I keep coming back to this project for it's eerie and uncanny take on rage and plugg. Kay drifts from destructive and hedonistic to blissful and reflective, extreme swings causes by drug use that clouds his thoughts. It's also a profoundly lonely-sounding album, despite its partying themes. These are fairly common themes in rage, but few do it with such potency.

A seriously impressive project that really encapsulates the rage-plugg-digicore trifecta that makes up much of Gen-Z hip-hop's underground right now, managing to get the best out of each sound with fantastic attention-to-detail. I'm most reminded of tdf's punchy plugg production, prettifun's hyper-energetic layered synths, and skaiwater's out-of-nowhere genre fusions, but that's far from everything Half Blood has to offer. Slayr is quite willing to try out sounds ... read more

I've been really enjoying this project, but it's still tough for me to seriously rate 1oneam as a rapper. Having tdf producing most of these tracks is just such a cheat code. Still, this album is the best performance I've seen from 1oneam to date.

Reviewing Divisive Albums #2

I'm not sure if Lone knows this, but most people turn on music to distract from the banal aspects of daily life, not to feel like they're doing a chore. I'm at a loss as to how this ended up at #60 on my most divisive albums list, as I can't imagine anyone genuinely thinking this is a good album. There are exactly three good tracks on this album and the rest is a slog that lasts 70-some minutes.

I'll start with the good tracks, which ... read more

Reviewing Divisive Albums #1

It's fun looking back on this album and the anti-mumble-rap movement it was associated with, knowing now that it was all a flash in the pan. I didn't listen to this album back then, but I remember the hype it built and the resulting controversy. Even today, it places at #115 on my list of the most divisive projects on this site. But it's especially clear now that this album was a product of its time.

I actually enjoyed the first half-ish of this ... read more

While I felt FunHouse failed to fully realize prettifun's potential, I feel this project (which is completely distinct from FunHouse) justifies his transition from rapper-and-producer to pure rapper. Prettifun tries out more varied deliveries and Carti-esque inflections, while a very talented set of producers manage to advance his signature ragey but playful sound with more attention-to-detail. And prettifun is also at his most personal on this album, balancing rage's themes of ... read more

A pretty great soundtrack for my Minecraft boating adventures. I paddled through a thunderstorm during the climax of AT A TIME LIKE THIS, watched the sun rise while listening to MONDAY, and was being tailed by a baby Drowned during NATURAL CAUSES. I'm planning to loot an ocean monument soon so maybe I can get the full album experience by dying to CASPER.

I rarely give praise to artists for riding waves, but Homixide Gang rode the Whole Lotta Red tsunami pretty damn well on this album. At their best, Beno and Meechie strike with raspy voices, aggressive flows, and ad-libs that seem to come from every direction. And when combined with exciting trap production and the punk-rock aesthetics harbored in by Playboi Carti, we end up with some great songs. Of course, not every song hits and some tracks come off as overly repetitive, but the misses feel ... read more

Exactly two lines stood out on this entire 68-minute project:

1. "Spit it like Nas, I'm the illest (Illmatic)"
2. "I bought a sculpture of her butt"

It would be challenging to make something more generic. Just a bunch of empty bars about struggling, success, and romance over slow semi-atmospheric trap beats. Also way too much self-aggrandizement for a rapper as unimpactful as Gunna.

I was gonna give this a 20 for being a snoozefest but that Nas line earned it a ... read more

I see this EP as an attempt to capitalize on the lack of a "song of the summer" and it makes a pretty good effort. I can't say I'm absolutely enamored by any of the tracks here, but they're all above-average poppy trap tracks with good production and fun vocalisms from Yeat. It's also kind of heartwarming to see BNYX and Yeat reunite, especially after seeing Benny create some great and diverse tracks with other artists earlier this year (e.g. Where You Been, Aye ... read more

I really enjoyed the the original but this shit is literally twice the length. I'm getting tired of rappers releasing albums that are half-an-hour too long in hopes that a few tracks stick. Just try to release a consistently good 40-minute album. I will not be listening to this.

Edit:
I did end up listening to this after a friend of mine mentioned enjoying it and, as expected, it's way longer than it should be. The album starts off fairly strong, but given how bloated this album is, ... read more

After a few listens, I'm still left wondering exactly what this album is trying to do or be. It's clearly not trying to be a tough gangsta rap album, as nothing The Alchemist cooks up here sounds even remotely dark or intimidating. You might figure this is an emotional album based on the production, but Freddie never presents us with a single focused and genuinely emotional verse. There are hints of emotion, but Freddie quickly reverts back to standard gangsta rap. Well, if it's ... read more

At its peak, this is some of the hardest music possible. You just can't top Pop Smoke's deep voice over dark smoky beats with those iconic warbly UK drill 808s. This project puts me in the zone like nothing else does; I used to listen to it on repeat while tearing through physics and calculus homework. Unfortunately the last three tracks are basically filler, but at least they don't take me out of the zone.

There are a lot of rappers who I'd label as "all about bread," as $ilkMoney claims to be and as his name implies, who rap over similar loopy, soul-sampling production. Think Griselda, Freddie Gibbs, any number of guys who frequently work with The Alchemist or Daringer. You could throw this album into that bucket, but there's a key difference that makes Silk's music so much more fulfilling than the rest: he's not actually all about bread--not even close.

It's ... read more

On one hand, Che completely rips off WLR-era Carti on this album -- everything from inflections to adlibs to raspiness. I'd generally like to see innovation and distinctiveness in the underground, but on the other hand, Carti has essentially abandoned his most exhilarating style. I've been yearning for more of that Carti ever since Stop Breathing became my most listened song of 2021, and this album is peak WLR Carti over some great new-age rage production. Frankly, if this was MUSIC, ... read more

The production on this project really goes above and beyond, and Molly does a pretty great job matching their energy. I've listened to the highlights on this album a ton, and I don't always bother with the slower second half of the album, but that's mainly a matter of personal preference.

Favorites: Cayenne, Unstoppable (w/ Che), Handle It, Acting Nice, When I'm Gone

Besides some very questionable vocal processing, this shit is awesome! Just wish it could stay on Spotify cuz I first listened to this project like 2 months ago, then it got removed the next day, and now it's finally back.

Great fun with hilarious characterizations of how modern masculinity often deludes men when we hit rock bottom. Murphy, playing a number of characters throughout the album, is seemingly incapable of acknowledging that he is the problem in a number of relatable but hyper-exaggerated situations. The catchy instrumentation and vocalisms create a perception of badassery that contrasts with the narrator's complete fucking uselessness. A number of songs contribute to a great satirical display of ... read more

It often feels like this album is doing too much. Whenever there's a sound or an idea on a track that excites me, it's interrupted within the next half-minute. Eusexua has no bad songs, but there also aren't any songs that provided me the opportunity to get into a groove and just enjoy the music.

Starts off strong but lulls in the middle. I mainly wish this guy would be a bit more authentic or creative lyrically. It really is just variants of "I'm cool, I have money, I get girls." That said, 1oneam sounds pretty comfortable and natural rapping over some great production.