‘From A Birds Eye View’ is a true delight, revealing greater depth with each listen, and Cordae truly seems to be having fun while proving he’s here to stay.
From A Bird’s Eye View is a fitting sequel to Lost Boy both sonically and lyrically. That lost boy is gone and in his place a self-assured artist plotting his next moves in the industry.
Cordae’s drive and desire to go down as one of the best rappers to ever do it is evident on his latest album; through the project’s risks, verses, and thematic elements, he has shown that he intends to do whatever it takes to get to that next level – it just needs a bit more focus.
Despite Cordae's now elevated perspective, Birds Eye View offers a bit less food for thought than his debut.
For his second studio album, From a Birds Eye View, he doubles down on the neo-soul undercurrents of his 2019 debut, The Lost Boy, subtracting almost all of the trap elements and club-minded bass of his earlier releases in favor of dusty, organic drums and tightly arranged production full of warm soul samples and live instrumentation.
His rapping capabilities are clearly present and his newfound singing abilities hints at some more engaging possibilities down the road. But in order to translate those skills to his listeners, he’ll need to stray from the path already traveled, quit trying to prove himself and blaze his own trail rather than trying to please every rapper dead or alive he clearly wants to become.
Cordae’s latest album proves he doesn’t have an ethos or a sense of excitement that separates his music from other rappers with a working-class view.
Picture the whole hip hop genre as a successful restaurant with a wide variety of dishes of all cuisines. I’m talking Italian, Indian, Korean, Croatian… They have it all. Imagine now you’re going into the restaurant you can order whatever you want. You could go with the classic “Illmatic” Lasagna or maybe some “Madvillainy” Chicken Tikka Masala. But no for some reason you’re ordering unseasoned chicken with a side of mayonnaise “From a ... read more
Man, you can really feel the dogshit of a whack Em feature like, 3 seconds in.
This Cordae dude reminds me of Common, but with less wit/rhyming ability and more youthful ambition. Sonic palette is similar, almost zero dissonance. Some shades of Logic in there too, but Cordae is better at conveying an older soul conviction, the kind of MC who's a little wiser then his age might imply. He just doesn't do anything that you've never heard before unless you're 13 and this is your 4th rap album ... read more
Yes king! Give us nothing!!
After almost three whole years, Cordae finally gives us a new album... that isn't all that interesting. My fellow reviewer @Rollo_P put it best, "He just doesn't do anything that you've never heard before unless you're 13 and this is your 4th rap album." I don't think I could ever describe this album better. See, I actually really enjoyed The Lost Boy. It was a very consistent album with sticky hooks and captivating flows. So basically take that album, ... read more
This is quite a disappointing album... The hype around this was quite big & it unfortunately succumbed to just being hype. This album lacks personality or in harsher terms, it's boring. Cordae's talents just made the album even worse then what it should have been, the production felt dragged & lazy, but most importantly this album didn't have a single 'hit', nothing for me really stood out from the rest.
PS: You also know its bad when the intro is one of the best parts of the album.
Despite Cordae's now elevated perspective, Birds Eye View offers a bit less food for thought than his debut.
1 | Shiloh’s Intro 1:08 | 72 |
2 | Jean-Michel 2:43 | 78 |
3 | Super 2:57 | 73 |
4 | Momma’s Hood 3:32 | 69 |
5 | Want From Me 3:50 | 70 |
6 | Today 3:02 feat. Gunna | 62 |
7 | Shiloh’s Interlude 0:22 | 52 |
8 | C Carter 3:13 | 72 |
9 | Sinister 2:28 feat. Lil Wayne | 76 |
10 | Chronicles 3:32 | 62 |
11 | Champagne Glasses 4:17 with Stevie Wonder feat. Freddie Gibbs | 72 |
12 | Westlake High 2:56 | 74 |
1 | Parables (Remix) 4:46 feat. Eminem | 53 |
2 | Gifted 2:48 Bonus Track feat. Roddy Ricch, Ant Clemons | 73 |
/ | Uproxx |