My admiration for Hook began on Twitter. In late September, a video circulated of a girl with braided buns all over her head, a grey windbreaker, dark sunglasses, and tennis shoes holding a mic as she stood in front of a green screen. The beat dropped and the scene shifted. Directed and edited by the photographer Hassan, Hook is multiplied, flipped around, and transported to all kinds of places through the magic of editing. All of this occurs while Hooks indignantly raps, “Get yo mans, sis/ He a fan sis/ I’m out of hand, sis/ Get my bands rich.” I was watching the music video for the song “Stand It” the single from the rapper’s then-upcoming EP entitled I Love You, Hook. Her deep voice, repetitive flow, and boisterous lyrics enthralled me. I knew immediately that I loved Hook.

Music video for “Stand It” Produced by 2thousan9 x swvsh

Hook reached two significant milestones recently. On January 23rd, the young rapper turned 21 years old. On the same day she dropped her second album, Crashed My Car. Crashed My Car is the follow up to Hook’s first album Bully, released in the middle of 2019. Bully showcases Hook as the boss that you don’t want to mess with. She asserts herself as the most powerful entity on the playground, not afraid to get into a fight or like multiple boys at once. On the album, the listener is to leave with the idea that life is a game and Hook is winning.

Hook maintains the same braggadocious energy on her sophomore project. Crashed My Car is a collaborative album with lyrics by Hook and production from Los Angeles based producer Nedarb. The power of this duo presents itself right from the beginning. The first song on Crashed My Car, “Wanna Be,” sets the chaotic and psychedelic soundscape for the entire album. “Wanna Be” opens with Hook hyperventilating and sniffling as car horns blare. She dials a phone number while cursing. A 911 dispatcher dryly asks Hook what her emergency is. In no time she responds “I fucking just crashed my car!” She mumbles more expletives before the dispatcher asks her where she is located. “Riverside, California” she stutters. The dispatcher asks for her name. “I’m Hook, bitch!” she replies, then laughs in a very kitschy, animated way. The beat trickles in, building on itself slowly.

The beat does not drop until 50 seconds into the track. After this, the bass gets boosted, the ad libs are everywhere, and punchy, lasar-like sound effects are littered throughout. Hook spits bars about how girls want to be her and men want to date her. In this sense, everyone seems to want a piece of Hook; whether it be her fashion sense, her rap ability, her money, or a combination of all three. Nedarb’s spacey production on the track “Wanna Be” overwhelms the ears with sound. This auditory clustering, however, does not lead to sloppiness or headaches. Instead, the cacophony that Hook and Nedarb create on “Wanna Be” reinforces their experimental take on rap music. In what is perceived to be a very male dominated profession, Hook, not only as a woman but also a performer and a young person, is unlike anyone in the industry today. It is only fitting that she reflects her refreshing uniqueness not only socially but sonically as well.

Cover art and tracklist for Crashed My Car — Cover art and tracklist for *Crashed My Car*

What follows “Wanna Be” is an exciting collection of catchy, clever, and hyphy songs that can turn even the most boring of places into a party. Hook’s bashful attitude shines through on the rowdy tracks “Fall in Luh” and “Wcgaf.” “Fall in Luh” creates its chaos less from the beat but from Hook’s own voice. Hook layers her verses over each other coupled with adlibs and heavy breathing. She embraces her allure on the chorus with the lyrics, “He still fall in love/He still fall in love/I see him every month/But he still fall in love.” In this way, Hook tells us that no one can tie her down, that she is not afraid to play the field just like the boys do. “Wcgaf” is an abbreviation for the phrase “We could give a fuck,” which dominates the chorus. The beat is classically west coast, perfect for the proud Inland Empire native. Hook’s verses are bold. At one point in the track she declares her talent with the lines “You don’t like Hook? Bitch I’m curious/ You don’t like Hook? Bitch are you delirious?” And she’s right.

Tracks like “Fall in Luh” and “Wcgaf” are supplemented by songs that are more subdued but just as vibrant. “Yes Man” has a melody that sounds like it should be coming out of an ice cream truck. It is sweet and jaunty and pairs well with Hook’s straightforward flow. Even on her calmer tracks Hook does not skimp on the boisterous lyricism, spitting lines like “I think I love my hubby and his best man” and “You a slut too, who you shaming?” In the outro to “Yes Man,” the beat fades out, leaving only the ice cream melody and Hook’s vocals for consumption. In this outro, Hook allows herself to be vulnerable even if just for a single minute. She reflects on a past love, calling him “best friend” and expressing her inability to let him go, to tell him “no.” Amidst all the chaos on Crashed My Car, “Yes Man,” especially during the outro, provides grounding to a project that can at times feel overwhelming and all over the place.

Crashed My Car is not only strong in regards to Hook’s rap prowess and Nedarb’s slick production but in regards to the features as well. Rappers Almighty Suspect, Lerado, and most notably Zack Fox all lend a verse on tracks across the album. Almighty Suspect matches Hook’s blowhard energy on “Onion,” Lerado keeps it smooth on the spooky track “Awesome,” and Zack Fox brings absolute absurdity to the title track “Crashed My Car.” These features compliment Hook but do not overpower her, a testament to her ability to command the attention of anyone who comes across her music. It is hard not to let a lyric like “I just sent a dick pic to his main lady/She left me on read now Imma kill myself (fuck!)” (said by Zack Fox, obviously) to outshine you, but Hook doesn't. No matter who else is on her projects, they are her projects. That sort of control of not only an album, but one’s image and artistry, is seldom found in the music industry today. Yet, Hook embodies such capability.

To begin both a new year and a new decade with an album as fun as Crashed My Car has been absolutely delightful. Hook is such an important emerging artist. She is confident, she speaks her mind, and she talks her shit. She does not care what you think of her. She likes smoking weed and flirting with every cute boy she sees. Hook rejects being put into a box. Hook is not the “female” version of xyz. Hook is the female Hook. Crashed My Car is a reclamation of rap music as a form of expression for female confidence and desire in a time where the role of women in the development of hip hop has been unacknowledged by contemporary rappers and fans alike. Hook is altering the modern image of rap music one crazy, bass boosted, off the wall track at a time.

Favorite Tracks:

Wanna Be

Fall in Luh

Boohoo

Rating: 8

Listen to Crashed My Car here:

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