BLUE LIPS

It’s been five years since the last ScHoolboy Q album, and even he has admitted that CrasH Talk didn’t really work the way he wanted it to, though I’d argue that while that album isn’t exactly good, there’s more going on beneath the surface than has been acknowledged or given credit. Granted, I think that’s been true with ScHoolboy Q his entire career - he’s most recognized for his sneering swagger across a lot of flows and bombastic hooks, the hype man who’ll ensure the crowd is up, but I often feel his lyrical depth can be underappreciated as a result, which is often true for rappers who are not on the a-list and write huge bangers with not-so-hidden depths.

But it has been five years since a proper ScHoolboy Q album, and I was curious how much of the blurry cascade of CrasH Talk might translate forward alongside other proclivities… and that’s half true, but Blue Lips executes that sound collage a lot more effectively and I can easily describe this as a return to form, albeit one that can seem like it’s in tension with itself. But where that has always sat in subtext or lyrical themes on previous albums - although not that hard to notice, ScHoolboy Q’s entire career has focused on the intrinsic contradictions and metatext between the brutal reality of gangsta rap and its commodified forms - Blue Lips moves it not just into the text, but the whiplash transitions and structure of the album itself, which can make for a discombobulating experience on first listen; it’s less immediately “song” focused, tracks can spill into each other with dramatic tonal switch-ups, and necessarily it sacrifices some of the immediate hookiness. Now there are real consequences to this: the album as a whole can’t build a ton of momentum and that means it probably feels longer than it is, the overall groove can feel choppy, and you might find yourself wondering if the content has enough layers to sustain that sort of structural choice, of which I’m a bit divided. On the one hand, there’s real resonance in the juxtaposition of the grimy traumatic come-up with the successful and endlessly playful family man that he is, dimensionality and humanity that gets overlooked by an audience looking for only one thing out of his art, especially as there are complexities in trying to give back when wealth hasn’t fully made him happy, or noting the lies and contradictions peddled by the industry that can feel self-serving and don’t solve systemic issues that still impact him; he hates those who have come up in his wake as much as he might love them, especially amidst hollow praise alongside those saying he fell off without going deeper.

On the other hand, there’s a twinge of bitterness that might feel emotionally true but can start feeling flimsy alongside the flexing - the album can feel very “slice of life”, where you get a snapshot of where ScHoolboy Q is and the mosaic of warring emotions, but maybe not as compelx as you’d like given this structure… and that sadly makes sense, because when he has been more open and introspective on other records, it’s not been acknowledged, so why not punch back with the success he’s earned. Yes, that is reflexively conservative in leaning into hierarchies of wealth and success, especially with the acknowledgement of the harsh reality of suffering to get there… but given his experiences and how systemic change doesn’t come easily or quickly, especially for as many times as he’s been spurned by folks who never hold their word, I get it, and can appreciate the irony that in playing against conventional structure he can showcase multitudes. And not for nothing, this album can split the difference between soulful swagger and bombastic menacing bangers effectively, especially with more competent mixing outside of the occasional oversold beat - ‘THank god 4 me’, ‘Love Birds’, and ‘oHio’ with Freddie Gibbs literally carry both vibes simultaneously - with the horn-and-strings-accented melancholy of ‘Blueslides’ and ‘Lost Times’ balanced with the killer stuttering bass of ‘Yeern 101’ and ‘Time killers’, the haunted minimalism with borderline garage percussion of ‘Foux’ where Ab-Soul goes off, and ‘Pig feet’ as one of the hardest trap bangers I’ve heard all year!

So as a whole… again, this album’s internal tension is palpable, an amplification of what’s always lurked to the forefront, and it makes for probably ScHoolboy Q’s most ambitious project to date at least on a sonic level, and it probably works best as a whole piece rather than for individual songs - I think time will tell if what was given up in structure helps it pop off longer, ScHoolboy Q albums have tended to build their staying power in louder, wilder settings that better match the vibe, but the best moments have me thinking that it will. Not sure I’d call it his best, but it’s the sort of album that has me confident ScHoolboy Q can once again match or surpass it - damn solid album, check it out.