for the love of music
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By Miles Hagan
Well, it finally happened. When Revenge of the Dreamers III was initially announced it seemed too good to be true. Invites to the session were sent out to the biggest names in pop culture like golden tickets. This was a different set up than the first two Revenge of the Dreamers tape. The two previous efforts featured only Dreamville signed artists and the publicity surrounding them was almost nonexistent. Since then, the label has expanded and added some top tier talent in J.I.D, EARTHGANG, and Ari Lennox. Alongside the album, a documentary on the creation of the project was released on YouTube. This captured just how incredible the collaboration between artists and producers was during the 10 day period in which Revenge of the Dreamers III was created.
The album starts off absolutely on fire. “Under the Sun” is a perfect example of what everyone was expecting going into Revenge of the Dreamers III. The beat features a beautiful soul sample, and Cole absolutely eats his verse. The beat bangs in the background as Lute and DaBaby deliver killer verses and truly set the tone for what this collaboration is about to be. After this, we get two songs that were singles before the album officially released. Dreamville really flexes their muscles as a group on “Down Bad” with excellent verses from Bas, J.I.D., J. Cole, and EARTHGANG. Then it goes into “LamboTruck” which has actually turned into a meme since the release of the documentary, because of Cole’s reaction. This reaction makes a lot more sense after hearing the track where REASON and Cozz sound absolutely murderous and rap about robbing their respective label heads. These first three songs really give most rap fans all they could want out of a Dreamville project, and after this is where the project beings to show how diverse it is.
Dreamville Presents: Revenge (Documentary) This is the official documentary chronicling the Revenge of the Dreamers III sessions in January 2019 at Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.
This is an album that also doesn't take itself too seriously. From the most hardcore hip-hop fan to more casual listeners, everyone was this project. Even with those lofty expectations Revenge of the Dreamers III still manages to show just how much fun these artists had making the album. A song like “1993” functions almost like a skit or interlude. It would be difficult for anyone not to crack a smile while hearing Buddy clown J. Cole about taking too long to pass the blunt. Artists also weren’t afraid to get a little experimental on tracks like “Don’t Hit Me Right Now”. J.I.D is known to be able to keep up or out-rap anyone on any given song, yet on this cut, he choose to go with more of a pop sound and it works well.
Cole said that the main goal of this project was to not only show just how talented the top tier of Dreamville is, but to also highlight some lesser-known artists who deserve some shine. Buddy was seen by a lot of people as the MVP in the making of this because of just how many verses he was laying down over the 10 day recording period and it shows on the album. Others like Guapdad 4000, Drezzy, and Baby Rose used this as a chance to make a name for themselves and showed out when they got the chance. Ari Lennox who is also a Dreamville artist also brought and amazing R&B feel to the project whenever she was featured on a track. She makes a song that cant be described as anything more than a vibe with “Self Love”.
On the flip side established artists did what they were supposed to do and even though not every song completely hits the mark the ones that reach their full potential are some of the best musical moments of this year. A prime example of this is the closing song on the “Sacrifices”. This leaves an otherwise lighthearted album off in a reflective way. Everyone from EARTHGANG and J. Cole to Smino and Saba had to give something up to where they are now. Not many artists get a chance to be a part of something as monumental as this and everyone featured on this song seems not only well aware of that fact, but thankful that they got to participate at all.
It seemed nearly impossible for Revenge of the Dreamers III be able to live up to the expectations set when it was first announced. The label was very smart to be patient in releasing rather than putting it out in the midst of all the hype. Overall the project is very enjoyable throughout and there is not a single bad song. That being said, not every track is without flaws and the album does have moments where it can begin to drag just by virtue of it being over an hour long. What saves it is that at every moment just when it seems like it may lose your attention a song pops up at immediately grabs you back in. Who knows when we will next get a cohesive project with this many talented people involved, so until then we should all be glad Dreamville came through with this latest effort.
Under the Sun
LamboTruck
Sacrifices
Rating: 8.5
Listen to Revenge of the Dreamers III here:
Revenge Of The Dreamers III, an album by Dreamville, J. Cole on Spotify
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