Welcome to a New Party - 'PARTYMOBILE' Album Review

PARTYMOBILE may not be what exactly we wanted, but P gifts us with a quality collection of music to play in isolation. Maybe we needed this album to get us through quarantine…

By Amaya Lorick

Photo By Geordie Wood

After four years since PARTYNEXTDOOR’s last album, the Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter built serious momentum for his third studio album PARTYMOBILE. Although the Canadian artist had released two EPs (Colours 2 and Seven Days) between June and September of 2017, his fans were craving the distinct sound heard in his previous projects. 

Party’s official introduction to the world, PARTYNEXTDOOR (2013), shocked listeners with the perfect mix of R&B and alternative techno beats, creating a futuristic sound we did not know we needed. His debut album, PARTYNEXTDOOR 2 (2014), was a phenomenal follow-up to his introductory EP because fans were subtly hit with more cockiness and sex-induced lyrics than before. Though PARTYNEXTDOOR 3 had some skippable tracks, it did not disappoint and we learned more about his selfish behavior and toxicity within his relationships. Although we know Party is behind the demise of most of his romantic relationships, we still love him for his ability to acknowledge his faults. In PARTYMOBILE, PARTYNEXTDOOR is the same brutally honest, manipulative cheater. The only difference is that 26-year-old finally breaks off his drawn-out romance at the end of this album. 

In preparation for PARTYMOBILE, PARTYNEXTDOOR released “The News” and “Loyal” featuring Drake, on November 21, 2019. On January 4, 2020, Party tweeted that his album was coming soon but fans received the video for “Loyal” on the 21st of the month instead. A week later, Party announced that he needed until February to complete his album, and posted the PARTYMOBILE cover art. As February came to an end, fans were still confused about why the album had not arrived. On February 27, 2020, PARTYNEXTDOOR released another single titled “SPLIT DECISION,” and the singer announced PARTYMOBILE was available for presale and would finally be available on March 27th.

True to the latter promise, PARTYMOBILE was released by OVO Sound on March 27th, 2020. The 57-minute long album had features from Bad Bunny and Drake and a very surprising appearance from Rihanna. 

PARTYMOBILE begins with a minute-long introduction without the singer’s voice in “NOTHING LESS.” Anticipation is built as the song opens with a gasp for air and is followed by multiple echoes of the singer’s name embedded within the track. The beat drops halfway through the intro before Party opens with “Shawty, you get the best of me. Whatever is left of me.” What person does not want to dream about a partner who puts their all into a relationship? PARTYNEXTDOOR begins with a respectful track that sets a beautiful, yet sexy tone. 

Though there is not a single song to be skipped on PARTYMOBILE, the second song “TURN UP” was slightly underwhelming considering PARTYNEXTDOOR’s past projects. The track was upbeat but the lyrics allude to the repetitive nature throughout the entire album. “TURN UP” is a good song, but it may have also worked well as a shorter interlude. The same can be said about “SHOWING YOU” and “NEVER AGAIN.” At the same time, Party’s flawless transitions between each song are what allow them to grow on you. 

The three singles for PARTYMOBILE are positioned back-to-back-back following “TURN UP”. Ideally, you are supposed to relisten to each song as a key part of Party’s journey. In “THE NEWS,” PARTYNEXTDOOR recognizes that he and his love interest are not on the same page in their relationship. Party hints that he does not want a relationship but also does not want his woman to move on. Then, “SPLIT DECISION” is the acknowledgment of all the ill situations he put her through. He sings about her expression of mistrust and having to decide if she should break things off with Party for good. We recognize a tone shift in “LOYAL” as Party fights for his woman. After owning up to cheating in “SPLIT DECISION,” he hopes to influence her choice in giving him another chance. 

Any Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR collaboration is bound to be a banger. The two Canadian singers complement each other in a way that never fails, making “LOYAL” one of the best songs on the album. The strategic placement of “THE NEWS,” “SPLIT DECISION,” and “LOYAL” would have been genius if some sort of creative shift occurred within track six, “TOUCH ME”. 

Despite “TOUCH ME” being sonically pleasing, it was disappointing because of its similarity to “TURN UP.” Though the two songs are completely different in terms of production, PARTYNEXTDOOR is back to his old ways by insinuating he doesn’t truly misses his past relationship, but just misses the sex. By the time “TOUCH ME” is over, seasoned fans were either eagerly awaiting “BELIEVE IT” since it features Rihanna, or just hoping the next songs would be more exciting.

Considering we have not been blessed with new music from Rihanna since her collaboration with N.E.R.D. on “Lemon” in 2017, it is safe to say “BELIEVE IT” belongs to her and features PARTYNEXTDOOR. The two talented singers previously worked together on Rihanna’s album Anti (2016). Party wrote her song “Sex With Me” and co-wrote the popular dance song, “Work.” There is a possibility that “BELIEVE IT” could go up against “LOYAL” as a go-to song for this summer. “BELIEVE IT” is more suited for popular radio play compared to “LOYAL” because of its more upbeat chorus, consistency with lyrics, and it's later release date. 

You cannot speak of PARTYMOBILE without unpacking the already infamous song “SAVAGE ANTHEM.” The six-minute song opens with its deceiving chorus of “Don't hold your breath, Don't wait on my love.” Initially, you think that Party is going to do what he typically does and slightly disrespect the woman he spent the entire project obsessing over, but this song is packed with more shade than expected. Party is petty and goes into detail about his dysfunctional relationship with singer Kehlani. The track is believed to have been recorded sometime in 2016 which makes the wounds fresh for Party and explains the venom spewed over “SAVAGE ANTHEM.” In his first verse, PARTYNEXTDOOR references Kehlani’s at-the-time boyfriend Kyrie Irving by alluding to the NBA star’s old jersey number:

“I heard number two is your man now, don't mind me bein' number two now.”

Each time the chorus is repeated, PARTYNEXTDOOR grows more ruthless and if we didn’t already know the song was about Kehlani, he leaves no doubt on the fourth verse when he references her hometown of Oakland, California. 

Besides the obvious mistake of including the Bad Bunny remix of “LOYAL” and not allowing PARTYMOBILE to end with “SAVAGE ANTHEM,” PARTYNEXTDOOR provided us with a solid album. Longtime PARTYNEXTDOOR fans wanted a new addition to the sequel but PARTYMOBILE is the start of a new chapter. Given that the album goes against the major sound portrayed in the trio of projects with his name, it should be individually judged. The song with the closest sound to Party’s previous projects is track 13, “ANOTHER DAY.” I can not be the only one happy that the song still earned placement on the album after it was leaked in August 2019. PARTYNEXTDOOR fans wanted something deemed better than all of his previous projects. Ultimately, Party stayed well within his comfort-zone and relied on his effortless talent to deliver an album he knew would not flop.

favorite tracks

NOTHING LESS

ANOTHER DAY

SAVAGE ANTHEM

Rating: 8

Listen to PARTYMOBILE here:

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DKE Author: The Artist That Will Put Belle Glade, Florida on the Map

South Florida rapper DKE Author proves to have the potential to be Hip-Hop’s next big thing in his debut mixtape “Respect the Dark.” 

By Amaya Lorick

Belle Glade, Florida rapper DKE Author has a name with a combined meaning. In reference to medieval times, the DKE in his name stands for Dark Knight Empire. Author is slightly more self—explanatory and alludes to his storytelling ability. When you first hear DKE Author’s slight country accent mixed with his deep and melodic vocals, you will likely compare his sound to Baton Rouge rapper Kevin Gates. Still extremely new to the game, DKE Author has the potential to surpass Gates’ level of influence due to a more tasteful pen and a bigger vocal range to work with.

Already adopting the nickname, “Prince of the South”, DKE Author gained a following after the success of his song “That Guy” officially released on most multimedia platforms in February 2019. The single has been streamed over two million times and played on various radio stations across the country. The hard-hitting track produced by Yung Dza grasps listeners’ attention but DKE Author’s adlibs lock them into continuing to listen to the song. On February 18, 2019, WorldstarHipHop premiered the video for “That Guy” on their Youtube channel and it has since secured almost one million streams. His confident and fun persona in both the song and music video left his new fans wondering “who is DKE Author and when is he dropping more music?”

Respect the Dark was made available on all streaming platforms on March 12, 2020. The 37-minute mixtape was made up of 12 songs, six already heard by fans. Prior to its release, the mixtape’s next leading single “Gamble” featuring Georgia rapper Quando Rondo was also released via WorldstarHipHop’s YouTube channel which now has almost 200,000 views. The debut project also features southern rappers Lavish the MDK and Kevo Muney. 

My favorite song on Respect the Dark, “Hard Nights,” is easily the realest song on the mixtape because of DKE Author’s vulnerability. Known for producing many of Chicago rapper Polo G’s popular tracks, JTK embeds a subtle cry into the beat that DKE Author effortlessly matches with the emotion in his voice. The song, dedicated to his friend and rapper Raw who lost his life to gun violence, addresses Author’s feelings surrounding his mental health and his connection to his hometown. DKE Author reflects on his decision to pursue a music career and how it has threatened his relationships with longtime friends. 

Respect the Dark undeniably leaves listeners wanting more from DKE Author. It is obvious that the Belle Glade native has a future in hip-hop because of his talent but also because of his relatability. In light of coronavirus pandemic, DKE Author live-streamed a performance of the songs on his mixtape via YouTube. Actions like that prove that that DKE Author has the drive and discipline to gain a loyal following. While Respect the Dark still leaves us uncertain about who DKE Author is, we all should keep the rapper on our radars. 

Favorite songs:

Gamble ft. Quando Rancho

Hard Nights

That Guy

Rating: 7

Listen to Respect The Dark here:

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Giveon Proves He’s R&B's Next Superstar on Debut Project, TAKE TIME

By Spencer Lobdell

It’s only the first week of April, and 2020 has already been an insane ride for music fans. From the release of some of the most highly anticipated projects in recent memory (Eternal Atake, A Written Testimony, etc.), to polished records from industry heavyweights (After Hours, The Slow Rush), 2020 has given us absolutely everything—well, that is almost everything. 2020 has yet to present us with an unknown voice who explodes onto the scene. A young artist who has a different way of doing things and sounds like none of their predecessors. A rare talent that has the ability to force an entire genre to pivot directions to follow this exciting new star. A future superstar who’s innate ability is indisputable and longevity undeniable. 2020 has yet to give us a true break out moment—that is until March 27th when R&B newcomer Giveon dropped his debut project, TAKE TIME.

Originally from Long Beach, Giveon fell in love with songwriting long before he ever thought about singing seriously. In an interview with DJ Booth, he explains how he used to start by writing short stories, then once complete, turn them into songs. Take one listen to the vivid imagery and introspective narrative in any Giveon song and it’s obvious that exercises like this paid off tenfold.

At the end of February, Giveon received his first major industry cosign. Making an appearance on Drake’s one-off freebie “Chicago Freestyle” was equi-part surprising and magical as the young vocalist delivered a chilling hook that brings the song together. The video alone generated 24 million views in one month—talk about a cosign.

Three weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting the 25-year-old artist when he came into my office space to play the then unreleased TAKE TIME for a group of us. “I had known I could sing, I just didn’t like my voice,” he told us. “I listened to Frank Ocean and Miguel, I thought that that’s how people were supposed to sound, and if you didn’t sound like them, you probably sounded weird.” Giveon carried this misconception until he had an epiphany listening to a Frank Sinatre record. “It was the very first time I heard a baritone singer,” he told us. “That was when I realized there might be an audience for my voice.” This influence is what makes Giveon so unique. The way that he effortlessly combines classic melodies, his breath-taking baritone voice, timeless song writing, and modern R&B production allows Giveon to create an entire world in his music that somehow feels familiar while simultaneously sounding like no one you’ve ever heard before.

Prior to the meeting I had heard his angelic single “HEARTBREAK ANNIVERSARY” so while I was already ecstatic to meet the young creative, I was in no way prepared for what I was about to hear.

On March 27th Giveon released his debut project, TAKE TIME. The eight song EP runs for 25-minutes and contains no features.

The project starts with a recorded voicemail from the artist’s mother, “Giveon, I don’t know if it was fireworks or gunshots but the birds is in the air.” Referring to helicopters as birds, the single sentence perfectly captures the constant essence of danger that exists in his hometown and is a perfect intro for the first track “THE BEACH.” On the track, Giveon sings about how it feels to bring a girl he likes back to Long Beach for the first time (“See, your mom told you about this side/It can get ugly/I'm just a boy from the east side/Do you love me?”). While he is clearly hesitant to expose this girl to the dangers of LBC, she tells him she’s not scared and is ready for whatever may unfold. Sonically, the track is wavy, anchored by a groovy baseline and a beautiful rhythm guitar.

The second track “WORLD WE CREATED” is graceful cut that accurately depicts the bliss that comes at the beginning of a relationship when everything seems to be perfect (“I just wanna stay in the world we created/I just wanna sink in the plans that we makin'/When I leave I'm not lookin' for a replacement for what I got”). The horns section in the back of the mix really compliments Giveon’s voice and the chorus on this thing feels so damn good.

Giveon’s euphoric relationship begins to turn sour on my personal favorite, “FAVORITE MISTAKE.” Clearly not in the same headspace as he was on “WORLD WE CREATED,” Giveon is now entertaining a women on the side and loving the lustrous affair (“Is my secret safe?/Safe with just you and me/We can't leave a trace/This is my favorite mistake”). Giveon’s staccato melody on the hook is backed by heavenly background vocals and creates an addicting effect that’ll have you constantly coming back to this track. 

On the fifth track “THIS AIN’T LOVE” Giveon is clearly fed up with his “favorite mistake” although he’s still indulging the affair. He spoils her to get what he wants but is more frequently realizing that she is far inferior to his girl at home (“Know you ain't the same/in that Saint Laurent/Help you take it off/can't get too involved”). “THIS AIN’T LOVE '' is also the first time we are exposed to Giveon’s beautiful falsetto which he flexes on both verses.

The inevitable break-up happens somewhere between the end of track five and start of track six and “HEARTBREAK ANNIVERSARY” is the verbalization of the melancholy mood that plagues Giveon for months after (“Just like the day that I met you, the day I thought forever/Said that you love me, but that'll last for never/It's cold outside like when you walked out my life/Why you walk out my life?”). The slow and simple piano chords are one of few tracks in the wide open mix shining a bright spotlight on Giveon’s gorgeous vocals really showcasing his ability to carry an entire song on the strength of his voice alone.

The album’s first single, “LIKE I WANT YOU” appears next on the tracklist. Plenty of time has elapsed since the break-up and Giveon and his ex are now on speaking terms. More than anything he wants her to come back to him, but he hides these feelings because he fears she’s already moved on (“Sometimes I wish you knew/But I disguise the truth/I say I'm happy but I'm still stuck on us”). Giveon pours his soul into this slow jam and while the message is one of pain, it’s hard not to love this song.

The project concludes with “VANISH” a reflective track where Giveon relives the time leading up to the break-up. An outwardly distraught Giveon experiences first-hand that nothing stings like regret as he stews over things that were said in the final days of the relationship (“Sayin' things I don't mean/To someone that means the world to me/You see what I mean?”). The song ends with a heartbreaking voicemail from Giveon where he tells his now ex that he’s sorry, they are going to make it work, and that he loves her.

While only seven songs (eight if you count the 45 second interlude), Giveon’s debut project TAKE TIME is phenomenal and leaves you desperate for more. He seamlessly introduces himself and showcases the versatility of his voice while simultaneously taking us on a journey that was his last relationship. Giveon’s combination of genius songwriting, technical singing ability, and an eminently unique voice make him an extremely rare talent that truly is the whole package. Thank you Giveon for creating a world that listeners can escape to in a time where that’s exactly what people need.

favorite songs

THE BEACH

FAVORITE MISTAKE

HEARTBREAK ANNIVERSARY

Rating: 9

Listen to TAKE TIME here:

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The Sada Baby Interview: Detroit Rap, His Upcoming Debut Album, & Running His Own Basketball League

“A lot of us [in detroit] don’t like each other and we don’t have to like each other for our music to stand out as a whole. Everywhere else besides Chicago and Detroit likes to paint a picture that their whole city fucks with each other and that’s just not true, and here, we know it’s not true.”

By Spencer Lobdell

Photo By Sam Leviton

Listen to our favorite Sada Baby songs while you read this article with our complementary playlist available on Apple Music and Spotify:

Putting on for Detroit is a responsibility that 26-year-old rapper Sada Baby doesn't take lightly, wisely choosing to stay true to both his unfaltering individuality and the city that made him. 

Born Casada Sorrell, the Michigan native first discovered a penchant for experimenting with wordplay and switching up his flow by perfecting the art of freestyling; an aspect of his craft he now reserves for rare occasions. As a teenager growing up in the mid-2000s, Sada Baby gravitated towards the taste-making output from the Cash Money roster, as well as other acts dominating the burgeoning Atlanta scene, such as Lil Jon, the Yin-Yang Twins, Pastor Troy and Gucci Mane, among others. From expanding his palate to include iconic West Coast influences such as E-40 to taking notes from the versatile, unorthodox ways of expressive artists such as Future and Kodak Black, Sada Baby was quick to realize his strength lies in his authentic eccentricities and aptitude for fearless risk-tasking. 

In 2016, he began cutting his teeth as a featured artist with his first noteworthy collaboration—a guest appearance on Danny Mellz's "Megaman X"—laying the groundwork for what would swiftly evolve into an expansive resume. The following year, he hit the pavement hard, dropping an onslaught of loose singles and working with a variety of other artists from Detroit, such as Tee Grizzley, FMB DZ, Tooda Man, Motown Ty and Oba Rowland, to name a few. In 2017, he released two mixtapes, Skuba Steve and D.O.N.: Dat One Nigga, both of which showcase his eclectic style and increasingly renowned charisma. In the fall of 2017, Sada joined Tee Grizzley on his Ain't It A Blessing tour, an opportunity that allowed him to showcase his natural capacity for high-energy, dance-laden performances.

With a combination of elements starting to bend in his favor, such as his consistent work ethic and willingness to experiment vocally on funky, bass-heavy instrumentals, his presence as a regional leader in the Midwest began to translate to a wider audience with his music videos radiating across WorldStarHipHop and racking up millions of streams. In 2018, his Drego-assisted "Bloxk Party" emerged as a definitive breakout single with the accompanying visual garnering 24M+ views and counting since its release. Soon thereafter, Sada Baby became the first signee to ink a deal in partnership with Tee Grizzley's Grizzley Gang imprint and Asylum Records. He went on to receive a monumental co-sign from E-40, who later featured him on the 2018 Gift of Gab cut "The Pack Attack,” with the collaboration doubling as a motivational full- circle moment to work with someone who influenced his artistry directly. 

In early 2019, Sada Baby released his critically acclaimed mixtape Bartier Bounty, which landed on Billboards “Best Albums of 2019” list for obvious reasons. The high-energy project features Sada at his absolute best, displaying his unmatched charisma through a sharp pen. Bartier Bounty cuts like “Bonnie & Blyde” (which features his cousin Ashley Sorrell) showcases Sads’s promising crossover potential. Skuba Steve starts the only verse with an addicting melodic flow that gradually gets more intense until, before you know it, Sada is locked into his patented yell-flow that could make my docile grandma want to get activated. Sada Baby continued to build momentum through 2019 dropping two more mixtapes for fans on SoundCloud (The Whoop Tape and Brolik), both of which were met with positive reviews.

While you could certainly call 2019 a breakout year for the rising rapper, Sada Baby has no plans on slowing down in 2020. On March 20th, he dropped Skuba Sada 2, a compilation of all his biggest YouTube hits over the past year. Although fans of Sada were already familiar with the tracklist, it’s beyond nice to have menacing cuts like “Aktivated” & “Bully Ball,” as well as hits like “Slide” & “Pressin (Feat. King Von)” on streaming services. With his highly anticipated debut album expected to hit streaming services sometime this year, everything seems to be lining up for 2020 to be the year Sada Baby becomes a household name.

From making obscure cultural references to pushing the boundaries of trap music to holding his own while teaming up with other artists, Sada Baby is here to entertain, inspire and encourage others to balance life's seriousness with moments of much-needed lightheartedness and humor. I had the pleasure of chatting with Skuba Steve earlier this week. Our conversation, lightly edited for content and clarity, follows below:

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Photo by CT FILMS

Spencer Lobdell , StereoVision (SL): What have you been doing to keep yourself busy during quarantine?

Sada Baby (SB): Playing video games and smoking weed. Three to Five grams of cookie in an original backwood.

SL: In 2018 you signed with Tee Grizzley’s imprint label, Grizzly gang. I understand you aren’t working with them anymore. What happened and what’s your relationship with Tee like now?

SB: Just bad business that’s all. We didn’t share a common interest. Basically, they were shelving me, without me knowing what being shelved felt like or what it meant. Me and Tee don’t have a relationship. We don't talk, I wish him the best though.

SL: Your newest release Skubba Sada 2 is a compilation tape made up of the best songs you’ve dropped on YouTube over the past year. What do you like about frequently dropping music on YouTube opposed to a more traditional DSP drop?

SB: I feel like I’m the only person that does it because I’m the only one who has the ability to do it without my music getting watered down. When talking about my music you don’t hear someone say shit like “I only liked one of the last ten songs he dropped,” like no, that’s not possible hahaha. I like to think you’ll never hear a Sada Baby song that sounds like the last one you heard.

SL: What can you tell me about your debut album rumored to be dropping this year?

SB: Not shit hahaha. The virus has obviously thrown our timeline off a little but it’s coming and it's got Yachty on it, Skilla Baby on it, and FMB DZ on it for sure. Chris Brown might be on it and G Herbo might be there as well.

SL: Who’s an artist you’ve always dreamed about collaborating?

SB: Probably Bad Bunny. I don’t recall a lot of rappers collaborating with him and I know a large portion of my fan base is hispanic and mexican. Also, he’s fucking bad bunny, even if you’ve never heard his music or know who he is, you've seen him somewhere important. Ya, a song with Bad Bunny would be fire.

SL: I read that before winning a rap contest you were planning on going to culinary school. Do you consider yourself a chef?

SB: For sure. I don’t have a signature dish cause I can make anything. Whatever I want to taste, I drop in the pot. I used to cook on Instagram a lot, steak, lobster, pasta all that. Ideally, I’d like to open my own restaurant while I’m still rapping. Get locations all over the US, one in LA, one in Atlanta, one in Detroit, and one in Chicago.

SL: From “2K20” & “Driple Double” to being featured on Damian Lillard’s latest release, it seems obvious that basketball has impacted you in some way? Do you play?

SB: Yup I used to play in high school. I had scholarships and all of that but went to jail my senior year. I still play frequently though, my game’s like Melo, no defense, all offense, deadly shooter. I’ve done some basketball camps over the past couple years, one with Kyle Kuzma. I played in the bleacher report all star game and a few of my family members play/played professionally. I actually have my own basketball league too, it’s called the P-League. Unfortunately the gym we use just got shut down because of the virus.

Check out some Sada Baby highlights here:

SL: What do you think your Pistons need to do to get back into the playoff  picture?

SB: Man, I’m a Pistons fan by heart and blood and I’ll tell you we need to fire the entire front office. That Andre Drummond move was terrible. I understand he’s going to be a free agent next year, but I know Andre personally and I know he wanted to stay here and would’ve stayed here. They even told him they weren’t gonna trade him then they went and gave him away for a bunch of nothing. It doesn’t help that we don’t know how to draft either. 

SL: What makes the Detroit rap scene different from anywhere else in the world?

SB: A lot of us don’t like each other and we don’t have to like each other for our music to stand out as a whole. Everywhere else besides Chicago and Detroit likes to paint a picture that their whole city fucks with each other and that’s just not true, and here, we know it’s not true. There’s for sure separate factions too. Like the motherfuckers that are with me like DZ [FMB DZ], Skilla [Skilla Baby], & John Boy, we fuck with Big Sean where as a lot of the other motherfucks lean towards fucking with Eminem even though Em don’t acknowledge no one from Detroit.

SL: Who are some low key Detroit rappers who could make a big splash in 2020?

SB: Obviously there’s the guys in my camp who go crazy. FMB DZ and Skilla Baby are poppin in the city but aren’t nation wide yet. As far as guys who aren’t under me, Nook is super cool, Baby Smoove could pop off this year, Veeze is fire, and this young cat Lil Buddy. He has a singing joint on his last tape that was scary good.

SL: Is there anything else you want StereoVision readers to know about Sada Baby?

SB: Man, just tell them I’m the best rapper they don’t know.

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Childish Gambino Creates His Own Sound on His Excellent Release "3.15.20"

By Miles Hagan

Where to begin with Donald Glover. The true definition of a renaissance man, Childish Gambino has built one of the most respectable and diverse discographies in music. Critics and fans alike were pleasantly surprised with the deviation from rap in 2016 that was Awaken My Love. Gambino had previously never released an entire R&B record, but the public reception was excellent. For most of his career he has displayed his versatility as an artist, and this record forced people to pay attention. A week before the official release of 3.15.20 Glover had a website titled “Donald Glover Presents'' where he actually released the project for a short amount of time before the commercial release. It created buzz, but was promptly removed after being up for a couple hours. 

3.15.20, Gambino’s fifth project to hit streaming services, was officially released on Sunday, March 22nd. The album houses 10 tracks and runs for just under an hour. Now with the album officially being released the public can enjoy the next musical endeavor from one of the greatest minds in the music industry.

The meaning of the song titles has to be mentioned. While at first this may seem a bit confusing this just simply indicates the timestamp within the albums run time where that track starts. 

Childish Gambino has given us a diverse array of sounds throughout his career and 3.15.20 is no exception. “Time” and “12.38” take care of the feature work early on with appearances from Ariana Grande and 21 Savage. “12.38” should be the radio hit of the year. It has everything someone could ask for in a song in 2020. What it adds is compelling and relevent lyricism such as, “Most these niggas wanna run around with these SZAs (Yeah) I prefer to just stroll the park with this Chaka”. Bino sounds angelic and Savage slides over the beat perfectly for his verse. The production evolves from start to finish and keeps the listener engaged, it feels like the song is growing with time (The background vocals are stunning too).  His language on the entirety of this project may be the biggest takeaway. This is one of the highest profile releases of the year, yet he doesn't make the listener feel like the content is going over their heads. Instead he is speaking to them and trying to find a way to keep them engaged with the content.

The way Childish performs both vocally and as a producer is like nothing else being produced right now. The first half of 3.15.20 is a sonic rollercoaster. “Algorhythm” and “Time” both sound futuristic utilizing a lot of autotune and synths. Apple Music classifies this as a Hip-Hop/Rap album and in terms of what Gambino is doing vocally that may be justified, as there were several moments on this album where he is flowing, but sonically this sounds nothing like an average hip-hop/rap project. There are several instruments at play in every track and when the music first starts it is impossible to tell what he is going to do with it. “24.19” sounds like the modern day version of a 70s track, with autotune that would make Stevie wonder using a voice box proud. He seamlessly flows between rapping and singing not even just track to tack, but within the same song. Something that also carried over from Awaken My Love is his impressive vocal control. 

3.15.20 is a densely packed album with a lot to understand conceptually. What must be applauded from Glover is the way in which he makes his statements. Time and time again he ups the ante and forces the listener to take a step back from the pleasant sounds they are hearing and actually focus on what he is saying. “35.31” is a perfect example. First of all it comes after a song in “35.22” that sounds like the most raw demo stolen from a Kanye Yezzus session before the words were written. This is an upbeat, folky, country sounding song a little past the midway point on this R&B and Hip-Hop record. In a high pitched innocent voice Gambino spends the next 4 minutes singing about serving coke to fiends and toting guns. Stereotypical Trap lyrics in a country sounding song, yet when coming from the mind of Donald Glover this works perfectly. This is the last thing I was expecting to hear and if someone described what it was going to sound like before I listened to the track I probably would have been hesitant. That is the genius of Childish Gambino, not only is he aware of this but he takes that challenge head on. Something as obvious as what he is actually saying can go right over the casual listeners head, because it sounds pleasant. The cultural awareness of 3.15.20 is strategic and subtle. In an era of genre bending where the biggest star in the world gets accused of biting almost on a daily basis ( *cough cough* Drake), is it not refreshing to have someone at the forefront of that movement morph it into something of their own?

“42.26” is actually the still so impressive and so meaningful “Feels Like Summer” from almost a year ago. While already incredible on its own, in the context of the entire project it fits perfectly. 

What has been a source of discontent from some fans is the extra things that Gambino added to the project. The first three minutes of the album the same electronic voice just repeats the phrase “we are”. The ending of “19.10” sounds like the lochness monster hopped in the booth for the last 30 seconds of recording. 

It may be a cop out to say art is subjective but that has to be done in certain cases. It is difficult to pinpoint what Glover was exactly attempting to say with this project, but it is clear that there is a message and a wealth of knowledge to uncover. Reading deeper into the lyrics feels like an honest experience. Childish doesn't shy away from the flaws and shortcomings of people in any of the songs on the album. “19.10” is the most outwardly happy sounding song on the entire album but also contains the lyrics, “to be happy really means that someone else ain't”. He spends the majority of the next song wondering why the woman he constantly hurts still loves him. He is critiquing society in the most digestible way possible. The stories don't continue from song to song, and there is no moment near the end that ties everything together. Donald Glover just tells us to “do what we wanna do” to close the project. 

This album felt very similar to how it feels to watch Donald Glover’s show Atlanta. It is an undeniably enjoyable experience even though you know you are not catching everything the first and probably not the second time going through. The beautiful crisp production and skillful singing and rapping captivate the audience while the lyrics underneath paint a darker image. Atlanta is a comedy but then there is an episode like “Teddy Perkins” that reveals the more ominous overtones to the series. While the show is outrageous at times, the brutally honest and realistic depictions of life situations is what keeps people coming back. 3.15.20 does a great job at depicting the harsh and beautiful reality we live in.

Favorite Tracks

12.38

35.31

47.48

Rating: 9

Listen to 3.15.20 here:

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StereoVision's AOTY Power Rankings: April

By StereoVision Staff

Welcome to our Album of the year power ranking series! Each week all our team members submit their “top 10 albums of 2020 so far” along with some notes about why their list looks the way it does. These lists are then compiled into our overall power rankings which you can find below. Keep scrolling to see each team members personal list which gives interesting insight on how different albums age over the course of the year for specific people. Thanks for reading, we hope you enjoy the article!

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The Teams Picks:

The biggest change in my rankings this week is the slip of Eternal Atake. Although it is home to some of the best songs of the year, I have come to the realization that there are just too many forgettable tracks to call it a top five project of the year at this point. The Weeknd continues to grow on me as Abel jumps one spot. I’m glad to say that Mac Miller’s posthumous album Circles is an album that’s aging extremely well for me thus far this year. As someone that’s been following Mac since Kids, I don’t think I was ready for Circles at the beginning of the year. Now in today’s climate where thousands of humans are dying daily due to COVID-19, I feel desensitized to death and finally able to overcome my emotional barriers to the music and appreciate it for the excellent body of work it is. I can honestly see it jumping A Written Testimony or 3.15.20 which would be quite the accomplishment as I’m crazy about both records. Lastly, a new release that made a big splash in my power rankings this week is Giveon. His debut EP Take Time is ultra-smooth, rich with excellent song-writing, and most importantly, different than anything anyone else is currently doing in R&B. Check the site this weekend to read my review of Take Time. -Spencer Lobdell

My Top three stays the same this week and it looks like it's going to take a really impressive body of work to move 3.15.20 and A Written Testimony. The first new entry to my ranking comes at the four spot with an excellent project from Giveon. Drake’s “Chicago Freestyle” brought a lot of attention to this up and coming voice in R&B, and he delivered on all expectations with his project Take Time. Another new addition to the list this week is Knxwledge 1988. Without the help of many features Knxwledge is able to really shine on this album for his talent as a producer (I would be wrong for not mentioning the greatness of “Don’t Be Afraid”. The final new additions come in the form of The Price of Tea in China by Boldy James and After Hours by The Weeknd. Boldy and The Alchemist sound like they have been working together for years on one of the most impressive albums from a rapping standpoint. After Hours has grown on me since its release and from the way it looks now it has a legitimate chance to keep advancing up the list at least marginally. -Miles Hagan

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After receiving requests to listen to several albums, my rankings from week one have obviously shifted. As much as I love a good debate, I must give credit where it is due. Remaining at the top of my list is CHILOMBO. Again, name another album as captivating and versatile that is also 20 tracks long with no skips! As a person who is inspired by the stories of others, PTSD, A Written Testimony, and Black Habits will likely remain on my list for some time. Opposed to last week, I now recognize the January release date of Time Served allowed time for it to grow to be a fun favorite of mine. Lyrically, Moneybagg Yo is unable to compete with other projects on my list, making my decision easy to move his album from position two to ten. My Turn found its way onto my list because upon reaching the end, I was urged to listen again. Whenever Lil Baby lost my interest, he managed to regain it within the next song or two. Ultimately, I need to sit with all of these projects some more and I am still just waiting for new music. -Amaya Lorick

No changes this week. I’m still moving through my backlog and trying to decide whether or not I like the new PND album so expect more on that in the future! -Carter Fife

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For the most part, the top half of my list remained the same from week one. I’ve found that, typically, the albums that leave the best impression on me do a great job of balancing the traditional with the experimental or lean towards the latter characteristic. Artists who reinvent themselves or present entirely innovative sounds manage to impress me the most, which is why artists like The Weeknd, Childish Gambino, 070 Shake, Mixed Matches, Gupi, and Denzel Curry currently dominate my list. Another way to get on my good side is to simply give me a fun album with high replay value, which Lil Uzi Vert and Don Toliver both managed to do extremely well. Looking forward, with under-the-radar acts such as Mixed Matches, Gupi, and polearm coming through with such captivating material, I can’t wait to see what 2020 has in store for independent music and emerging artists. -Owen Tait

Before my fellow Chicagoans even say it, I know the absence of G Herbo’s PTSD is alarming. Despite it being one of my favorite releases of the year, the album’s dull moments become more obvious when lined up next to projects like the 10 on the list.  After Hours is probably the most well written, produced, and executed albums this year.  The battle between #1 and #2 is a close one. A Written Testimony has such a powerful message and motive behind it, as well as multiple Jay-Z features so it’s hard to beat. Man Alive makes it’s debut at #10 since I’ve found more time to sit with it. -Courtney Fields

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This week, a few albums have really grown on me and others have simply lost their charm and replay value. Namely, LUV vs. The World 2 has proven to be a fantastic album to listen to during quarantine. The album has a plethora of melodic trap beats and has proven to be catchy background music when I mute my mic during online classes. Mac Millers Circles is similar, as it also has every mood you’ll go through during these times, along with soulful, jazzy instrumentation. Tame Impala’s new record, The Slow Rush, has also grown on me. Kevin Parker’s newest effort is everything his psychedelic rock experiment set out to do. While it doesn’t nearly compare to Currents, it’s a notable entry to an already legendary discography. Along with strong releases from Ant Clemons and PARTYNEXTDOOR, this week has only been a continuation of 2020’s unbelievably solid run of music. -Luke Modugno

Now that March has concluded, I found my picks from last week have not changed much. Still Sitting at top three are Circles, PTSD, and A Written Testimony, which are all thoroughly strong projects. I recently started getting into Jhené Aiko’s album Chilombo and Brent Faiyaz’s hot new album Fuck The World which seem to be very well-crafted pieces thus far. Another thing I noticed is that I wasn’t listening to A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and Lil Wayne as much. -Colson O’Connor

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Albums To Ride Out the Quarantine To

By StereoVision Staff

As many of us remain isolated in our homes, resigned to living lives devoid of social interaction not involving our roommates or family members, it can feel difficult not to go a little bit stir-crazy. Whether you live totally alone, or if you came back home to help your parents only to be asked to sanitize every room of the house on a tri-weekly basis (yours truly), many of us have had to get creative when coping to this change of lifestyle. Luckily, some members of the Stereovision team decided to provide their favorite records for riding out the all the sheltering, social distancing, and quarantines that have quickly dominated our daily agendas. From recent releases to modern classics, we hope you give these records a listen.

Toro Y Moi - Anything In Return (2013)

“Speaking from my own perspective - I am so fucking anxious all the time, so naturally you can expect that the past month has not been the greatest time for me. In dire need of an outlet where I can allow myself the opportunity to *relax*, I find myself listening to this album almost constantly. Straight from the brain of one of the people who popularized the term ‘chillwave’, Toro Y Moi’s 2013 opus is packed with easily digestible indie-electronic tracks that can range from relaxing to plain fun.” -Carter Fife

Jay Electronica - A Written Testimony (2020)

“After patiently waiting many years, Jay Electronica fans rejoice now that his new album A Written Testimony has dropped. The timing of the release couldn’t have been better, considering his wisdom can provide us with a sense of clarity in this uncertain time. The best part is we all have more time now, allowing us to give he album the in-depth listen it deserves.” -Colson O’Connor

G Herbo - PTSD (2020)

“Most G Herbo projects are definitely an acquired taste for many listeners from outside his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. PTSD is slightly different. G Herbo's reflections in songs such as "Feelings" and "Intuition" are a clear indication that the rapper is transforming into a better artist and person. The most popular song named after the album features Chance the Rapper, Juice WRLD, and Lil Uzi Vert. Sitting at just around a month old, it is time to give PTSD a listen if you have not already. Check out a more in-depth review of the album here!” -Amaya Lorick

Mac Miller - Circles (2020)

Being stuck around the house all the time can put you through a lot of different moods. Mac Miller’s ingenious album Circles, consists of songs for every one of those moods. His slow-tempo, rainy day jams are perfect for staying sane at home during this crazy time.” -Colson O’Connor

Sevdaliza - Ison (2017)

“Dutch-Iranian songwriter & producer Sevdaliza delivers a dark, atmospheric, and lush blend of alternative R&B and trip-hop with her debut album Ison. Across the project’s exploration of love and what it means to be a woman in our modern world, she creates a landscape of stuttering drum loops, sinister chord progressions, and haunting vocal refrains that ultimately transcend into pure, unadulterated beauty. It’s one of my personal favorites of all time, and I would highly recommend listening to the tracklist in order, but if I had to pick and choose a few standout tracks, then “Hubris,” “Amandine Insensible,” “Hero,” and “Loves Way” would be a good place to start.” -Owen Tait

REASON - There You Have It (2018)

“Top Dawg Entertainment signee, REASON, is still early in his career but has already made a name for himself in his debut album There You Have It. The project opens with a skit, titled "Rufus Collection", and is followed by 11 vividly reflective songs. Before signing with TDE in August 2018, There You Have It was independently released in 2017. The remastered project's most popular song Better Dayz was well received by Ice Cube in a special segment posted by Genius. This album was a great introduction to where REASON came from and could possibly be key to understanding who he is as an artist.” -Amaya Lorick

Jai Paul - Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones) (2019)

“Originally leaked six years earlier by an anonymous user on Bandcamp, UK producer, singer, and songwriter Jai Paul officially released Leaked 04-13 (Bait Ones) to streaming services in 2019. The project is a collection of 16 demos Paul wrote prior to the album’s leak, but the quality of the music here wouldn’t indicate their unfinished nature in the slightest. Featuring slick vocal hooks and tons of wonky production tricks throughout, Bait Ones is a tight, feel-good alternative pop record that will be sure to keep your vibes up during social isolation. Check out tracks such as “Str8 Outta Mumbai” and “jasmine - demo” for a good taste of what this album has to offer.” -Owen Tait

Isaiah Rashad - The Sun’s Tirade (2016)

Isaiah Rashad has no problem having his fans wait for new music. This album from 2016 is what really put him on the map as the next one up out of TDE. The Sun’s Tirade is a showcase of emotional and self reflective raps, and the sounds on this range from jazzy instrumentation to more traditional trap. -Miles Hagan

Rich Gang - Tha Tour Pt. 1 (2014)

“Prior to the beef and bullshit, one duo reigned supreme, prolifically dropping music and poised to take over the rap game. In 2014, Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan might as well have been Andre 3000 and Big Boi the way they took the direction the sound was heading and forced it to turn on a dime, changing the course of hip-hop history in the process. The duo resembled Outkast in more ways than the influence though. Rich Homie Quan acted as the Big Boi to Thugger’s three stacks by anchoring the young superstar and providing constancy, allowing him to develop into one of the all-time great he was born to be. In addition, there are few tapes that show such palpable influence to today’s specific pop rap sound, just listen to “I Know It” once and tell me you don’t hear DaBaby, Gunna, and Lil Baby. Tha Tour 1 is one of the most important mixtapes of this generation and is absolutely as slimy as it gets.” - Spencer Lobdell

The Internet - Ego Death (2015)

“Lead by Odd Future vocalist Syd and assisted by artists such as Steve Lacy and Kaytranada, The Internet’s Ego Death is a fresh, charismatic fusion of R&B and neo-soul that will ease the pressure of being cooped up at home. Boasting plenty of groovy bass lines and jazz-inspired percussion, this project is simply hypnotic, a quality that is certainly aided by Syd’s infectious refrains and melodies. The standout tracks on this record include—but are not limited to—“Go With It,” “Under Control,” and ‘Special Affair.’ ” -Owen Tait

Grimes - Art Angels (2015)

“You might be thinking: What if being too relaxed is my biggest problem right now, and what if I am struggling to feel something underneath the weight of perpetual isolation’s monotony? Look no further - Art Angels is so off-the-walls and high-octane that one listen will have you sprinting around your home screaming “B-E-H-A-V-E, arrest us!” into your hairbrush. At just under 50 minutes long, it will provide you with the perfect daily workout, forgetting you are confined to your home in the first place” -Carter Fife

Action Bronson - Mr. Wonderful (2015)

In a time where our scenery may get a bit repetitive music is a way for us to still paint vivid pictures. Few are better at this than Action, who delivers slick verses over incredible and unique production. There are several standout singles from this project that still impress me till this day. -Miles Hagan

EARTHGANG - Torba (2015)

“Throw it back to 2015 in quarantine and listen to EARTHGANG’s EP “Torba”. Every track is named after each day of the week, and each cut perfectly depicts the vibe of each day. The beats on this album have such a unique bounce, and EARTHGANG comes in with a crazy flow that do the beats justice. There also happen to be smooth features from artists Mac Miller and JID that add to the greatness of this EP.” -Colson O’Connor

NxWorries - Yes Lawd! (2016)

“In 2016, NxWorries (Duo made up of singer/rapper Anderson .Paak & producer Knxledge) released their only project ever titled Yes Lawd! While Anderson .Paak music is always excellent, Knxledge’s production brought greatness out of the artist and led to him creating his best music ever. The album is one of the more cohesive hip-hop projects I’ve ever heard showcasing a similar chill vibe and cool energy that never gets old on most tracks. I don’t know if it’s Paak’s cutting vocal inflections, ultra-dynamic singing voice, or the introspective ways he writes about love, but something about his performance on this record is very special to me, solidifying Yes Lawd! as a personal top five record of all time.” - Spencer

KAYTRANADA - 99.9% (2016)

Production allows the imagination to wander. 99.9% is one of the best albums we have received from a producer in a while. Not only does he offer stellar beats from start to finish, but the list of guest features is to notch. Its upbeat tone and wild creativity draw you in from the moment you press play, and make it hard to press pause for the next hour. -Miles Hagan

Dom Kennedy - Los Angeles Is Not for Sale, Vol. 1 (2016) 

“While LA native Dom Kennedy has made some great music over the course of his career, nothing comes close to his magnum opus, Los Angeles Is Not for Sale, Vol. 1. Nobody does relaxed west coast gangsta rap like Kennedy and he is in full force throughout this entire project. On this record, Dom combines a sharp pen with a laid back SoCal delivery resulting in an hour of addicting bops to hotbox your mom’s car to.” -Spencer Lobdell

Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment - Surf (2015)

“Back in 2015, Chance the Rapper, Nico Segal (formerly known as Donnie Trumpet, and their band partnered with Apple Music to release Surf for free! It's leading single "Sunday Candy" will get you in the mood to do something productive and spread love from afar. The 16-song project has features including Big Sean, J. Cole, and Quavo but these artists were purposely left unlisted. If you have not already listened to Surf, I challenge you to allow yourself to be surprised by all of its guest appearances.” -Amaya Lorick

Baby Keem - DIE FOR MY BITCH (2019)

“I really do not have too much to say about this one. Is it too late to call it a deep-cut at this point? It doesn’t matter. Fans of outrageous rap and stellar production link up and join the Baby Keem fandom before the hype-train leaves the station. Keem’s irresistibly catchy hooks on tracks like ‘BULLIES’ and ‘TOP RAMEN’ will make you an instant fan, and the possibility of an upcoming collaboration with Kendrick might give you something to look forward to this year. Whether or not you’re already a fan, it is never too early - or too late - to enjoy this record.” -Carter Fife

We hope these records help lift your spirits in such an uncertain time. Stay safe out there, and be sure to let us know what you’ve been listening to over the past few weeks.

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Genres and Generations Clash in The Weeknd’s New Album "After Hours"

The Weeknd’s Dark Take on Alternative R&B Fused With 80’s Synth Pop Results in One of His Most Complete Projects to Date

By Courtney Fields

The year 2019 was slowly coming to an end and fans were beginning to realize yet another year would pass without drops from some of the industry’s biggest names, but on November 25th, Abel Tesfaye, The King of The Fall himself took to Instagram to announce a “NEW BRAIN MELTING PSYCHOTIC CHAPTER” of The Weeknd’s career that would start with the release of his new single “Heartless.”

The single is a great beginning to the new chapter of The Weeknd’s career. Part of what makes The Weeknd a great artist is his ability to story tell, which is something that has become a lost art in the two genres he has mastered: Pop and R&B. 

Upon the first listen, it seems like your average boastful song, but although fame, women, money, and drugs dominate the majority of the song, “Heartless” is more of a self-awareness track than anything else. In “Heartless,” The Weeknd’s Ego and his Sacred Self are playing a game of tug and war.

 “Never need a bitch I’m what a bitch need”

 “Trying to find the one that can fix me” 

The title of the song almost serves as a front since, in a way, all men aspire to be heartless. I, as well as many other men often fall victim to social constructs that tell us to be tough, and not show our feelings.

“Machismo culture” is no conspiracy, it has been defined as overly exaggerated masculinity and it often damages the quality of our romantic relationships. The reason we fell in love with The Weeknd’s songwriting early on was his ability to relate to the plight of everyday people, despite being a superstar. In the two verses The Weeknd has on this song, they’re both filled with how many women, clothes, money, and fast cars he has. He’s not afraid to tell you how many women he's sold dreams to, how long he’s been living like a rockstar, or how many magazine covers he's been on. The verses do a great job of distracting you from the chorus, as well as the bridge at the end of the track. 

In the chorus, Abel still claims that he has no heart, but not in the way every man would like to believe that they themself are heartless. He’s heartless because after all he’s done to grow, he still finds himself falling into the hole he dug for himself when he first moved to Los Angeles. A hole that caused him to use drugs as a crutch, as well as a hole full of toxic and misogynist behavior.

 In the second half of the chorus, the song highlights one of the main themes throughout the entire album: the negative side effects of fame and money.  Abel figured since he’s moved away from LA, a place that caused him so much pain; he was escaping his old ways as well. Still, he feels as if he will never be able to change his ways.

Is The Weeknd no longer falling victim to lust, or is he still desperate to find the right woman? “Heartless” gives us no clear answer.

The Weeknd released two more singles, with one being nostalgic of the dance-pop sound of the ’80s. “Blinding Lights'' gets you moving with its upbeat, synthesized production while simultaneously proving why The Weeknd is such a polarizing artist. He can give fans a certain nostalgia for one of the best eras in music and deliver a deeply emotional track at the same time. The star still yearns for a partner who can show him how to love, one who will never leave his side and one he'll simply never let go. 

The third promotional single for After Hours was the title track. The song serves as a powerful single because it’s very reminiscent of his earlier works. Abel’s life is falling apart and despite his growth as a man, he still finds himself drifting in the pool of the aftershocks of his success. Seven years past his heavyhearted debut album Kiss Land, still risking everything for love, The Weeknd manages to relate to audiences by being the heartbroken singer we all know and love.

The Weeknd dropped After Hours on March 20th. The album contained no features.

A good beat drop excites any music fan, but in the intro song “Alone Again” the drums were almost useless. The track does a great job of building your excitement as a listener, but honestly the beat drop is very underwhelming. The powerless moment in the first track takes away from track two, “Too Late” which probably should’ve been the intro to the album. “Too Late” sets the tone for this synth-heavy album, it also introduces the first signs of pessimism and the need to move away from Los Angeles we see throughout After Hours. 

In “Too Late” Abel is still putting the weight of the world on his shoulders.

“It’s way too late to save our souls

It’s way too late, we’re on our own”

Abel also shows his selfish nature throughout “After Hours.” He knows that he’s probably ran his relationship into the ground; but rather than letting his partner go on her own path, he suggests she join him in his life of lust. He then goes on to sing, “I can’t trust where I live anymore” in reference to LA. Later in the album, this mistrust leads to him escaping to The City of Sin: Las Vegas, Nevada.

Tracks two and three are probably The Weeknd’s most mature tracks within his discography. Both “Hardest To Love” and “Scared To Live” again show The Weeknd placing the blame on himself, but this time he takes all of the responsibility while allowing his partner to find true happiness. “Scared To Live” is also one of the best vocal performances on After Hours. Track two, three and four is where the listener should begin to notice the battle of ego versus sacred self that The Weeknd is struggling with. 

“Snowchild” is the fifth song on the new LP. In this track, The Weeknd reflects on his past. In an attempt to support his need to leave LA, he begins to wonder if he had any ill will that motivated his rise to the top. 

In track six, “Escape From LA” insinuates that Los Angeles enticed him for all of the wrong reasons. This is a point in After Hours where we see the clearest nod to “Old Abel” since this is one of the most gloomy songs on the project. 

Relocating to Sin City was an interesting choice for The Weeknd, considering the fact that what he wanted to escape from in Los Angeles was its vices. After his “Escape From LA” the Weeknd backpedaled into his old habits. 

“I’ve been sober for a year now, now it's time for me

To go back to my old ways, don’t you cry for me 

Thought I’d be a better man, but I lied to me and to you”

Tracks nine through twelve show The Weeknd in his classic egotistical state. This particular stretch of songs are fun too, they show the most striking resemblances to 80’s dance music. There is a bit of a contradiction since you would most likely be up dancing to the most toxic tracks of 2020. 

During the last two tracks of the album, The Weeknd has come to the realization that he put every ounce of literal blood, sweat, and tears into basking in the glory of his fast pace lifestyle, as well as sulking in shame. 

In Track 14, “Until I Bleed Out” we see an Abel who has been relapsing since he got to Vegas. Unlike any other song on the project, Abel shows signs of wanting to pick up his sobriety and regretting what he has done to his life. Sadly, the track ends abruptly, as Abel is slowly bleeding out. It seems as if our favorite new 80’s pop star’s short-lived run has come to an end.

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After Hours was initially released with 14 tracks and no features. Two days later a deluxe version was released with five more songs, all remixes of songs already on the album. The deluxe version includes a feature from Lil Uzi Vert on the “Heartless (Vapor Wave Remix)”.           

Three days after the album’s release, a music video for “In Your Eyes” was released. The opening scene shows Abel as he attacks a young couple in the elevator. He kills the man but somehow the girl ends up getting away. Abel spends the entire video chasing this young woman just for her to chop his head off. The chase showcases how Abel has chased women, fame, and all the other vices a celebrity like him is exposed to.

In the promo for the second deluxe version of this album, he is shown sporting a black suit, rather than the red suit jacket he’s had on since November. The murder kicks off the journey for a new version of himself, or for a new character in After Hours.

Abel released three new tracks over a week after the album's initial release. The tracks “Nothing Compares”, “Missed You”, and “Final Lullaby” were added to the second installment of the deluxe version for After Hours. When you’ve been an XO fan for as long as many have, you eventually come to learn that The Weeknd would never release any songs for aimless reasons. He values his art, which is why these songs were released after his video for track 10 “In Your Eyes.” Sonically, these tracks deviate from the rest of After Hours and with the change of suit, it’s fair to say “Nothing Compares,” “Missed You,” and “Final Lullaby” are our first introduction to this new version of Abel.

This new project is refreshing for The Weeknd’s hardcore fanbase, as well as music fans everywhere. With his picked-out afro, thick mustache, red suit and black serial killer gloves, it’s simply fun to see an artist like the Weeknd completely indulge himself into a new identity. When all is said and done, After Hours will end up being his most complete project. 

Favorite tracks

Snowchild

Escape From LA

Save Your Tears

Rating: 9

Listen to After Hours here:

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Jay Electronica: Man or Myth? “A Written Testimony” Album Review

By Carter Fife

If you were to try and name the most anticipated hip-hop record you could think of, one with the most mythology or secrecy surrounding it, what records would come to mind? Some may be quick to talk about Kanye West’s rocky release of 2016’s The Life of Pablo, or maybe his 2018 opus YANDHI. Others may mention Dr. Dre’s record Detox, where after years of changes it was inevitably scrapped for his 2015 release Compton. Most would likely regale you with tales of waiting for Lil Wayne’s The Carter V, an album that was withheld by labels and rap figures, and even at one point owned by big pharma mogul Martin Shkreli before eventually hitting streaming platforms in 2018. What most of these records have in common - save for a select few - is that they were eventually released. For about a decade, fans awaited the release of Louisiana rapper Jay Electronica’s debut album, only to be met with year after year of frustrating silence. This all changed earlier this month, where previously solemn and reluctant acceptance turned into overjoyed optimism and fulfillment when Jay Electronica finally released A Written Testimony, his official debut album.

While A Written Testimony has not been in production since 2008 like one might expect, it was actually recorded over a 40 day and 40 night interval. The religious symbolism does not end there, as on the record itself Jay weaves religious references from Islam to Christianity into his writing in order to address topics of life, death, white supremacy, and the relationship between celebrity and public. When you have a background as illustrated as Jay Electronica, it seems only natural that your debut album serves more as an induction into the hip-hop stratosphere. Therefore, it is fitting that Jay Electronica is not alone on many of these tracks, accompanied by the legendary Jay-Z as they trade bars effortlessly over masterful mixes and prodigal production. 

The album begins with “The Overwhelming Event”, a track featuring Louis Farrakhan delivering a passionate speech over tragically beautiful strings. As his words of racial uplift and deliverance fade into the instrumental, pounding kicks begin to lay the foundation on which Jay and Jay begin the record. “The Ghost of Soulja Slim” immediately constructs a few different narratives that serve as lenses through which this record was created. Jay-Z naturally recounts his experience with gang activity, with bars like “From the era of police stretcher, no cameras catch it / Drop you off in a rival hood, you rather be arrested” and “[Soul music is] the blood that goes through me, so you assuming / I could never sell my soul, they sold they soul to me”. Faced with oppression from all sides, Jay-Z establishes an emotional register of this album that is painful and celebratory at the same time. It is from his struggle that he became the icon he is today, a simultaneously dejected and inspiring sentiment. Jay Electronica then comes in and delivers a verse equally invested in spiritual Arabic and poetic verse. He raps "Verily, verily, I tread through life merrily / Giving all thanks to God for this universal therapy” as the track comes to a close. It is the type of beautiful and cinematic moment that occurs so infrequently in life, and somehow the two manage to prevent instances like these from being so few and bar-between by bringing their best consistently on A Written Testimony. 

Every track on the record stands out both sonically and thematically. On the following track, “The Blinding”, which features a brief three-line hook from Travis Scott, the song is divided into two halves. The first is a bass and vocal-sample dominated soundscape over which Electronica and Jay-Z embellish on their status, using Jay-Z’s son Sir as a metaphor for the nobility that they both carry. The latter half is features bass but in a much less abrasive and more low-frequency kind of way. Piano keys decorate the minimal instrumental while Electronica reflects on the time spent not releasing music. He masterfully writes “Extra, extra, it's Mr. Headlines / Who signed every contract and missed the deadlines / 40 days, 40 nights, tryna live up to the hype / It's the road less traveled, it's the one who missed the flights / Hov hit me up like, "What, you scared of heights? / Know your sister tired of workin', gotta do her something nice" / When I look inside the mirror all I see is flaws / When I look inside the mirror all I see is Mars / In the wee hours of night, tryna squeeze out bars /Bismillah, just so y'all could pick me apart?”. This meditation on self-doubt and fame partly stands in opposition to the confident first half of the track. In pairing such a vulnerable verse alongside one so braggadocious, the mythology of Electronica is partly dismantled, but in a way it is also further enforced. His status and almost divine providence is a result of struggle, as his 30 seconds of rapping on this track reflects over a decade of unreleased writing. For someone who spent 12 years perpetually about to release one album, Electronica seems to be very carefully arranging his words here. It ends up working in his favor, however, as each intentional verse is delivered with a candor equally casual and confident.

There are too many high points on A Written Testimony to count. In one moment, a track featuring R&B mainstay The-Dream is constructed against a wall of classic instrumentals arranged by producer The Alchemist and Electronica himself. In the next moment, a victorious and spacious track features Jay and Jay celebrating their shared successes while James Blake and Travis Scott sing in the background, uncredited (which may itself be a testament to their success, and perhaps the biggest bragging point of this record). Even the song “Shiny Suit Theory”, the one track that predates the entire album by several years, feels fresh as if it has finally found a home in this ten track composition. Jay Electronica was not kidding about his versatility and power when he rapped "I was born to lock horns with the Devil at the brink of the hereafter / Me, the socket, the plug, and universal adapter” on “The Neverending Story”. He and Jay-Z manage to exceed all expectations and nail every performance from the intense and rattling behemoth “Flux Capacitor”, to the laid back and tropical “Fruits of the Spirit” that immediately follows it. 

A Written Testimony comes to its untimely ending with the two tracks “Ezekiel’s Wheel” and “A.P.I.D.T.A”. The former features a beautifully dreamlike mix of off-kilter vintage synths and clicking percussion. Before The-Dream begins singing his chorus, Electronica raps “ ‘’Some ask me ‘Jay, man, why come for so many years you been exempt?’ / Cause familiarity don't breed gratitude, just contempt / And the price of sanity is too damn high, just like the rent  /…/ Sometimes I was held down by the gravity of my pen / Sometimes I was held down by the gravity of my sin / Sometimes, like Santiago, at crucial points of my novel / My only logical option was to transform into the wind”. His lyrics reflect a comfortable confidence that is surrounded in anxiety, in the knowledge of how artists can be manipulated into tools for record labels to exploit or into products for the masses to consume. Electronica’s absence is explained as an easily understandable moral issue, where he grapples with furthering his career and craft and the potential expense of his soul. James Fauntleroy, another industry heavyweight, appears on the track to lend some guest vocals before the next track begins. 

“A.P.I.D.T.A”, or “All Praise Is Due To Allah” features some light percussion over a beautiful Khruangbin guitar arrangement. The track deals with death and the misery that can be accompanied when a person leaves but so much of them is left behind. Jay-Z softly raps about about screenshooting numbers and phone numbers, fragments of a relationship that he doesn’t want to lose. Jay Electronica raps "My eyelids is like levees but my tear ducts is like glaciers / As I contemplate creation, the salt that heals my wounds pour out my eyes just like libations / I can't stop my mind from racing, I got numbers on my phone / Pictures on my phone / The day my mama died, I scrolled her texts all day long/ The physical returns but the connection still stay strong”. I broke down listening to this track because I’ve lost people close to me and done the exact same thing. I remember the day a close friend of mine died a few years ago, I stayed in bed and scrolled through our old conversations the whole day. It was so easy to feel alone in that moment but tracks like these help me continue to realize that the rememory of a loved one can impact you long after the person leaves your life. The instrumental is beautiful, tragic, and almost magical in a sense. Without using words, it reflects the feeling of walking outside into the sunshine after a rainstorm. There is a silent somberness in the air as the track comes to a close, ending an album that many have been waiting for since 2008. Every theme on the record had a thematically tragic component to it, and this track somehow indulged the sadness into a moment at peace with its own tormented narrative. An incredible moment of closure both to this album’s narrative and A Written Testimony itself. 

Is it possible to say a record like this was worth the wait? Can an album really make 12 years of waiting worth it? Surely there has to be something to critique about it, right? Well sure, some may be disappointed with how frequently Jay-Z appears at a time that should be devoted to Jay-Electronica, but I think that Jay-Z’s presence works well as a voice that helps integrate this relatively rare voice into hip-hop’s mainstream. In addition to this some have criticized Electronica’s use of Islamic themes as vapid. While I agree that neither Jay nor Jay are lyrically reinventing the wheel, Electronica’s use of Arabic does at a spiritual sense to many of his poetic introspections. In short: the record is phenomenal. Electronica’s writing and production was artfully done, and all the guests (from AraabMuzik to Swizz Beatz to James Blake etc.) lended to Electronica’s special moment. Jay-Z’s raps can come off as overly cocky and exhaustive sometimes but he managed to deliver his bet on this record, aiding his friend flourish in the process. I will definitely be keeping this record in my daily rotation for the upcoming future, or at least until Electronica decides to drop a new project 12 years from now.

Favorite Tracks

The Blinding (Ft. Travis Scott)

Fruits of the Spirit

A.P.I.D.T.A

Rating: 10

Listen to A Written Testimony here:

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StereoVision's AOTY Power Rankings: Week One

By StereoVision Staff

Welcome to our Album of the year power ranking series! Each week all our team members submit their “top 10 albums of 2020 so far” along with some notes about why their list looks the way it does. These lists are then compiled into our overall power rankings which you can find below. Keep scrolling to see each team members personal list which gives interesting insight on how different albums age over the course of the year for specific people. Thanks for reading, we hope you enjoy the article!

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The teams picks:

Besides death, sickness, and tragedy, if you’re a rap fan in 2020 there very little you have to complain about. We’ve already been blessed with enough anticipated releases, albums from industry heavy-weights, and overall excellent music in general to keep me content in quarantine for the remainder of the year. All jokes aside, as fans of hip-hop we really have been spoiled with great music in 2020 which I think might be exactly what we need in the face of a national crisis. Childish Gambino’s new album debuts at number one for me because well I’ve already listened to the record 10+ times, every time I press play it still takes my breathe away. With this being said, this weeks number one spot was very difficult to select because of how fun LUV vs. The World 2 still is and because of the sheer ability that Jay Electronica showcases on A Written Testimony. -Spencer Lobdell

Name another album as captivating and versatile as CHILOMBO that is also 20 tracks long with no skips…  Anyway, as a person who is inspired by the stories of others, PTSD and A Written Testimony are currently both two of my favorite projects. Both showcase a skillful pen and instrumentals that allow them to get their bars off. Honestly, Meg and Nudy only made my list because they are two artists I want to stay in the conversation. I’m just waiting for more music. -Amaya Lorick

So for my list, The Weeknd comes out on top due to the fact that he fully reinvented his sound for After Hours, as well as the fact that the album's narrative is fully cohesive and features the best production on any album I've heard from him (also I'm a big sucker for synthwave). LUV vs. The World 2 was easily the most fun album I've heard this year, so that comes in at #2. 070 Shake and Gambino both had R&B albums that took experimental pop routes, and I really enjoyed them. Denzel Curry and Gupi's albums had some of the most complex and mind-boggling production I've heard this year. Mac's on there for the sentiment and heart behind his album, polearm is a newcomer with a unique, psychedelic pop-rap sound, and Tame Impala's album wasn't my favorite material of his, but it delivered a few key tracks that have high replay value for me. -Owen Tait

Just three months into 2020, this year is stacking up to be one of the best in recent history for hip hop. With plenty of industry giants dropping this year and many more big names rumored to drop this year, the fight for the best project of the year will be fierce. But in the current crop of albums available now, Mac Miller's posthumous record Circles is by far and away the cream. The project is a beautiful send-off to Miller and his fans, completing his discography and symbolizing the final step an astutely profound sonic evolution as an artist. Between dazzling collaborative efforts from Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats (UNLOCKED) and Boldy James and The Alchemist (The Price of Tea in China), and Uzi's impressive pair of projects Eternal Atake and LUV vs. The World 2, 2020 has already been a wild ride. -Luke Modugno

2020 has been a pretty terrible year, but from a musical sense it has not disappointed. 3.15.20 by Childish Gambino and A Written Testimony are two albums by artists at their creative peak. These are projects that will remain in these power rankings very deep into the year no matter what else is released. Brent Fiyaz did what he had to do on F**k the World. He hasn't released a full length project since 2017 and with this he stepped right back into form. Don Toliver has been generating buzz since he was featured on Astroworld and gave us a concise project filled with his hits. The rap community was blessed by Uzi with not one, but two pieces of new music. Both LUV vs The World 2 and Eternal Atake highlight the fact that Uzi never settles with his status in music and is always looking to give his fans a new and exciting experience. -Miles Hagan

This year got off to a slow start in terms of big record releases but as March comes to close we already have a few significant albums under our belt. With Uzi dropping two records after two and a half years, a new Tame Impala record after five, and THE Jay Electronica album after twelve, 2020 has been a great year already for highly anticipated projects. From The Weeknd’s energetic R&B/Hip-Hop Synthesis to Denzel Curry’s long-awaited mix, these are the sounds that have defined my year thus far. -Carter Fife

At number one, ‘A Written Testimony’ may be a questionable choice to many music fans out there since it is not your traditional debut album. But, it’s the most important release this year. Numbers 2, 3, and 4 were a bit of a challenge. Although Lil Uzi Vert’s ‘Eternal Atake’ is undoubtedly the most fun album of 2020, musically it just doesn’t match ‘Circles’ and ‘Chilombo’. At 8 and 9, I had no choice but to incorporate two of my maybe lesser known artists with Boldy James and J Hus. The two released some of the best rap projects this year, J Hus even went #1 on the UK Billboard chart. The Weeknd caps off the list at number 10 since it just came out. -Courtney Fields

As we approach the end of March, I think that the album releases this year prove to show more quality than quantity. I stay busy listening to Mac Miller’s bittersweet final project Circles, Jay Electronica’s long-awaited album A Written Testimony, and the new Lil Wayne record Funeral (he really doesn’t miss). The artist that most surprised me, however, was G Herbo. His new project PTSD has become a personal favorite because of his ability to paint a picture with his words, accompanied by fire features like Juice WRLD, 21 Savage, and Chance the Rapper. If the rest of 2020 looks anything like the first three months, we’re in store for a strong year. -Colson O’Connor

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A Moment In The Spotlight: HAPPY 2 BE HERE Album Review

By Carter Fife

On February 28th, New Jersey singer/songwriter Ant Clemons released his debut commercial project Happy 2 Be Here, and with it came eight new tracks showcasing the R&B/hip-hop powerhouse’s talents. This record follows a successful past two years for Clemons, as he gained a significant amount of notoriety and popularity by being featured on the past 3 Kanye West records: 2018’s ye, 2019’s Jesus is King, and the now-scrapped YANDHI. With a powerful falsetto ability and songwriting expertise, he managed to leverage his talent and fame into getting artists like Timbaland, Pharrell, and Ty Dolla $ign to lend their efforts on three respective tracks. Two of those tracks, “Excited” and “4 Letter word”, were two of the four singles released prior to this project’s debut, and now that it is officially out, Ant Clemons has proved that he is here to stay.

Clemons has a very unique way of writing songs, one that does not need two dozen tracks of percussion and instruments, and this becomes apparent very quickly. Almost every track is fairly minimal, with Clemons’ vocals and writing doing most of the leg work. The project’s opening track “Mama I Made It” is a sweet song celebrating his successes that ends with him on the phone with his mom ecstatic about his presence on a Kanye West record. The track itself is co›mposed of a simple guitar track and Clemons’ voice for most of it, before the addition of a subtle string arrangement at the very tail end of the song. This theme continues into the next track with Timbaland, as the track’s composition is made of only Clemons, a guitar, and a drum loop. Tracks like these do a great job of showcasing Clemons vocal chops as well as his melody and songwriting abilities. 

“Excited” is an unconventional and more blown-out track featuring Ty Dolla $ign, where Clemons raps and sings over a dreamlike 3/4 track complete with strings and high-pitched staccato piano melody. Ty Dolla $ign doesn’t surprise, for better or for worse, but he and Clemons certainly pair well together. On “Aladdin”, Clemons’ talent are put to the test when faced with an overwhelmingly electric and elaborate Pharrell-produced track. He rises to the occasion, and delivers well-written verses about his quick rise to fame, and the transformation of his hobby into hiss lifestyle. 

“Beep” and “Good For You” are predictably written but well executed efforts by Clemons. The former sounds like it could have been a radio hit by Tory Lanez or Kehlani in 2016, and the latter is an acoustic performance as tender as the 5 tracks that preceded it. “Best Friend”, however, is equally melodically and vocally interesting as Clemons sings about a friendship changing due to the presence of romantic interests. He tragically sings in a beautifully composed melody “Who can I run to, when I ain't got no friends?/ Cause I just fucked that up too”. It is a short moment of narrative weakness that lends to showcase Clemons versatility and emotional range. Unfortunately, the record ends with “Pinky Promise”, a commercially saccharine track whose flaws exist in the same category as those heard in “Beep”. While songs like these would be welcome in a project from the average top 50 R&B artist’s record, I would have expected more from a Kanye-collaborator who is dripping with potential.

Happy 2 Be Here is a powerful showcasing of Clemons’ talents and potential, even though the project has its moments of weakness where Clemons perhaps plays it too safe. These moments, however, are more than made up for with the many other tracks overflowing with Clemons’ spotless harmonies and addictive vocal timbre. I look forward to hearing more of Ant Clemons music in the future, and if this record is anything to go by, I could see him become an industry heavyweight before long, whether he chooses to pursue the spotlight like a Weeknd-type figure, or in the shadows like a Matt Martians or a James Fauntleroy-type figure instead. 

Favorite Tracks

Mama I Made It

Excited (Feat. Ty Dolla $ign)

Aladdin (Feat. Pharrell Williams)

Rating: 8

Listen to Happy 2 Be Here here:

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Lil Uzi Vert Goes Two For Two with LUV vs. The World 2

By Owen Tait

Just over a couple weeks ago, trap phenomenon Lil Uzi Vert released his highly anticipated album Eternal Atake, with the phrase “highly anticipated” being a complete and utter understatement. Fans waited nearly two years from the project’s announcement to hear the final version, and by then, the hype surrounding it was as astronomical as the project’s narrative. For the most part, Uzi delivered, as the album was filled with melodic bangers such as “Baby Pluto,” “Celebration Station,” “Prices,” “Venetia,” and a sadder rendition of his biggest hit ever with “P2.” However, Eternal Atake did come with some glaring flaws: it was bloated, featured little variety in the instrumentals and lyrical content, and contained some verses from Uzi that didn’t even follow the beat.

But overall, the album was still a massive hit, and Uzi almost instantly announced that the deluxe version wouldn’t just be a throwaway set of bonus tracks. He was going to release a whole second album, a sequel to his 2016 mixtape LUV vs. The World. Fans were ecstatic— myself included—but I also went into the project wondering if the same issues with Eternal Atake would persist on the deluxe cut.

LUV vs. The World 2, which is packed in with Eternal Atake and consists of 14 tracks, kicks off on a high note with “Myron,” a song that plays out very similarly to “Baby Pluto,” the opening track from the project’s initial release. It’s a melodic cut that sees Uzi experimenting with his delivery and song structure, culminating in a glorious refrain where he triumphantly boasts about “running up all his bands.” In this short but amplified section of the track, he hits a vocal inflection that truly sticks, and I found myself replaying this passage of the song in my head long after I had finished listening.

The next track, “Lotus,” is somewhat of a roadblock in the album’s momentum, as the beat is one of the less inspired instrumentals on the project, and the hook is one of the rare cases where Uzi’s higher register doesn’t really work. However, the project’s speed quickly starts back up with the next two tracks, both expertly produced by trap extraordinaire Pierre Bourne. “Bean (Kobe)” features some of Lil Uzi Vert’s more memorable melodies on the album—not to mention one of his most quotable refrains—and even though Chief Keef isn’t necessarily at peak performance on his feature, his verse still contributes to the care-free tone of the track

The equally bouncy “Yessirskiii” contains a massive feature from Atlanta rapper 21 Savage—in fact, he practically dominates the track, as Uzi only appears on approximately one minute of the song’s three and a half minute runtime. Regardless, the track is a hit with tons of replay value, and it’s one of the songs I’ve come back to the most. Meanwhile, the melodic trap banger “Wassup” features a monstrous two-part hook from Uzi that I can’t help but smile along with whenever it plays. In addition, Future’s feature sees the Atlanta pioneer maneuvering around the beat as effortlessly as ever.

Following these cuts, the album hits the listener with a trilogy of trunk-knockers fit for any live venue. “Strawberry Peels” features pounding, fuzzy 808s that back a couple of high- octane verses from Young Thug and Gunna; my only complaint with this track is that the duo easily outshines Uzi, who contributes a lower-energy verse on the back half of the track. Luckily, he makes up for it on the anthemic “Moon Relate,” which arguably features his best performance on the entire project. Uzi’s delivery here mostly floats within his higher register, but during certain sections of the track, his voice takes on a growly, guttural quality that elevates the song’s energy to the next level. It’s truly a testament to how much life Uzi can bring to a track, and the off-kilter drum patterns ensure that this track is a memorable thrill.

Personally, I found the second half of the project to slow down a bit, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t without its highlights. “Come This Way” and “Trap This Way (This Way)” carry some of the grooviest hooks on the album, and “Come This Way” in particular demonstrates Uzi’s versatility as a singer. He croons on both ends of his range, and he exercises a high variety of flows as well, making the track breeze by and giving it high replay value. “Got The Guap” also features a really subtle, sticky pluck melody that gives the track a unique sound, and a second Young Thug feature is always a welcome sight.

Clearly, there are quite a lot of highlights on the project, and I believe that generally, LUV vs. The World 2 has a tighter, more memorable tracklist than that of Eternal Atake, but there are still a couple of issues that the album faces. For starters, the mixing issues that were apparent on Eternal Atake are still present here, even if they aren’t as extreme. Earlier, I expressed a particular distaste for “Lotus,” the second track on the project. While I think Uzi’s inflections here could have been improved upon, I also think that better mixing would have added a pop to the instrumental that just isn’t there as the track stands. Furthermore, aside from being poorly mixed, I think some of the percussion on this album is lazily done. Most of the hats and snares utilized sound incredibly cheap, and in cases such as “I Can Show You,” the assembly of said percussion makes the beat sound as if Uzi’s team found it on an amateur’s YouTube channel for $50.

On the bright side, I don’t have any other major complaints with the project. Uzi occasionally slips off beat to the point where it’s distracting, and his subject matter is nothing new—take a shot every time Uzi alludes to diamonds or sex with your girlfriend—but I found his charisma and energetic vocal inflections to make up for most of the damage done there. If you like enjoyed Eternal Take, I would highly recommend this project, and I can officially report that the two-year wait was worth it.

Favorite Tracks:

Yessirskiii (feat. 21 Savage)

Moon Relate

Come This Way

Rating: 8

Listen to LUV vs. the World 2 here:

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Don Toliver Meets High Expectations With the Release of His Debut Album "Heaven or Hell"

By Miles Hagan

Don Toliver has done an excellent job of building hype over his short career. 2018 was huge for him as that was when he had his break out feature on “CAN'T SAY” on Travis Scott’s Astroworld. If you're anything like me, when you first Don come in you were left in awe by this unknown artist who was coming with so much energy, and sounded almost like a better singing version of Travis. The Texas native dropped a full length project titled Donny Womack the same year which had several solid tracks but it was clear that this was a less polished version of Toliver. That being said in 2019 he dropped a slew of singles that hinted that he may be working on another album, though nothing was confirmed. The year was capped off with the release of JACKBOYS. Don Toliver and the other signees of Travis’ record label teamed up for a project that he put his individual stamp on time and time again. Eyes were on him as he now had a co-sign from one of the biggest names in music currently.

Toliver occupies a very interesting space in music. His sound stems in part from his Houston counterpart Travis Scott, but there are other elements there. Heaven or Hell opens with the title track that is a perfect example of this sound and sets the mood for the project. The beat is electronic and spacey, as Toliver walks an ever so fine line between rapping and singing (really he's melodizing).

One of the album’s main strong suits is that it is very cohesive sonically. Not only that, but Toliver also stays consistent when it comes to the subject matter on this project. Many of the tracks create the vibe of either before, after or during a party, and it almost seems as if the entire album could be taking place over the course of one crazy, drug-filled night. The early tracks on the album set that tone and have listeners feeling like they may be off something just from production, and that is what makes this album perfect for any party setting.

Deeper cuts from the album like “Candy” and “Company” are enjoyable because of how they evolve as the track progresses. The guitar solo in the background of “Candy” as it plays out into a beautifully sung acapella closing by Toliver might have been one of the best moments on the whole project. This is the strongest aspect of Heaven or Hell as well as most of Don Toliver's music. As each song continues Don sounds more comfortable. He is able to create great moments with a particular flow he catches, or how his voice echoes on a chorus, or just the general energy he creates when his presence occupies a song. Once he finds a way to grab you though it is difficult not to ride the wave for the remainder of the track. 

When it comes to standouts from the album a clear pick that has to be talked about is “Euphoria”. It is perfectly placed as the second song and immediately grabs the listener's attention. The piano and vocals in the background are dark and moody to compliment the rest of the beautiful production. Kaash Paige might have actually had the most impressive performance on the song as she croons about her fake friendships and old relationships that she is leaving behind in her success. Travis and Don rap about the women they've hurt in their pursuit of euphoria from drugs and money. This is one of those songs that grabs you and holds onto you for the entire time it is playing then once it ends you are left wanting to press rewind.

Something that can’t be ignored about the album is not only the fact that 3 out of 12 songs were already released before this. This is worth mentioning because “Can’t Feel My Legs”, “Had Enough”, and “No Idea” also happen to be some of the high points on Heaven or Hell. You have to wonder if the already positive reception of the album wouldn't be heightened if this was the first time these were heard. It does make sense why these would be the singles on the one hand, as these are also the songs that would definitely be more in the vein of a traditional club banger or party hit. They are upbeat, high energy, and some of the most infectious music he has ever created. All of these are excellent songs in any context.

Heaven or Hell was a really good debut for Don Toliver. He seems to be trending in the right direction with everything he does. It is invaluable to have a good group of people around you at this time in the music industry. Not only is JACKBOYS a great image for Toliver to be associated with, but it will also put him in a space with other creatives who will hopefully force him to push his boundaries and produce his best work. Toliver has a very bright future in the industry and Heaven or Hell did nothing but further prove that to be true.

Favorite Tracks

Euphoria

Can't Feel My Legs (Feat. Travis Scott & Kaash Paige)

Company

Rating: 8

Listen to Heaven or Hell here:

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The Alchemist and Boldy James Link up Again to Create a Dark, Grimey Project in the Price of Tea in China

By Luke Modugno

There’s something intoxicatingly grim about Boldy James’ apathetic, lackadaisical delivery. The Detroit MC’s flat, monotone vocals have been helping him kick ill bars so smooth, a passive listener might gloss over the haunting tales about dead friends, drug trafficking and the mental trauma that comes with life in the underbelly of society. If anything has been a constant in Boldy’s relatively overlooked discography, it’s that he’s a master of utilizing minimalistic tones. Fittingly, for his latest LP, The Price of Tea in China, Boldy has once again linked up with raps most distinguished minimalist: The Alchemist.

From the moment they linked up on their 2019 effort Boldface, the partnership was clearly special. Almost favoring silence over noise, The Alchemist’s notoriously unique production fits Boldy’s laid-back style flawlessly. From the opening moments of the intro track “Carruth,” it’s apparent the pairs innate chemistry; a dusty piano sample accompanied by Boldy’s eerie lyrical output. “My friends came and went but most of them was murder victims/dead before 20 or caught a frame and had to serve a sentence/grew up in a hell hole, that’s why I think so twisted,” raps Boldy. The track sets the tone for the rest of the project, with both Boldy and The Alchemist sticking to their strong suits. 

You know exactly what to expect from an Alchemist project and The Price of Tea in China is no different. The usual unbelievably nuanced production behind the table from The Alchemist and an impressive showing of intimacy and deep cuts from Boldy: the project is exactly as advertised.

The Price of Tea in China represents a complete evolution of Boldy James’ artistry and skillset as an MC. Usually rapping over hard hitting, unapologetic trap beats, production from The Alchemist couldn’t be more of a sonic foil to the production on the rest of his projects. But Boldy welcomes the challenge with open arms, as he kills each and every one of the beats cooked up for him on this project. From crafting a perfect flow on “Slow Roll,” to trading bars with BENNY THE BUTCHER on “Scrape the Bowl,” Boldy solidifies himself as one of the more talented rappers in the game right now. But Boldy didn’t stop there, as he outshines his other guests, Freddie Gibbs and Vince Staples on “S.N.O.R.T.” and “Surf & Turf.” The Price of Tea in China really feels like a coming out party for Boldy James thrown by The Alchemist, making the album feel like a victory lap for Boldy. 

For The Alchemist, this album ranks amongst the best of his collaborative efforts. His crate-digging, ambiguous, sample-heavy production is at the top of its game on The Price of Tea in China. While the variety of the beats rarely changes, the project alternates between uptempo trunk rattlers (“Scrape The Bowl,” and “Slow Roll,”) and slow paced, lethargic, grimey deep cuts with “Carruth” and “Phone Bill.” The lack of sonic variety presents a sort of duality for the project. While The Alchemist perfectly establishes the main thematic elements of the album through his minimalistic style, he also limits the versatility of The Price of Tea in China cornering Boldy’s versatility as an MC by giving him similar beats. Half way through the album, the album begins to show itself as a one-trick-pony. An extremely engaging and compelling one-trick-pony, but one nonetheless. 

Overall, The Price of Tea in China is a pleasant surprise for a project. From the outset, Boldy and The Alchemist were an unlikely pairing. But both of their collaborative efforts have been hits, and the pair seems to be only improving upon their newfound chemistry. 

With Boldy James joining the Griselda crew, look for him to continue to make splashes in the underground rap scene. 

Favorite Tracks

Carruth

Surf & Turf (Feat. Vince Staples)

Speed Demon Freestyle 

Rating: 8

Listen to The Price of Tea in China here:

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Is Sampling Stealing? A Look Into the Politics of Sampling in Hip-Hop

By Luke Mudugno

As hip-hop fans, we would call producers like Madlib, Kanye West, Dr. Dre, and J Dilla masterminds and geniuses. But others in the music industry would call them talentless thieves. 

The year is 2015, and alternative-rock artist Beck has just won album of the year at the Grammys for his project Morning Phase. As Beck approached the mic to give his acceptance speech, Kanye almost had another Kanye moment, approaching the mic as if he had a gripe with Beck, but then hesitantly pulling away and rushing back to his seat. Later, West claimed that Beck should’ve given his award to Beyonce instead. “Beck needs to respect artistry and he should have given his award to Beyoncé, and at this point, we tired of it," said West. 

Following standard procedure after an inflammatory Kanye comment, Ye’s comment made the media rounds, as each outlet took their turn belittling West. None of this is news, as Kanye has a long, documented history with the antagonization of his character by the mass media. But an important debate stemmed from the response to Ye’s comment. 

Music media and social media alike pointed out that Beck made original music through his inherent talent as an instrumentalist, while West simply “steals” real music through his sample-heavy production. 

Although sampling has been around before the conception of hip-hop as a genre, it has always been a polarizing subject in the music industry. Sampling is defined as the reuse of a portion of a sound recording in another recording. Samples may comprise rhythm, melody, speech, sounds, or entire bars of music, especially from soul records, and may be layered, equalized, sped up or slowed down, repitched, looped, or otherwise manipulated.

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Producers who frequent sampling walk a legal tightrope. In order to sample a piece of music, you generally are required to get permission from both the owner of the copyright of the music (usually record companies) and the owner of the sound recording. Without this permission, an artist who utilizes a sample is liable and can be sued for copyright infringement. Getting this permission can often be an intricate mixture of legal procedures and industry politics. When an artist requests permission to use a sample, the answer hinges on their relationship with the artist’s work they’re using. For example, In 2018, Drake put his widely celebrated mixtape So Far Gone on streaming platforms for the mixtape’s 10th anniversary. Before the project hit Spotify or Apple Music, Drake requested clearance from Kanye West, for his sampling of 808s & Heartbreak standout “Say You Will” for So Far Gone’s “Say What’s Real.” At the time, Ye and Drake weren’t on good terms, as Drake accused Kanye of telling Pusha T about his secret son, leading to his nuclear diss record “The Story of Adidon.” Due to their strained relationship, Ye denied clearance for the sample, posting a screenshot of Drakes's request on Twitter with the caption, “This proves s**t faker than wrestling… By the way, not cleared.” Although the track appeared on streaming platforms months later, it wouldn’t have come without a change of heart from Kanye and Def Jam (owner of the copyright). Relationships between artists and record companies play a significant role in the clearance of samples.

Plenty of notable artists have been sued for unauthorized samples, including JAY-Z for samples used on hit song “Big Pimpin,” Vanilla Ice for his legendary song “Ice Ice Baby,” and Baauer, the artist behind the viral sensation “Harlem Shake.” 

Besides the legal factors, sampling is viewed by some outside of the music industry as stealing or a production quality that isn’t creative. But sampling is simply not stealing. If used in the incorrect way, at worst, it’s copyright infringement, which is implicitly different than theft. And at this point in music, how can anyone be entirely creative in anything they do? In an industry as saturated as the music industry, nothing an artist does is truly 100% original. Every flow, rhyme scheme and even some lyrical content has been derived and developed from the styles and trends established by prior artists. Even the most creative artists of our generation are inspired by artists of the past, taking certain attributes of their artistry and incorporating it into their own, and sampling is no different. 

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The Versatility of Beam: 95 Album Review

By Carter Fife

In October of 2019, Jamaican-born rapper BEAM dropped his debut record 95, a project decorated with tracks that find a unique intersection between hip-hop, electronic, and dancehall styles of music. BEAM, née Thompson, is the son of the legendary Jamaican gospel singer Papa San, and after years of securing production and songwriting placements with industry heavyweights like Diplo and 21 Savage (and earning himself a Grammy in the process), BEAM has decided to go solo. In an interview with High Snobiety, BEAM detailed how it is difficult to move out of his father’s shadow, telling them that Papa San is “a huge part” of his musical identity. Luckily for him, his synthesis of traditional Jamaican dancehall and modern hip-hop and trap, paired with the executive production of Cardo, results in a unique first record that will quickly become part of your weekly rotation.

The record’s first track “Drop the Roof” is a cinematic moment of ambiance and sheer energy from BEAM, as the song begins with a slow and melodic segment of piano and BEAM’s vocals. Almost as quickly as it began, “Drop the Roof” quickly becomes far more intense, with booming 808s laying the foundation for BEAM’s patois-infused rapping and singing. The song ends after barely two minutes, leaving the listener wanting more, but certainly setting the stage for what to expect over the next 30 minutes.

95 is almost too versatile for its own good, kept cohesive by BEAM’s mastery of songwriting and grasp of two very conflicting styles. Songs like “Soldier” and “Stranded” featuring Childish Major channel Jamaican and Caribbean musical styles, and thematically focus on BEAM’s childhood growing up away from Miami. Despite this, their presence on the album contrasts well next to hip-hop/trap anthems like “Lost” and “Numb” featuring Morgan Saint, whose themes of love and tension dominate the tracks’ aural profiles of uptempo hi-hats, and on the latter, an abrasive 808 pattern whose composition and mix rivals those seen on Kanye West’s genre-defying Yeezus. “2x2” and “Unda Armor” are musically much more similar to the trap-inspired hip-hop that industry mainstays like Cardo have helped cultivate over the years, but both tracks feature BEAM’s unique touch. The former is an eerie introduction into the violence and caution found in BEAM’s world, while the latter is a relaxed and confident banger, a unique style that can be found on tracks like Baby Keem’s “TOP RAMEN” or Princess Nokia’s “Harley Quinn”. 

Some songs on 95 are more dancehall focused while still having BEAM’s hip-hop style woven into it, while others are the inverse. No matter the song’s musical profile, rhythm, or production style - BEAM consistently comes up to bat and never disappoints. While this is a short project, it is not unreasonable to think that one day this project could be seen as a harbinger of an artist on the rise. Beam himself noted that in 2020 he was gearing up to release more music, and I’m sure I’ll be anxiously awaiting its release.  

Favorite Tracks

Lost

Numb

Unda Armor

Rating: 8

Listen to 95 here:

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The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo: 'Chilombo' Album Review

How Jhené Aiko learned to put “Happiness over Everything” in her new album CHILOMBO

By Courtney Fields

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Jhené Efuru Aiko Chilombo has been in the music business for quite a long time. At age 12, Jhené signed her first record deal with Epic Records; laying down vocals on several B2K tracks in the early 2000s. 12-year-old Aiko even opened for the boy band’s tour “Scream Tour 3” in 2003. When Aiko was 15, she asked to be released from Epic Records due to conflicts of interest regarding who she was as an artist. In 2008 at the age of 20, Jhené and O’ryan Browner’s (brother of former B2K singer, Omarion) daughter Namiko Love Browner was born.

Fast forward to March 16th, 2011, after an 8-year hiatus Jhené made her return to the music business. Jhené released her debut mixtape, Sailing Soul(s) via her website jheneaiko.com, with features from artists such as Kanye West, Drake, and Miguel. In 2012 Aiko signed a deal with legendary producer No I.D. 's record label, Artium Records, (Def Jam affiliate) to prepare for the release of her debut album. November 12th, 2013, Aiko released her debut EP Sail Out. Featured on the album were popular artists Kendrick Lamar, Vince Staples, Childish Gambino, and Ab-soul. Aiko has since gone on to release TWENTY 88 which is a collaboration album with rapper and boyfriend Big Sean, her second studio album Trip, and now CHILOMBO.

In May of 2019, it seemed as if Jhené was back in album mode. Jhené released “Triggered (freestyle)” which was a breakup song aimed towards rapper Big Sean. The song itself triggered the release of four more singles over the next year: “Trigger Protection Mantra”, “None Of Your Concern” featuring Big Sean & Ty Dolla $ign, “P*$$Y Fairy”, and “Happiness Over Everything” featuring Miguel & Future. 

On February 21, 2020, Aiko went to Instagram to announce that CHILOMBO would release on March 6th. Later that week Aiko described her then-upcoming third studio album as a celebration of her coming into her own personal power.

CHILOMBO was released on March 6, 2020, through Def Jam. The album boasts 20 songs and has an 01:03:34 timestamp on it.  The album features some old faces we’re used to seeing on Jhené’s albums, as well as some new ones. Big Sean, H.E.R., Future, Miguel, Ab-Soul, Dr. Chill, Nas, John Legend, and Ty Dolla $ign all feature on the project.

 “Triggered (freestyle)” and “None Of Your Concern” featuring Big Sean & Ty Dolla $ign are tracks two and three on CHILOMBO. With these songs being back to back, they immediately give listeners a perspective on her and Sean’s relationship. Rather than bottling up her emotions, Jhené went to the studio to express her irritation through a freestyle. Jhené doesn’t leave any room for confusion on this track. Instead of sending subtle shots, all of her bars are direct. The singer even went on the Rap Genius website to provide verified commentary on the song. On “None Of Your Concern”, Jhené and Big Sean are dealing with the aftershock of their relationship. Although the two artists do tell each other how they felt during the downfall of their relationship; much of the song focuses on how they plan to move on: with, or without one another. 

 “Happiness Over Everything” featuring Miguel & Future, “Tryna Smoke”, and “Party For Me” featuring Ty Dolla $ign all show a side of Jhené that fans are not used to seeing. The three songs draw many comparisons to 90s West Coast Rap. The production on the three tracks are based on funk music and have very laid-back melodies; if you couple that with the fact that the lyrics are related to partying and drugs, listeners are definitely reminded of where Jhené is from. “Party For Me” stands out the most out of the three. While listening fans took to Twitter to say they felt like she channeled her “Inner Nipsey Hussle” on the track, it turns out they were right. The track interpolated Nipsey’s flow on his song “Dedication”. “Party For Me” is seen as a tribute to the late rapper. 

It wouldn’t be a true R&B project without a sensual slow bop, and Jhené delivers just that on track 6 with “P*$$Y Fairy (OTW)”. Although the song is your classic seductive R&B track, it stands out from most songs with a similar subject matter because of its storytelling. Jhené paints a vivid picture of sexual fantasizing, tension, and the actual experience. This is one of the most popular tracks on the project, with many of its lyrics flooding our timelines since its release.

As a whole, CHILOMBO is quite the experience. If Jhené’s massive dragon tattoo on her back was no indication, fans should know she’s evolved. On Jhené’s social media, you can find the singer reading books like ‘FEAR, Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm’, by Thich Nhat Hanh or ‘Becoming Supernatural’, by DR. Joe Dispenza. There’s a common theme Jhené’s new favorite reads, and her new music share: the concept of healing. In every song on CHILOMBO, the singer has the sounds of a crystal singing bowl embedded into every track. The bowls are used for healing, meditation, reducing stress, and balancing chakras. Along with singing bowls, the album is filled with uplifting and reassuring lyrics. 

On CHILOMBO the four singles on the album were some of the best songs on the project. Often, by the time an artist's full project comes out, their singles are played out. Even though Jhené beautifully steps out of her comfort zone vocally on “Speak”, “Magic Hour”, and “Lightning and Thunder” featuring John Legend; her singles still stand out.

You can hit me up on twitter @004COURT and let me know what you think.

Favorite Tracks

None Of Your Concern (Feat. Big Sean)

Tryna Smoke

Magic Hour

Rating: 9

Listen to CHILOMBO here:

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Was Tame Impala’s New Album "The Slow Rush" Worth The Wait?

By Carter Fife

On Valentine’s Day, music’s psychedelic pop-rock authority Tame Impala released their fourth studio record The Slow Rush after a lengthy five-year wait. During this wait, Tame Impala frontman Kevin Parker has occupied himself working in collaborations involving Miguel, Travis Scott, SZA, ZHU, and even with Harlem’s own A$AP Rocky. After Parker’s third record Currents (2015), the combination of almost universal critical acclaim and personal success has put the singer and multi-instrumentalist in a strange and almost paradoxical situation. How does an introvert - experienced in self-reflection and carrying a sincerity beyond his years - grapple with the trials of being a commercial artist? How do you stay true to yourself when so much is expected of and for you? How do you keep your composure when there is so much on the line? What is there left to do after becoming a respected household name? The answer may be unknown and the question convoluted - but Parker seems close to honing his response on this hour-long record.

The Slow Rush is a meditation on aging, time, and our own limited mortality. Some tracks branch into reflections on his relationships with people like lovers or Parker’s own father, but they all maintain a cohesive thematic register of sobering introspection on what it means to exist in one space while remembering another. When my sister, who is far more well versed in Tame Impala facts and interviews than I could ever hope to be, told me that Parker didn’t start working on the album until a little over a year ago, I was both surprised and not surprised at all. Part of this stemmed from the album’s aural profile being so similar to that of 2015’s Currents. Despite there being a five-year gap in between the two projects - both are dominated by the modern Tame Impala SoundFont. Parker’s mythological toolbox seems to be composed of a few powerful tools: dreamlike falsetto vocals that sound like they were recorded at the bottom of a well, punchy and rhythmic percussive arrangements, and piano/bass melodies that are so catchy they remain playing in your head for hours after the music stops. This is what makes the album’s short history so surprising, because for better or for worse - The Slow Rush could have been the unused D-Sides for Currents that didn’t make the final cut (or the shorter B-sides EP that was released later). 

This is not to say that there isn’t anything new on The Slow Rush, as the album has dozens of highlights that are resonant and enjoyable - though unfortunately those that rival Currents are few and far between. One track that initially stood out as especially compelling was “Borderline”, one of the singles that dropped in the spring of last year. It had an ABBA-Esque danciness to it that when paired with its intense bass melody made for a track that stayed in my rotation throughout the year. Unfortunately, the track was revised for the record’s release, and now fans are left with a tinny shell of what once was one of my favorite tracks of 2019. Though the change was not that dramatic (the new mix altered the visibility of the drum and vocal tracks to make the bassline more prominent), unfortunately when juxtaposed against what once was, it is hard not to look back at the past without a slight bit of jealousy. Coincidentally this manner of self-reflection is exactly what the record is about. Could this change be intentional? Probably not but it sure is fun to think about.

Another track released last spring, “Patience”, was unfortunately left off the album entirely. Two of the record’s other singles, “Lost in Yesterday” and “It Might Be Time” are both significantly more forgettable despite how insanely repetitive these tracks are. The final single “Posthumous Forgiveness” is perhaps the highest point on the record, as the beefy 6-minute long record is divided into two distinct segments. The first is a tragically elegant and steady composition where Parkers sings to his deceased and estranged father “... while you still had time, you had a chance, but you decided to take all your sorrys to the grave. Did you think I'd never know? Never wise up as I grow?”. The second is a rare moment of optimism, a dancy and synth-laden moment where Parker forgives his father, singing “Wanna tell you 'bout my life, wanna play you all my songs, hear your voice sing along”. The track is beautiful, and the payoff at the end is worth every second. Part of this track’s tragic elements stems from the fact that the other songs on this project fail to be as dynamic, or carry the range that this track does.

Songs like “On Track”, “Is It True” and “Breathe Deeper” are fun, while repetitive, but they are so one-sided it is hard to feel fully satisfied after listening to them. Following up a record as polished as Currents certainly set Parker up with some high expectations to jump over, and unfortunately, Parker misses the mark more often then he hits it on The Slow Rush. With that being said, when Parker succeeds - he succeeds - and though I walked away from this record unsatisfied I can’t help but root for Parker, and I’ve noticed that other publications are likely in the same boat as I am. Scores for this record generally circle around the high 70’s - low 80’s, a range comically attributed to certain news sites that have negative opinions on projects that come from artists they like. I’m happy that Parker told WUBR the wait for his next project won’t be as long, but I hope the next time he enters the spotlight he delivers a more thought out project than this one.

Favorite Track

Posthumous Forgiveness

Borderline

Breathe Deeper

Rating: 5

Listen to The Slow Rush here:

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Going Galactic: Uzi Meets Astronomical Expectations With Eternal Atake

The eternal wait for Eternal Atake is finally over. After nearly 600 days since the announcement of the album, Philadelphia rapper Lil Uzi Vert’s sophomore album has finally surfaced.

By Luke Modugno

From the outside looking in, Eternal Atake looked like it would never be released. From social media feuds with his own label (Generation Now), to announcing his retirement from making music, the road to the release of Eternal Atake was certainly rough. Due to his impressive debut album Luv Is Rage 2 and the few leaked tracks from Eternal Atake, the expectations for the album skyrocketed during the long wait between the announcement and the release of the record. But hip-hop's favorite extraterrestrial has finally returned to Earth with a truly fun trap album that lives up to its astronomical expectations. 

Sonically, Eternal Atake is split into three distinct parts, each exhibiting and playing on one of Uzi’s talents as an MC. On tracks 1-6, Uzi raps aggressively over energetic, intense trap production. From the hard basslines and siren sample on “You Better Move,” to the assertive flows on “Silly Watch,” this section on Eternal Atake is braggadocious, unrelenting and illustrates Uzi’s inherent talent for producing club and house party anthems. From tracks 7-11, Uzi’s sharply melodic, auto tuned singing voice takes center stage. On Luv is Rage 2 standouts “The Way Life Goes,” “X,” and “Dark Queen,” Uzi established his extraordinarily entrancing singing voice, floating over dark, spacey, 808-heavy production to create catchy hits. Eternal Atake takes that same success and replicates it, allowing Uzi to diversify the soundscape of the album with tracks such as “I’m Sorry,” and “Bigger than Life.” The rest of the LP relies on a brilliant blend of the two aforementioned styles employed by Uzi on Eternal Atake, closing out the project with speaker rattlers (“Prices”), catchy melodic tracks (“Venetia”), and the brilliant remix and follow up of his viral hit “XO TOUR Llif3.” Closing the album with the markedly introspective cut “P2,” Uzi complete’s a truly enjoyable, bumpy ride through his intergalactic universe. 

The segmented approach to the album is both a positive and a negative for Eternal Atake’s overall sound. On the bright side, each section works to highlight Uzi’s individual strengths, resulting in a few tracks which are some of Uzi’s best work. The opening track, “Baby Pluto,” sees Uzi experimenting with his flow, spitting rapid fire couplets over some of the best production on the album. “I’m Sorry,” taps into the lovesick melodies that filled Luv Is Rage 2, as Uzi tries to reconcile with a girl over an uptempo pop trap beat. On the track “Prices,” Uzi combines both his rapping ability and singing over a sample of Travis Scott’s track “way back,” off of his 2016 project Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight. With imaginative production and energetic delivery from Uzi, the track is a clear standout on Eternal Atake. 

But Eternal Atake is, at times, a bloated project that overstays its welcome. Clocking in at 62 minutes long spanning 18 songs, the project is simply not sonically diverse enough to justify its length. Yes, the vast majority of the tracks are hits and there are hardly any skips on Eternal Atake. But few songs are standouts relative to the rest of Uzi’s catalog. At times, the album is simply not fascinating, as around the halfway point, the songs begin to sound the same. Risks are avoided in favor of oversaturated trap aesthetics, which is disappointing considering the proven versatility of Uzi’s artistry on previous albums. Excluding a few songs (“Price,” “Venetia”), the album is comprised of relatively generic trap beats, few which are truly inventive. And with only one feature on the album, Uzi has the sole responsibility of making Eternal Atake engaging enough to keep the listener on edge, which at times, he fails to do. 

Although not particularly interesting sonically, Eternal Atake’s cosmic, cultic theme is explored in a compelling fashion. At the end of most of the songs, a sci-fi narrative is told, where Uzi is abducted by a UFO which is featured on the cover art. The album's narrative is accompanied by a mini film, giving a visual aspect to the narrative created by Eternal Atake. It’s an amusing and unique characteristic of the album, one that won’t be found in most trap projects. 

Nonetheless, Eternal Atake is undeniably entertaining. As a sophomore album with some of the highest expectations for a project in recent history, Uzi delivers a pleasant surprise. The album’s constant delays and the pure spectacle and hype surrounding its eventual release have made this moment even sweeter for Uzi and his fans. 

Favorite Tracks

Baby Pluto

Prices

P2

Rating: 7

Listen to Eternal Atake here:

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What Did Grimes Just Do?: “Miss Anthropocene” Album Review

By Carter Fife

It has been quite a busy time for Grimes since her 2015 record Art Angels. Since then Grimes, née Boucher, has experienced a slew of record label troubles, began dating Elon Musk, and is now apparently with child, all while holding off fans ravenous for new music. When her relationship with the Tesla mogul began, many distraught fans joked that Grimes’ new record would be about the evils of unionizing and robots. At the time, who would have guessed that they were half right? Miss Anthropocene is a record about the deification of climate change, with the record’s dreamlike pop/nu-metal tracks focusing on various modern evils, like AI. I know.

The question begs to be asked: Why? I’m not sure, perhaps this is simply a response to the reception to Grimes’ last record Art Angels - a record that she described as “crap” and as a “stain on [her] life”. This negative response, however, was partly described by her to be the result of critics misinterpreting the album’s songs and almost ironic optimistic art-pop feel. As a big fan of the record, I believe that it is one of the definitive art-pop records that should be held somewhere in a museum for obscure genres that only pretentious people know the name of. Whether or not Miss Anthropocene’s dejected and dreary tone is a result of her past criticism - it is worth noting that it is all over the fucking place.

Grimes seems like the aloof and cryptic friend that does things nobody ever understands, but who somehow always comes through or says something funny. She seems like the type to make you a meal made out of all the random sauces colonizing your fridge, and despite knowing you shouldn’t like it, you enjoy it though you can’t help but speculate as to what her motivation could have possibly been. Grimes seems like the fleshy avatar being manipulated by a higher being of pure randomness, chaos, and intention. She is the “heat death of the universe” personified, and Miss Anthropocene embodies this perfectly. 

The album begins with “So Heavy I Fell Through I Fell Through the Earth”, a track full of breathy and ethereal harmonizing over a spacy and ambient instrumental. The lyrics are almost impossible to parse, but it doesn’t matter. Somehow this song takes you to another world, and if you assumed this song had something to do with being pregnant, then you would be correct. A meditation on the consideration of a future life in the present, this song is a six-minute introduction into the current life of Grimes. It is beautiful, it is magical, it sounds like Enya. It is also succeeded by “Darkseid” featuring 潘PAN, a track that struggles with defining the impact that one’s suicide has on the people in their life. Originally intended for Lil Uzi Vert, the track is dark, bass-heavy, and mechanical goth banger that has almost nothing in common with the previous track. This is a common theme on Miss Anthropocene. 

The record’s thematic register bounces between love, death, and every evil and virtue in-between. There are intense moments that are emotionally and politically charged like “Violence” featuring an instrumental made by DJ and mau5trap affiliate i_o. Grimes’ perfectly polished vocals pair amazingly with the steady synths while she sings from the perspective of Earth. There are saccharine and touching moments like the busy “IDORU” that arrives at the album’s final act. One of the most moving instances on this record is the track “Delete Forever”, written and composed by Grimes herself. Her pained lyrics turn elegiac as she dwells on her lost friends due to substance abuse and overdoses, singing “Funny how they think us naive when we're on the brink, innocence was fleeting like a season, cannot comprehend, lost so many men, lately, all their ghosts turn into reasons and excuses”. I was touched when she likened her state of almost perpetual mourning and emotional isolation to having been in a war, because the dissonance between one’s interior and exterior in moments of tragedy mirror the tension that remains far after the dust settles. The lyrics hit hard, and resonate with anyone who has lost someone close to them because of addiction, mental illness, or the tragic combination of the two. The guitar sample elicits a bluegrass-adjacent innocence that strives to make the starkly different tone of the lyrics stand out. “Delete Forever” is perhaps one of the most moving tracks I’ve heard in the past few years, as the self-reflection it forces on the listener makes me wish more of my friends were around to hear it. The unfairness of losing people you love to an epidemic and culture that glorifies their passing is just as terrifyingly dismal as any apocalypse that climate change could cause.

Musically the album may be all over the place, but thematically the album stays consistent with its somber subject matter and experimental style. Even though Grimes covers so much ground in only 11 songs, she does so with nuance and expertise that many fans may have missed from Art Angels. Very rarely is an album like this worth the wait after so long, and I am pleased to say that I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of Grimes’ muddled vocal harmonies, synth arrangements, and percussion. This is especially true on the track “4ÆM”, which evolves from an elegant and seductive track with east-Asian percussion and melodies to a high-octane banger that can only be heard to believe. While listening for the first time, I enjoyed “4ÆM” but I wondered “Where could this possibly be going?”, and before I knew it Grimes gracefully allowed the song to descend back into its previous ambient harmonies like a pilot would land a prized aircraft. This time around Grimes is not letting anyone down, as she has finally found the perfect synthesis between her older experimental styles and her newer pop-oriented ones. 

Part of me is unsure how or when to conclude a review of Miss Anthropocene so I will attempt to put it as plainly as possible: while this record is strange beyond belief, it has a little bit of something for everyone. Whether or not you’re a Grimes fan doesn’t matter, as Boucher has been sure to masterfully arrange and manicure this album into one of the strongest projects of her career. Though it is likely that we won’t get another album from her for a while, I will be sure to await her inevitable return eagerly as if she had never left. Speaking from past experience, it would be unwise to bet against Grimes.

FAVORITE TRACKS:

Delete Forever

Violence

4ÆM

Rating: 9

Listen to Miss Anthropocene here:

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