ATLiens

so here's another hot take: this was kinda boring and i don't see how this is one of their highest rated. throughout most of this i was thinking that it severely lacks the personality that was so present on southernplayalistic. the production is darker and sinister, which i appreciate as an attempt to evolve the sound, but none of the beats here are as great and hard hitting as what's on their debut. and the lyrics and flows here are also somehow worse for me. feels like on many points of this record, andre and big boi are rapping just to rap rather than rap to convey passion and tell stories. like technically, the rhymes and all are just as good as southernplayalistic, but the larger concepts don't come together into anything that i can understand. the bars themselves exist in a very individualist nature, where on their own, they're great bars, but fitting into a whole verse that's supposed to be cohesive, just doesn't work. in short i'm just kinda disappointed. but at least aquemini is really good so i have something to look forward to tomorrow!