Armani Caesar: 'THE LIZ' Album Review
By: Luke Modugno
The Griselda crew has had nothing short of a historic year in rap. From Westside Gunn’s eccentric debut Pray For Paris turning heads and newly inducted member Boldy James blessing his fans with a collaborative project with The Alchemist, to the group announcing the release of four albums in the coming month (Westside Gunn, Benny the Butcher, Conway the Machine and Armani Caesar), Griselda has completely stolen the show. But it's one the groups most omitted members that has shined the brightest. At just 11 tracks spanning a tight 26-minute runtime, Armani Caesar’s debut record, THE LIZ, cements her spot as the group's hidden gem.
The first and most poignant attribute that stands out on THE LIZ is the beat selection. Sounding awfully similar to her Griselda counterpart’s beats, Armani Caesar’s brassy voice fits flawlessly with the dusty, drum-heavy production. Let's be clear: these are some of the hardest beats to rap on. Often wonky, dreary and low-energy, the onus is on the MC to deliver verses worth listening to. And Caesar does just that, time-after-time on this project. Not only does she deliver verses worth listening to, but she also competes with the likes of Benny, Conway and Westside Gunn on multiple tracks, trading bar-for-bar, and verse-for-verse with the top dogs of Griselda.
On “Mac 10s for Everybody,” Griselda head-honcho Westside Gunn steps aside as he provides a catchy, proficient hook for Caesar and of course, his signature ad-libs. But THE LIZ really begins to shine toward the halfway point. Within a 3-track-span, Caesar completely outraps Conway on “Gucci Casket,” trades bars with Benny the Butcher on “Drill a RaMA,” and goes toe-to-toe with Benny again on “Simply Done.” Not even Westside Gunn can say he clearly had the best verse on every song on his project, but Caesar absolutely can. Toward the end of the project, Caesar rides a dreamy, luxurious beat on “Palm Angels,” making for a clear highlight on the project.
However, Caesar’s versatility is something that the MC neglected to display on THE LIZ. On her previous projects like Pretty Girls Get Played Too and Caesar’s Palace, her sonic aesthetic is geared more toward a Nicki Minaj fan. What this project lacked was exactly that: a wider array of beats to compliment Caesar’s considerably large skill set. For example, Griselda teammate Conway The Machine displayed his musical versatility earlier in the month when he dropped From a King to a GOD, as he delivered melodic hooks, rapped over trap production cooked up by Murda Beats, and still killed any dusty drum sample passed his way. Caesar was actually a feature on the project, and showed her knack for flowing impeccably over a trap beat, as she did on “Anza.” Especially with debut albums, a MC’s full range of artistry should be present, and Caesar’s just isn’t all there on THE LIZ.
While the concesity of the album is mostly a positive attribute, it leaves the listener wanting more from Caesar. Nevertheless, in the 11 tracks she did provide, Armani Caesar impressed me thoroughly. Over the coming years and while the Griselda crew continues their meteoric rise to fame, Caesar is most definitely one to watch and one to be respected.
Favorite tracks
Mac 10s for Everybody (feat. Westside Gunn)
Drill a RaMA (feat. Benny the Butcher)
Palm Angels
Rating: 7
Listen to THE LIZ here:
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