tell-all track on the album. Nicki pays homage to The Notorious B.I.G. by giving her version of his song “Just Playing (Dreams),” but she also uses the track to diss a number of big-name male artists (although, apparently it’s in good fun because a number of the artists she disses are friends of hers, and some of them, like Lil Wayne and Swae Lee, are featured on the album). Admittedly, though, I do like the old-school, groovy instrumentals on this one, and I think Nicki’s lyricism is very clever here (if a little too unapologetic at some points). The feel changes on the third verse, but the more trap-inspired vibe of the second part has some cool click-clack percussion, and Nicki’s flow remains very strong here. Definitely dig this cut.

Rich Sex (feat. Lil Wayne): As I said about the last track, Lil Wayne is featured on this album, and this is the track that he is part of. It’s a very standard, dark-sounding trap track without much to keep it all that interesting. The somewhat sinister keys are kinda cool, though they definitely sound like something I’ve heard more than a few times before. Nicki’s performance is relatively boring to me (and her weird ad-libs on the outro are, again, complete cringe), and I think what really keeps this interesting to me is Lil Wayne’s really fun flow, and given that he has such a small presence on the song, he isn’t able to do the kind of saving that Eminem did. Pretty bland song, all things considered.

Hard White: Allegedly, many people believed this track was aimed at Cardi B, though given when it was written (February/March 2017, before Cardi B’s big breakout with “Bodak Yellow”), it appears that’s not the case. Instead, what it feels like she’s trying to do is have production that sounds like every other trap-rap song on the planet. Yes, her flow is still very distinct and hard-hitting, and I can tell she’s giving effort with her performance, but I feel like the combination of the very standard beat and instrumentation, combined with Nicki’s attempts at auto-crooning on the hook, just take away from the song a lot. It’s not a terrible track, it’s just unfortunately bland.

Bed (feat. Ariana Grande): Teaming with her good friend (and one of my personal favorites) Ariana Grande, Nicki and Ari talk on this very intimate and sexual track about companionship in the bed. I was really hoping that, by bringing Ariana onto this cut, we would start getting the ship back afloat here, but unfortunately, this is another very problematic track for me. I think that the very bouncy synth-driven production is pretty nice, but it definitely doesn’t feel all that special in comparison to a lot of the collaborations these two have done in the past. And while Nicki’s flow is relatively fun, I feel like Ariana doesn’t have enough of a presence on this one, and when she does come in, she’s not given enough room to really show off her vocal potential until the very end. It’s not bad, it’s just lacking.

Thought I Knew You (feat. The Weeknd): Feels like I’ve been talking about this guy a lot with his features lately, but my man The Weeknd jumps on this track to talk with Nicki about people that they thought they knew. I feel like Nicki’s attempts at singing here just don’t feel very exciting (and that’s a shame, because some of her singing has been good in the past), and the production, once again, just feels like every other trap-rap song I’ve ever heard. Once again, this is a case where Nicki is saved by her feature because The Weeknd’s vocals are great as usual, and he comes through with some great vocal melodies on his verse and pre-choruses. Even then, I feel like Nicki doesn’t really have strong enough vocal interplay with Abel (The Weeknd), so really, The Weeknd just kinda comes in and owns this song for himself. Shoutout to him for saving this from being one of the album’s worst, but it’s a shame Nicki couldn’t give him enough support.

Run & Hide: This cut sees Nicki taking some attempts at an R&B flavor while talking about some of her relationship woes. Unfortunately, I don’t find her singing on this track to really be all that compelling, and I also think that the overpowering percussion just seems to hide that the instrumentals are just so bland and forgettable. I can see how this song can appeal to some people as something sad, but for me, it’s just a painful reminder that Nicki is selling herself short on this project, both in regards to her ear for production and in her vocal performances. And given that the song ends so quickly (it’s just over two and a half minutes) without any really hard-hitting moments, it just feels like one of those cuts that will sink in with the rest of the album and be forgotten after one play.

Chun Swae (feat. Swae Lee): Allegedly the prequel to “Chun-Li,” Nicki recruits frequent collaborator and one-half of Rae Sremmurd, Swae Lee, for this SIX-MINUTE TRACK! Given that Nicki’s struggling so far with three and four-minute songs, I was terrified to see how she'd do on a 6-minute song. And honestly, I knew I was in for a bad time when I really wasn’t digging the Swae Lee feature. Most of you guys know that I generally like Rae Sremmurd, and I was one of the…okay, I was the ONLY person that found “Swaecation” to be my favorite side of “SR3MM,” but honestly, his falsetto on this track is more grating than usual, to the point where my ears honestly hurt listening to it. And while Nicki comes through with some occasionally fun flow, the slower-paced production just threatens to put me to sleep. This goes on far too long, and it’s easily one of the worst on the album.

Chun-Li: This was the first big single that released alongside the album, and on it, Nicki compares herself to the iconic “Street Fighter” character Chun-Li (although, as a gamer myself, I need to have a sit-down with Nicki because I don’t know if she realizes that Chun-Li is not the “villain” of the “Street Fighter” series). The production on this one is bouncy and fun enough, and I do like Nicki’s very confident performance and flow here, though I don’t really find the hook all that fun, and I find it repetitive when Nicki talks about how she’s King Kong, yes, she’s King Kong, really King Kong, she’s the King Kong. Still, there is some fun to be had with this track, and I think it was definitely an appropriate first single.

LLC: Apparently one of Nicki’s favorites from the album because of the precision, breath control, and overall skill of her rapping flow, if anything, I respect her commitment to this song because, after going hard on the third verse, she apparently rewrote the first two verses to go just as hard on them. And yes, I do agree that her rap flow is pretty strong, but unfortunately, as great as her technicality is, rapid-fire flow isn’t going to lift a song, and unfortunately, the rest of the track crumbles around her: the production consists of what sounds like some kind of grating xylophones, and the hook doesn’t really stick with me either. That, and I also think she blew the rapid-fire verse too early and should’ve said it for the end because that would’ve been the perfect “mic drop” kind of moment. Instead, it comes first, and after it ends, everything else just falls off with it.

Good Form: A Mike WiLL Made-It assisted banger, I admittedly do like some of the instrumentals on this one, and the overall darker vibe of the song is definitely working, as is Nicki’s fast-paced, rapid-fire flow. And while her vocal performance can be a little bit grating at times, I do think she hits hard enough overall with her wordplay and flow to keep things interesting. And again, as I said earlier, for what feels like the first time on the record, the production actually sticks and feels really exciting. I’m just saying, Nicki, even if this album ends up being disappointing, all will be forgiven if you release this as a single. Really like this track.

Nip Tuck: Okay, when I first listened to this, I had no idea what a nip tuck was, and even though I know what it is now, it just sounds silly to say. Nip tuck. Nip tuck. Oh, uh, anyway, I’m not really digging that Nicki seems to be selling herself short again by making some very standard, electronic R&B music that honestly entirely reads to me as “female discount Chris Brown.” Everything about the song, from Nicki’s autotune-assisted vocal inflection to the beat and dance production, just sounds to me like something you’d hear from Chris Brown…and given how many Chris Brown songs I’ve heard that sound almost exactly like this, I feel like Nicki should be doing far more than trying to bite his style. For being one of the most distinguished personalities in hip-hop, does she really think songs like this do her justice? Well, unfortunately, they don’t.

2 Lit 2 Late Interlude: Oh, there’s an interlude on this thing. Okay then. So, Nicki uses this interlude to basically say goodbye to an ex that underappreciated her but suddenly misses her now that it’s over. It’s a rather bright track with some kinda sweet keys, and I do like Nicki’s very pretty vocals here, but there’s not much else to say about it. It’s a nice enough interlude, it serves its purpose, nothing more and nothing less.

Come See About Me: Something more ballad-y than some of Nicki’s other stuff, this one sees her in a slightly more vulnerable state, as she talks about managing her personal life while being in the limelight. And admittedly, I do like this one. Sure, it doesn’t do much different than the usual Nicki Minaj ballad, but it does have a nice, suitably emotional vibe to it. Nicki’s vocals are very gorgeous here, the piano-driven production is equally pretty and simplistic in the best of ways, and I feel like this is actually one of the better cuts on the album. I know Nicki doesn’t really come through with these kinds of songs too often, but when she does, they usually work, and this time, it really works.

Sir (feat. Future): A surprise collaboration with Future, whom she is supposedly set to go on tour with, this one has some very dark, murky production with one of the blandest hooks on the album, and I think Nicki’s slower flow on here is, once again, sleep-inducing. And, if that’s not bad enough, Future is one of the most hit-or-miss features you can find, and in this case, he most certainly misses. His flow is boring, his vocals are not really all that fun, and overall, it’s just bad.

Miami: You know, I was shocked earlier that Nicki Minaj was touring with 6ix9ine, who used a minor in a sexual performance, but to make matters worse in terms of working with controversial artists, Nicki raps over a beat inspired by the ever-so-controversial rapper Kodak Black! Digging yourself an even deeper hole now, aren’t ya, Nicki? And once the song actually started off, I couldn’t believe that Nicki was this committed to setting the bar lower. Sure, there’s some good energy on the beat here, and I can see many of her hardcore fans just saying “ohh, this goes hard! Yes Queen!” and all that, but honestly, it just again sounds like everything that she’s done before. And even her flow, which is typically her strong suit, again feels like so many of her other songs. It doesn’t establish itself or stand out at all. I’m just glad I’m getting close to the end of the album at this point.

Coco Chanel (feat. Foxy Brown): The final full-length song on the album, Nicki experiments a bit with dancehall and even raps in Spanish on the hook. Once again, the production is really dark and somewhat sinister, but it again just feels so out-of-place with everything else on the record, since it’s really one of the only cuts that tries to experiment with a different genre or style. Nicki’s performance is rather confident (even if the hook is less than stellar), but I didn’t really care for Foxy Brown’s unfocused flow. It doesn’t really add anything to the song or make it anymore dynamic, and all in all, it just feels like Nicki trying to jump on the dancehall bandwagon because, you know, dancehall is in now that Drake showed it could top charts (I'll ask it here, Drake, what have you done?). Pretty lackluster, disappointing last full-length song.

Inspirations Outro: As it says in the title, Nicki pays tribute here to the artists that have inspired her music, from legends like Lauryn Hill to Caribbean artists like Destra Garcia. It’s got a nice beat to it as it continues from “Coco Chanel,” and Nicki’s flow is fun enough, but once again, there’s not really much beef to this or much reason to go back after one listen. It serves its purpose, and that’s about it. Decent end to the album, just not that special.

FEFE (6ix9ine ft. Nicki Minaj & Murda Beatz): As I mentioned in the update at the top of the review, "FEFE" is not Nicki's song, it's 6ix9ine's, and even though it wasn't included in the initial release of the album, apparently Nicki added the song as a bonus track to the album on streaming services to boost the record a bit on the charts. Regardless of said reason, the song is still utterly disgusting. Beyond the dull production and imagery that's rather unsettling given that 6ix9ine was arrested for using a child in a sexual performance, the vocals are equally tedious. 6ix9ine decides that, instead of screaming his head off, he'll try to jump on the auto-croon bandwagon, only to forget that he can't actually sing. Nicki's performance also simply screams "I'M SELLING OUT!" as it's clear she's not giving her all and instead is simply trying to work with a relevant artist so that she can maintain chart success in the wake of Cardi B seemingly taking most of it away. Wow, that's probably the hardest I've ever harped on a song in any of these reviews, but this one deserves it: it's truly hideous, it has no business being in the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 as we speak, 6ix9ine has no business being in this industry, and Nicki has no business working with someone like him.

Yeahhh, this one just REEKS of disappointment. I don’t want to hate this album, and I know Nicki stans will not be happy that I dared say something bad about their “Queen,” but unfortunately, I found the album to be very lackluster. Yes, there were a few good tracks on here, and yes, Nicki’s performances were solid (if repetitive), but all in all, a lot of this record was just blandly produced song after blandly produced song, and it also felt like a case where, a lot of the time, Nicki’s features did a lot of the heavy lifting for her. There could’ve been even more songs in my “least favorites” section below if not for some of the very strong features from artists like Eminem and The Weeknd, and while I should add points for that, I won’t, because…well, for one, the features as a whole are hit-or-miss, but also, the fact that features have to lift someone like Nicki, who’s typically a very dynamic and exciting performer, should just show how much this album is lacking. I’m sorry, I don’t want to be disrespectful towards the album, and there’s a good chance I’ll probably still defend Nicki against some of my friends that hate everything about her, but unfortunately, this just gave them some ammunition. Nicki stans will certainly fall in love with the album, but honestly…this thing just isn't doing it for me.

Sorry, Nicki.

Favorite tracks: Barbie Dreams, Good Form, Come See About Me

Least favorite tracks: Rich Sex, Run & Hide, Chun Swae, LLC, Nip Tuck, Sir, Miami, Coco Chanel, FEFE (since Nicki apparently added it to the album)

Rating: Awful

Jason Mraz "Know." Album Review

Alright, so now that I’ve finally gotten through the Travis Scott marathon, I’ve got myself plenty of new albums to review. So, to start, let’s review the new Jason Mraz album “Know.”

Jason Mraz is a San Diego-based singer-songwriter who first came to prominence in the early 2000s through performances at the Java Joe’s coffee house in Ocean Beach. He built a bit of a following through that, and ended up releasing his first studio album “Waiting for My Rocket To Come,” which featured his first big single “The Remedy (I Won’t Give Up).” He’s gone on to release several successful albums in the years since, with “Mr. A-Z,” “We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.,” “Love Is A Four Letter Word,” and his most recent record, “Yes!,” which was released in 2014. He’s also had a number of big singles such as “I Won’t Give Up” and “Lucky” featuring Colbie Caillat, though none of his singles have been bigger than his first Top 10 hit “I’m Yours,” a song that peaked at #6 and also, at one point, held the record for most weeks spent on the Hot 100 (it spent 76 weeks on the chart, a record that still sits at #3 behind Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive” and AWOLNATION’s “Sail” at the time of this writing).

Now, while I’m not entirely familiar with Jason Mraz’s entire library, I’ve definitely appreciated some of his scattered singles from afar. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to “I’m Yours” and “Lucky,” two singles from his album “We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.” that appears to be his most loved (either that or “Love Is A Four Letter Word”). Call it me being sentimental or cheesy because this kind of music plays to me, but I loved his very sunny and bright acoustic instrumentals, and I thought he had a knack for putting together some very sweet, wholesome singles that invoke a nice, relaxed feeling. Mraz himself has described this album as being a “bright and shiny” kind of album, which seems to be his big strength, so I’m excited to see if he fully wins me over, or if he’ll just leave me enjoying those few scattered singles I mentioned earlier. Let’s take a look and see what he does!

Let’s See What The Night Can Do: Starting right off, Jason talks about how he wants to get lost with this person that he loves. Jason did say the album was gonna be filled with feel-good lyrics and love songs, and right from the jump, he’s not kidding. Still, I like this one quite a bit: I like the very sweet guitar-plucking, and I think there are some really pretty keys throughout the track. Jason’s vocals are smooth, and I think the hook is very catchy as well. There’s not a whole lot to say about a song like this, but it’s definitely a track that plays to Jason’s charm and sweetness very well.

Have It All: Keeping with the feel-good themes here, Jason talks about viewing life as something of a joyride, and viewing it for more of its positive experiences than the negatives. This one feels a little more poppy than the last (I actually kinda see it as something that plays in commercials), but I think Jason has some solid sing-rapping as well, even though I think it could’ve used a better chorus. The instrumentals are nice on this one, there are some nice keys and rather punchy percussion here, and I think the lyrics are very sweet as well. It’s not my favorite cut on the album, but I can see the appeal of something like this.

More Than Friends (feat. Meghan Trainor): The only track on this record to have a feature…and it’s Meghan Trainor…wonderful. Anyway, this song is exactly what it says on the tin: a love song about wanting to be more than friends. It starts off much lighter, but it does have a somewhat more uptempo drum beat later on to give it a somewhat more upbeat feel. I love Jason’s very gorgeous vocals here, and I think he really sells the hook as well. And admittedly, though I’m no Meghan Trainor fan, her vocals are nice enough, and she meshes well with Jason. I can see how something like this might strike others as a somewhat standard slice of acoustic pop, but I think it’s a very nice cut that has a nice bit of honesty and really understands that scary feeling of telling someone you love them.

Unlonely: Shouldn’t need to dive too deep into the lyrics here, Jason just talks about how he wants to make this lover of his “unlonely” and give them someone to love (shoutout to Jason for also mentioning that “unlonely” is not a word, but “not giving a fuck” about it). It’s a more upbeat, bright track compared to some of the others on here that kind of feels like a bit of a throwback to a number of songs I’ve heard in the early 2000s, but I think it really shines with Jason’s very pretty, smooth vocals. The production didn’t really hook me in as much because it’s poppy but just a bit too standard for me, but Jason’s vocals and charm are enough to keep this song relatively interesting, even if it’s far from the album’s best.

Better With You: Yep, Jason doesn’t seem to be leaving much to the imagination with these titles: it’s called “Better With You” because he feels better with the person he loves. Exactly what it says on the tin. This much lighter track has a rather standard chord progression, but one that I still find myself enjoying, as it meshes well with the more upbeat, catchy drums. Jason’s vocals are a bit more low-key, but they still sound very pretty, and I think the hook is one of the album’s best. It’s not a song that’s really reinventing the wheel, but it’s a very lovely song that easygoing and fun to get into.

No Plans: Once again, as the title of the song suggests, Jason talks about having no plans except for spending time with his love. It’s one of the most minimal tracks on here, both in terms of its actual sonic elements, and also in terms of its length (at 2:28, it’s the shortest cut on the album). Unfortunately, I wasn’t quite as crazy about this one as, despite being very sweet and having more nice vocals from Jason, I feel like there’s really not much to it. Just some light guitar strumming and Jason’s vocals, without much of a hook or anything that hits hard and makes the song beg for repeat listens. I’m sure there’s appeal to it elsewhere, but just not for me.

Sleeping To Dream: I really feel like I’m repeating myself when I say what these songs are about because it should be obvious, but I’ll do it anyway: Jason talks about how he’s so tired of living without his lover, to the point where he just wants to sleep to dream about them. The simplicity of the song makes it worthwhile, though: the acoustic guitar melody is very sweet, there’s some very catchy, upbeat production, and Jason delivers some very nice, somewhat hushed vocals here that are most especially effective on the hook. Again, very sweet, easygoing cut that I really dig.

Making It Up: On this cut, Jason talks about how he and a lover are “making it up,” even though he doesn’t exactly explain what “it” is. It’s confusing, but the song does have a sweet, soft-rock vibe to it that kinda reminds me a bit of something James Taylor would make. There are some cool guitar solos here, Jason’s vocals remain smooth and, while it definitely sounds like something you’ve heard before, the instrumentals are vibrant and pretty enough. I don’t think the chorus is entirely captivating, but it’s a nice song while it lasts.

Might As Well Dance: This is another song that kinda plays to the youthful awkwardness of love: Jason talks about how, while he and his lover might be “fools” and might be silly, they might as well try to have fun and dance, even if they’re not very good at it. I do think some of the lyrics on here are a little awkward (like when he says “we might as well take off our pants”), and ultimately, I don’t find much hooking me in here. The instrumentals give me some light Shania Twain vibes, but the chorus is definitely far from captivating, and I think Jason’s vocals don’t quite have the same charm to them (again, he can’t save that lyric about taking off pants). Definitely one of my least favorite tracks on the album.

Love Is Still The Answer: Admittedly, I was kinda dreading this track, only because feel-good acoustic songs don’t usually lend themselves to six-minute cuts. Sure, this one does sound nice with its subdued guitar melodies and sweet vocals from Jason, but I was curious as to whether or not it would stay interesting for the entire six minutes. And, ultimately, it does actually stay interesting enough, and the song itself is quite breezy despite its long length. Jason comes through with a nice hook, and he meshes well with all the different instruments on this one, like the violin plucks and the dreamy keys. Sure, it could’ve been chopped just a little bit, but it’s a very nice finisher to the album that definitely doesn’t feel overly long.

Overall, Jason Mraz’s latest album definitely won’t play to everyone, and I wouldn’t say it reinvents the wheel or does anything truly groundbreaking with its formula, but it’s a nice little album that plays well to Jason’s easygoing, lighthearted charm. Jason comes through with some feel-good, lovely tracks with sweet lyrics and nice guitar production and, while he doesn’t really try to do much different with his established style, the album sees Jason playing into his comfort zone and doing a good job in said comfort zone. I would’ve liked to see just a little more experimentation with different sounds, and I would’ve liked to see just a little more variation, but all in all, sometimes you just need some wholesome songs like these in your life, and I think Jason Mraz pulls them off. It’s not one of the best things I’ve heard, but there are some very nice takeaway tracks here, and the album as a whole works in spite of its familiarity.

Favorite tracks: Let’s See What The Night Can Do, More Than Friends, Better With You, Sleeping To Dream, Love Is Still The Answer

Least favorite tracks: No Plans, Might As Well Dance

Rating: Good

Travis Scott "ASTROWORLD" Album Review

Alright, everyone, I’m sure some of you have been patiently waiting for this, and I am extremely sorry it took me so long to get to talking about this one, but...it’s finally time. Let’s go visit our favorite theme park with the new Travis Scott album “ASTROWORLD.”

This is the latest full-length studio album from rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer Travis Scott, and it’s also the follow-up to his 2016 record “Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight.” Since the release of that album (itself a very quick follow-up to his 2015 debut studio album “Rodeo”), Travis has most certainly kept himself busy in several ways without releasing an album. In 2017, he started the year by seeing the single “goosebumps” from “Birds” reach the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 (it even made the Year-End Hot 100 at #68) and later released the single “BUTTERFLY EFFECT” in May. He then spent the rest of 2017 earning features on several albums from the Migos record “Culture” to having three appearances on DJ Khaled’s “Grateful,” but his most prominent features came from SZA’s “Love Galore” off of “Ctrl,” and of course, the Top 10-peaking Drake single “Portland” that also included frequent Travis Scott collaborator Quavo. Speaking of Quavo, the two of them even ended 2017 by releasing the collaborative project “Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho,” and Travis wasted no time in 2018 by earning appearances on several albums like the Migos record “Culture II,” the “Black Panther” soundtrack and Rae Sremmurd’s “SR3MM,” and he also released the single “Watch” with Kanye West and Lil Uzi Vert which, despite its huge chart success (it peaked at #16 on the Hot 100, Travis’s highest peak as a lead artist), it was not included on this album, and Travis surprisingly chose “BUTTERFLY EFFECT” instead. Strange, but…okay.

Now, while I really like Travis’s style of music, I have an already on-and-off history with his full-length projects. I’m sure you guys remember these from my reviews, but I really did believe the hype after listening to “Rodeo.” I thought that Travis had a very distinct, interesting style on the album with some really top-notch, trippy, and nocturnal production, and I can see how his vocal chops and rap flows inspired several similar artists. However, I wasn’t nearly as into “Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight” because, while Travis’s vocal charm was still there and was still interesting, the production on the album felt more lackluster and phoned-in, nowhere near as sticky as that on “Rodeo.” One of the major things that really pulled me into the first album (the production) ended up being the biggest lowlight of his follow-up. Now, I know this record has been receiving a lot of praise, but you guys should know by now that I have many unpopular opinions, so I’m still walking into the album a little torn. With all the good things I’m hearing, I have hopes that it’ll be a good album, but…let’s just find out, I guess.

(NOTE: While the features on this album are uncredited, I have decided that I will credit them and, like how the features were credited in all lowercase in my “Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight” album review, all the features will be credited here in all caps. All credits are according to Genius.com)

STARGAZING: Kicking things off, Travis talks about a psychedelic trip on this one, and thankfully, he adds to the idea of “psychedelics” on this track by taking things back to the hazy feel of “Rodeo.” I also like his vocals throughout the track, switching from his typical singing to an autotune-assisted falsetto that actually helps fit in with the song’s weird feel. I also love the many twists and turns the song takes sonically (as I said, it does feel like it goes back to the weird feel of “Rodeo”), and it feels like Travis is playing more into what makes him special on this one. Great starter to the album!

CAROUSEL (FT. FRANK OCEAN): Keeping things in a very drug-infused direction, Travis Scott brings in Frank Ocean to talk about what it’s like to spend a day on several drugs. Once again, I really dig the direction Travis is taking this in, as it feels hazier and weirdly produced (with a hint of bombast) this time around. Even if it’s loud and, again, somewhat bombastic, it doesn’t feel overly abrasive, and I dig Travis’s flow throughout this one. Frank Ocean also shines on this song with a really fun hook, as well as a solid slip into his falsetto on his verse, really showing a lot of his vocal range that rounds out the track excellently.

SICKO MODE (FT. DRAKE & SWAE LEE): A THREE-PART TRACK (I capitalize that because I feel like that’s the first time I’m saying that in any review), Travis Scott brings in the 6 God himself, Drake, as well as Rae Sremmurd’s own Swae Lee (though it also does feature guest vocals, sampled or otherwise, from Big Hawk (Hot Shit), Luke (I Wanna Rock), Sheck Wes (Mo Bamba), and the legend himself, The Notorious B.I.G. (Gimme The Loot)), to talk about all the hard work that they’ve put in to keep them a cut above the competition. The production here is really great, taking things in a lot of different directions, mixing in an upbeat feel, a dark, nocturnal feel, and even a video game-esque feel. I love Drake’s mix of sing-rapping and straight rapping throughout the song, Travis obviously brings some solid auto-crooned vocals, and even though he’s hardly there, Swae Lee’s vocals are nice for what they’re trying to do. Definitely dig this one a lot!

R.I.P. SCREW (FT. SWAE LEE): Here, Travis Scott pays respect to the late hip-hop star from Houston, DJ Screw, who passed in 2000 as the result of an apparent drug overdose. Screw helped integrate the “chopped and screwed” technique, and Travis pays tribute to him (as does Swae Lee) by taking this song far slower. I like the click-clacking percussion and the very dark synths on this one, Swae Lee’s vocals feel appropriately chilly and sad on this one, and Travis’s vocals also feel very hazy and emotional thanks to the effects and filters placed on them. It’s definitely a far more sad song compared to some of the previous cuts, but it’s really effective all the same.

STOP TRYING TO BE GOD (FT. JAMES BLAKE, KID CUDI, PHILIP BAILEY & STEVIE WONDER): A star-studded track that features artists such as Philip Bailey, James Blake, Kid Cudi, and the legendary Stevie Wonder, Travis talks about staying true to yourself and not acting like you are some kind of “God.” I initially found Kid Cudi’s humming to be a little obnoxious on this track (I know it’s his typical thing, but it feels a little bit overbearing on this one), but it grew on me throughout my listen of it, and I do like Philip Bailey’s contribution to the hook. Travis’s vocals are also chilly, adding to the emotional vibe on this one. James Blake also comes in towards the end of the song and provides a very beautifully sung verse as well. I like the way so many different weird sonic elements mix together on this one (like Stevie Wonder’s harmonica), and I think this track succeeds in that it feels like Travis remembering what made him special on “Rodeo” and tapping into that again.

NO BYSTANDERS (FT. JUICE WRLD & SHECK WES): Travis turns up on this one alongside up-and-coming rappers Sheck Wes and Juice WRLD (the latter of whom you may recognize from the recent hit song “Lucid Dreams”), and I actually really loved Juice WRLD’s appearance here. His vocals are very smooth and gorgeous, and he has some great interplay with Travis, who provides another fun, energetic vocal performance. I wasn’t really super crazy about Sheck Wes’s hook at first, but it grew on me because I really dug that it really added to the vibe of the song, and I do like the energetic production on this cut. I can see it being a really fun turn-up jam that I’ll want to come back to in the future.

SKELETONS (FT. PHARRELL WILLIAMS, TAME IMPALA & THE WEEKND): A much shorter track than several others on the album, Travis nonetheless teams up with several big artists, such as Pharrell Williams, Tame Impala’s frontman Kevin Parker, and of course, frequent Travis Scott collaborator (and one of my favorite artists) The Weeknd to deliver a very ethereal, psychedelic track that feels very numbing and woozy. Travis drops a few very clever bars on this cut, The Weeknd comes through with some smooth autotuned crooning here, and though Pharrell and Parker’s vocal contributions are minor, they do help add an extra layer to this very trippy, exhilarating cut.

WAKE UP (FT. THE WEEKND): Travis knows how much his collaborations with The Weeknd slap, so naturally, he had to bring in the Starboy himself for another track. Can’t do any complaining about that. This song seems to be inspired by their relationships (Travis’s with Kylie Jenner, and The Weeknd’s much-rumored on-and-off relationship with Bella Hadid), and it takes some very interesting, different directions, with some really fascinating guitar plucking driving the production. The Weeknd’s vocals are gorgeous as always, and I think Travis shows some solid vocal range, as he switches between his typical flow and his autotune-assisted falsetto here, making for another great collaboration between these two.

5% TINT: Another dark jam that makes references to the Slim Thug track “Still Tippin’,” Travis once again makes reference to drugs, sex, and cars on this one. It’s obviously not a super lyrical song, but that’s fine in this case because I really dig the very sinister, creepy production that really plays to Travis’s strengths. It definitely feels like, after “Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight,” Travis isn’t taking any prisoners with this release and he’s not afraid to be unconventional. And again, Travis shows that’s got quite an ear for hooks and solid auto-crooning. Really dig this one!

NC-17 (FT. 21 SAVAGE): A more explicit track in comparison to the other songs on the album (not that the others haven’t been explicit, but this seems more explicit given that the title, which refers to the highest possible rating a film can receive in America, and an indication that no one under 17 may see the film), Travis brings back 21 Savage for this cut, and while that does worry me because of how one-note 21 can be, I was surprised by his guest appearance on “Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight,” so I walked into this cut more hopeful. And, right from the jump, I really liked the very nocturnal, somewhat scary production and Travis’s very energetic performance here. And, admittedly, 21 Savage’s performance is pretty fun as well. Gotta say I’m really loving Travis’s direction with this album!

ASTROTHUNDER: The shortest song on the album, this one has a title that apparently references famed bass guitarist Thundercat, and his influence can be seen a bit here: the production is very bass-driven, and it’s got a really cool groove to it. The song as a whole is also very high-energy, with fast-paced synths and a pretty catchy beat as well, and Travis’s autotune filters on his vocals make for one of his most interesting vocal performances on the record. There’s not a whole lot to say about it because it’s pretty short, but it’s definitely a really amazing track while it lasts, with very cool production and vocals that make it a great banger.

YOSEMITE (FT. GUNNA & NAV): Travis references the Yosemite National Park in California throughout this track, and he also brings in guest artists Gunna and his frequent collaborator…*sigh*…NAV. You’d think with an album as hideous as “Reckless,” NAV would just burn out, but…I guess if you’re signed to XO (and I guess since NAV and Travis frequently collaborate), he’s gonna at least get more guest verses…lovely. Anyway, this one has some surprisingly guitar-driven production that once again shows Travis’s solid ability to try different things, and it’s also got a very fun chorus from Gunna. Travis’s auto-crooning also remains pretty interesting throughout this one, and admittedly, I know it’s a meme about how quiet NAV’s vocals are on here (the vocals were fixed on Spotify, but I did find the original version on YouTube so I see why people were mad), but honestly, I’m not mad about it because his appearance is short enough that it doesn’t stale out like it does on his other songs, and it fits for the song while it lasts. Overall, this definitely could’ve gone wrong, but I’m glad it didn’t.

CAN’T SAY (FT. DON TOLIVER): Travis talks all about getting high and picking up women on this track, while also paying homage in several ways to Houston hip-hop through samples (notably of "Swang" by Trae tha Truth) and a guest appearance from Houston up-and-comer Don Toliver. I really love the hook on this one, and I think Travis really shows off his vocal range on this track, slipping between his regular voice and his head voice very nicely. I also like the somewhat grunge-inspired feel of the song, and I definitely dig Don Toliver’s very powerful, emphatic vocals on his hook and verse. I’d definitely love to hear more from Don in the future, and I’m glad he’s not the only highlight of the song. It feels like everything works well together on this cut, and I really love it!

WHO? WHAT! (FT. QUAVO & TAKEOFF): I can only hope this single doesn’t blow up because we’re gonna be hearing Offset say, “do it look like I’m left off ‘WHO? WHAT!?’” in interviews. I kid, I kid. In all seriousness, the final track on the album to have a feature sees Travis bring in Quavo and Takeoff from Migos to keep the drug-induced fantasies alive. Here, Travis brings us right back down the dark avenue, keeping the very nocturnal vibe that’s made him such an interesting artist, and I once again think his auto-crooning is very strong here. Quavo and Takeoff don’t appear quite as often, but Quavo’s vocals mesh well with Travis’s, and Takeoff has some fun rapid-fire flow throughout his verse.

BUTTERFLY EFFECT: The leadoff single from this album, Travis brings in several double-entendres here, referring to his “butterfly doors” on his Lamborghini, while also referring to the “butterfly effect” that leads to small things having big impacts on the future. Once again, this one is a rather dark-sounding track, and it also has one of the most captivating hooks on the record. It’s got some very chilled, but still hazy, production, and it once again sees Travis jumping nicely between his regular voice and his head voice. Honestly, I haven’t listened to “Watch,” so I can’t say if I’m disappointed in that being cut, but I can say I’m glad Travis decided to include this single on the album because it’s definitely an infectious and really fun one.

HOUSTONFORNICATION: A more personal cut, Travis talks here about his home city of Houston, Texas, while also talking about the acts of debauchery that he would get himself involved in during his youth (that’s where the “fornication” part of the title comes in). I love how eerily this one sounds, with very dark, nocturnal instrumentals that not only call back to many of the strong tracks on “Rodeo,” but also hook better than a lot of the tracks off of “Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight.” I also love Travis’s more fast-paced flow on this one, and his auto-crooning remains very smooth, and he sounds rather chilly as he talks about his youth. It’s a really awesome, infectious cut that I definitely think I’ll be coming back to in the future.

COFFEE BEAN: This is a track that’s been getting a lot of discussion, as it appears to be a “tell-all” track for Travis, who gets personal and talks not only about his relationship with Kylie Jenner, but also discusses the child that he had with her. It’s a track that basically sees Travis at his most vulnerable, bearing it all and revealing all of his insecurities. I love how Travis even changes things up a bit even on the final track, bringing some production that seems more inspired by boom-bap, and I love his emotional performance on this one. Furthermore, I know that Travis isn’t much of a lyrical artist, but I find his lyrics on this track to be some of the hardest-hitting bars that he’s written on any of his albums. It’s a fantastic finisher to this fantastic album.

Overall, outside of the fact that waiting let me hear the revised version of NAV's vocals, I’m legitimately ashamed that I waited over a week to review this album because I really think this is Travis’s best record to date. After the disappointment that was “Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight,” I was worried that, even if Travis bounced back, he wouldn’t quite be able to reach “Rodeo” levels again. Instead, he went even higher than “Rodeo,” experimenting with a lot of different sounds and going back to the very weird, trippy direction that made that album a success while keeping things fresh, especially in comparison to “Birds.” And beyond that, I think he also kept his vocals very interesting by experimenting with things like jumping into his falsetto and trying out some fresh flows and different lyrical themes, and I also think he brought in a lot of very interesting features, too. Even some of the features I was the most skeptical about (like NAV, for example) ended up coming through nicely, and all in all, I think this was Travis’s weirdest, and most entertaining album to date. I’m sure most of you have already listened to it, so I’m sure I don’t have to recommend it if you already have, but if you haven’t, do yourself a favor! It’s definitely worth it.

Favorite tracks: Honestly…all of them. I really loved each track on this one!

Least favorite tracks: None of them! There was no one song I disliked!

Rating: Excellent