YRN Tha Album: Although I’m not a Migos fan, I am extremely impressed with what these three guys have offered on their debut album. There’s the usual Migo music, and core fans will appreciate that about the album. However, they experiment a lot on this album without turning listeners off from the jump. The opener is a classic Migo song that I don’t really care about that much, but you can tell that work has been put into this album. They make it really personal, even when you’re questioning to yourself were they really in a high-speed chase on 85. Regardless, their storytelling almost overwhelmed me; these guys are really, really good. I’m not one for 20-minute songs, so I’m glad that they kept the features to the minimum. And I love Young Thug, but he wasn’t necessary for this project to work. To be honest, neither was Chris Brown. With that being said, Migos did a lot of really cool stuff that makes me really happy and a lot of typical Migo stuff that I’m probably never gonna care about. However, they barely did any really bad stuff, and that’s a great accomplishment for their debut album.
Favorite Tracks: Highway 85, Gangsta Rap, Street Nigga Sacrifice, & Trap Funk
Man Plans, God Laughs: These old guys are really loud and really smart, but they’re kind of weird. That’s just the vibe I get from them, but let’s get to the album review. This album makes plenty of importantly real statements, but they would never really catch on with the average listener. Be it because of uncomfortably forced songs like Honkey Talk Rules or the fact that all the songs are creepily short, Man Plans God Laughs doesn’t seem to capture its full potential. Not to dismiss the subject matter, however, because this is what people need to hear. However, it is exponentially hard to make proactive political music sound intriguing and entertaining tot the average person. That is in essence the downfall of the album. Sonically it is simply uninteresting. Lyrically it is empowering, but easy to to miss amongst all the other crazy things going throughout the album. Man Plans, God Laughs, and I’m not really feeling this album.
Omen - Elephant Eyes: I’ve listened to this album more than any of the others, and I don’t even have much to say about it. I want to go ahead and spoil the fact that it’s not as classic as it was advertised to be, but it was still really good. It definitely has a lot of classic material on it, but as a whole not so much. Omen can get really boring, but surprisingly the album isn’t. Motion Picture wasn’t an ideally captivating way to begin the album. I didn’t like the song when it was out a year and a half ago. Regardless, Omen does a lot of cool stuff on this album, and he does it mostly by himself. To be honest, none of the features really do that much for the album except add name value. Yes, even J. Cole. I do think it is probably the most interesting thing that I’ve heard this month, and I’ve slowly but surely grown in love with it. He presents a relatable story that no one ever talks about, and it’s refreshing to hear such an amazing MC who isn’t really considered “a winner.” What I’m trying to say is Elephant Eyes is actually a lot closer to being a classic than how I previously described it. Only time will tell though.
Favorite Tracks: Same Jesibel, Elephant Eyes, Sketches of Paranoia, Foolish Pride, & Big Shadows
Tha Truth: This album is a hundred times better than I thought it would be. Trae the Truth enlists damn near the whole rap game, popular and not so popular to make a classic. First of all, he has the perfect voice for rapping, but pretty much talking in general. His delivery is smooth, and before you know it you’re deep within the project. While the project does have a lot of ear candy, there are a lot of moments where Trae will get in your face and show you how good of a rapper and storyteller he is. All of the tones in the album mesh while allowing the Houston OG to easily crossover from talking about trickin cars to some deep dark depressing stories. The album also doesn’t glorify negative practices, and is probably one of the most relatable albums you’ll hear all year. Especially if you’re from the south because this album is a southern jewel. Trust me, you don’t wanna sleep on this one.
Favorite Tracks: Tricken Every Car I Get, Why, Trying To Figure It Out, I Can’t Feel You, & Religion