It almost seems like this is what the other trippy leaning Bladee songs wanted to be. The phasing sound throughout the entire track builds up a very alien atmosphere consistently from beginning to end. The drums are very subtle and almost feel like they're fighting to remain in the mix, that is except for the bass drum that pulses strongly throughout. The vocals are faint but audible and have their moments of prominence when necessary. The lyrics present themes of apathy as well as a ... read more

Not a collab I would have expected before getting into Bladee but to be honest it works pretty well and makes for a pretty engaging track. The beat has a wonderful melody on account of being made by Whitearmor and Yung Sherman, but the drums seem to veer in a more traditional southern hip-hop direction than they do in other GTB produced tracks. Whether the change in style was to compliment Xavier Wulf or was just an unrelated production choice I think it gave the track a little variety either ... read more

This very well may be the magnum opus of early Bladee singles. Between the insanely soothing atmospheric beat, quaintly delivered vocals, and beautifully abstract lyrics this song is all around fantastic. The beat is a perfect dichotomy of the low bass and almost bongo-adjacent drums and the high singing strings and pads. The vocals glide across the beat beautifully through the entire first verse and mantra chorus eventually reaching what I believe to be their peak at the ladder verse. That ... read more

This is by far the most trap forward beat I've heard GTB on so far in their catalogue but I guess it makes sense given the Black Kray hook and DJ Smokey production. I'm a long time Goth Money fan so I was heavily partial to this song and needless to say I really enjoyed it. Black Kray provides an extremely catchy chorus in the upper echelon of his all time best deliveries. Thaiboy Digital has potentially one of his best verses here with a faster paced flow that glides beautifully over ... read more

Bladeecity is an extremely fun song with a bass heavy bouncy instrumental and some of the catchiest flows Bladee and Yung Lean had displayed yet at this point in their careers. The production sounds good overall but the beat is slightly impaired by some mixing issues and the vocal effects on both rappers are far from their best here. The lyrics and delivery make the track for me with fun energetic verses from both artists in a manner that really shows off their different but complimentary ... read more

This song travels in a more experimental direction and it works better in some regards than others, the whitearmor beat is as usual very enthralling this time delving more into realms of ambient and experimental. The vocal production is very hazy and trippy which adds to the atmosphere but detracts from the delivery. The lyrics are honestly some of the least intriguing out of the Bladee tracks of this era and I found myself glossing over them at points and having to go back and double check ... read more

Let's get the obvious out of the way first, this beat is stellar. The only reason this isn't one of the highest rated Bladee tracks so far is because some of the lyrics leave a bit to be desired but the instrumental and production on this track are both legendary. The vocal mixing allows Bladee and Thaiboy to fit neatly into the same style while still standing apart from each other just enough to offer variety. The synth work on this song is the standout of all the production for me ... read more

One of the first official Bladee and Ecco songs and yet it brings just as much charm as some of their work today. This is one of the most directly rap-centered Bladee tracks I've heard since going back to review his discography and I think that feeling is cultivated most by the super smooth flow and the slightly menacing beat. The track features yet another cloud rap beat by Whitearmor which even this early on is becoming a staple template for Bladee but this instrumental sets itself apart ... read more

The improvement in early GTB songs was truly rapid. I think this is easily the best produced track up to this point in their catalogue. Whitearmor blends his typical atmospheric cloud rap style with what sounds like some 2010s drill influence best exemplified in the stabbing chords and break-neck snare rolls. This song features a very simple chorus performed by Thaiboy Digital but I actually think it benefits the track by adding a hypnotic almost droning element and by compounding on the themes ... read more

I was immediately drawn to the lyrics of this track as they stand out among other pre-gluee Bladee songs as being some of the most bleak and introspective somewhat reminiscent of what Bladee's lyricism would become known for over the following years. A real stand out bar for me was "I tried to understand but it was hopeless / I tried to eat her soul but she was soulless" which wouldn't seem out of place on a project like Eversince. As is the case for most of these early ... read more

The obvious standout of the track is the Whitearmor beat which sounds forward thinking even today despite this track nearing 12 years old. While the drums follow a fairly typical cloud rap template the synth instrumentation completely flips the beat on its head making it sound partially futuristic and entirely alien. I give major props to Bladee and Thaiboy here for finding such a comfortable pocket in such an abstract beat however other parts of their performances leave something to be ... read more

This track shows off a lot of the songwriting quirks that would later become iconic parts of Bladee's style such as the atmospheric cloud rap beat, hard-tuned vocals with a singsongy delivery, and the abstract take on traditional rap lyricism. While it is interesting to see such recognizable elements of Bladee's future work so early in his career its also worth noting that these ideas are executed far from ideally. The track is produced by fellow drain gang (Gravity Boys at the time ... read more