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Critic Reviews
80
To What End, while an overwhelmingly positive record, explores one of his core principles from multiple angles, and for every angle he approaches from, he finds either a clever, inspiring or fun way to turn it into a song.
3y
74
On his 10th solo studio album, the D.C.-based underground rap vet unpacks emotional baggage and asks what—if anything—he’s willing to compromise for the sake of success.
3y
70
The beauty of To What End is that it sits at the summit of Oddisee’s output, a rapper and producer at the height of his powers.
3y
70
Oddisee is a pro at boiling a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions down to concise, relatable songs, and To What End contains some of his most deeply personal work to date.
3y
To What End is an album about rejuvenation. It’s a really diverse project: dabbling in lo-fi beat samplings including orchestral strings and hip-hop beats. It’s a lot of things but it never feels overloaded or too ambitious. It just feels like a good ol’ time, equally relaxing and insightful. Instrumentally and lyrically tight through and through.
My biggest gripe about this album however is that it needs a bit of a trim in the track length ("Work To Do", ... read more
A lovely boom-bap tape that mixes elements of funk and soul in remarkable fashion. One of the most layered hip-hop albums of the year, which led to an ambitious feel from beginning to end. The instrumentally proficient sound fits Oddisee's style nicely, as his vocal tone and delivery both effectively match the upbeat atmosphere.
The first half in particular exhibits some of the most lush hip hop of the year, consistently featuring beats that are rather Anderson .Paak-esque, with introspective ... read more
A nice Jazz Rap record with pretty good production and a great performance.
I always love Jazz Rap, it's a genre that you can't really mess up unless you're trash at making music, it's easy to listen to and sounds great, and this album isn't an exception at all. Everything in this album sounds great, the rapping is solid and it has decent beats. It's a bit too long in my opinion and a few of the songs didn't need to be on here but it's a great project from start to finish.
To be honest, I find this album a bit underwhelming compared to Oddisee’s previous works. While his jazz-infused production is as brilliant as ever, the rapping feels slightly lacking. One of his greatest strengths was that signature fast-paced yet smooth flow, but in this project, it seems to have taken a backseat. It feels like his voice is being buried under the music. I'm sure it was intentional, but as a long-time fan, it’s a bit hard to get used to. Still, with tracks ... read more
A perfect, chill listen
I had no idea who this artist was prior to checking this album out. I saw the cover on Twitter and decided to give it a listen because I liked the minimalism and colors I saw.
And yeah, I really enjoyed this. Overall, there was a lot of groove and vibe to these instrumentals with some great bars and flows thrown into the mix. This record didn't necessarily need 16 tracks, but it was such a chill listen I don't even mind it too much.
Check it out, this album ... read more
An album that I would almost have never seen if it didn't pop up on some random Twitter thread. The album art caught my eye and it took me four months to get around to listening - and wow.
To What End is my first ever listen to Oddisee and it won't be my last. To What End is a brilliant mix of alternative jazz-rap fused with dance sounds. His voice is unique and exciting as he floats over hypnotic, upbeat instrumentals. At just under an hour, it feels about that, but never drags. ... read more
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Track List
| 1 | The Start of Something 3:42 | 75 |
| 2 | How Far 1:59 | 78 |
| 3 | Many Hats 3:07 | 78 |
| 4 | Already Knew 4:02 | 81 |
| 5 | Choices 3:42 | 75 |
| 6 | Try Again 2:47 | 81 |
| 7 | Ghetto to Meadow 3:14 feat. Freeway | 78 |
| 8 | More to Go 3:44 feat. C.S. Armstrong | 76 |
| 9 | All I Need 3:03 feat. Olivier St. Louis | 75 |
| 10 | Bartenders 3:15 feat. Toine Jameson | 75 |
| 11 | Work to Do 3:00 feat. Bilal | 71 |
| 12 | People Watching 3:14 | 75 |
| 13 | Hard to Tell 2:47 | 76 |
| 14 | Bogarde 2:41 feat. Noochie | 70 |
| 15 | The Way 3:16 feat. Haile Supreme, Saint Ezekiel | 71 |
| 16 | Race 3:29 | 81 |
Total Length: 51 minutes
