One of the pioneers of the melodic trap movement that’s dominating in a whole new way after Roddy Ricch’s chart-topping single “The Box,” A Boogie Wit da Hoodie returns after his previous project, Hoodie SZN, far exceeded everyone’s expectations in terms of sales and staying power – mostly due to overwhelming support in his home state of New York. While it would be easy for an hour-long, 20-track album like this to fall back into filler and formulas in order to bolster its streams (and it does very briefly), A Boogie certainly steps confidently into his own lane here and his penchant for crafting maddeningly catchy hooks is fully on display, linking up with some well-placed features as well. A Boogie recently called all his past hits “mediocre” in an interview, acknowledging their repetitive nature – this project is the sound of someone who knows how to easily craft a hit song, but wants to go a little further than that at the same time.
Essentially 80% of what A Boogie ever says into the mic functions like a hook, his excitable and nasally vocals firing listeners up as he croons his way through repetitive and instantly memorable melodic patterns. The project opens with a string of tracks that see him relying heavily on the guitar carrying an instrumental, the riffs ranging from the Latin flavour of “Hit ‘Em Up” or the pop-punk influenced “DTB 4 Life,” and the uncharacteristic authenticity and layering of the instrumentals really help with A Boogie forging his own path. Your typical rap beat essentially functions as a loop, but a track like opener “Thug Love” has textural changes as the emotion of the track wavers between bravado and vulnerability, a quieter piano taking over as he questions himself. “Me and My Guitar” sees him link up with proven pop hitmaker Louis Bell as A Boogie continues to dive deep into his romantic struggles over a massive boom-bap beat and a slowly plucked acoustic riff – there are quite a few times where you can step back and wonder how something so seemingly improvisational can be so catchy as he stumbles over syllables, but the outbursts of genuine emotion in the verses centered by an anthemic chorus is essentially his calling card across this whole project. A Boogie gets choked up and angry talking about romantic betrayals quite a bit here, but there’s nothing more impactful than the closer “Streets Don’t Love You,” especially after the recent death of a collaborator in Pop Smoke. In a track devoid of a chorus, A Boogie mourns his fallen friends and details some of the horrific things he’s witnessed. You can really feel his pain.
Then, of course, there are the tracks that are genetically engineered to become ubiquitous. “Might Not Give Up” and “Numbers” are two of the most immediately catchy tracks here, and it’s interesting that A Boogie recruits three artists across the two tracks that are very similar to him tonally in Young Thug, Roddy Ricch and Gunna, demonstrating just how much he can match punches with legends and skyrocketing upstarts alike. “Numbers” in particular could easily be a future #1, the acoustic chords hitting some Latin flair and a very sticky triplet sequence as A Boogie, Roddy and Gunna do the Migos routine better than the Migos, quickly jumping in and out with brief verses and quick syllables.
The use of the features across the board here is actually one of the strongest things about the project. DaBaby’s deep-voiced deadpan juxtaposes perfectly with A Boogie’s high-pitched yelps on “Stain,” but the project really excels when A Boogie ventures into the realm of R&B. Summer Walker is completely in her element on “Calm Down (Bittersweet),” laying down a smooth and confident chorus as she tries to get A Boogie’s attention, and even a guy like Khalid works strangely well with A Boogie’s croons on “Another Day Gone,” his poise grounding A Boogie’s spastic quips and vocal runs. And while the acoustic guitar is his weapon of choice, he really thrives over the piano as well. “Blood On My Denim” might be the hookiest track here as alliteration runs wild over a somber piano melody, but “Right Back” is the easy highlight of the back half, A Boogie flipping a jazzy Tupac piano sample and staying in his lower register to display some surprising talent as a singer.
The brief track “Good Girls Gone Bad” really signals that the back half of the tracklisting isn’t going to be quite as consistent as the opening run, some of A Boogie’s lofty ambitions not as fleshed out as they could have been. A couple tracks here sound a lot more like A Boogie treating the recording studio like a personal diary to exorcise his demons, freestyling about whatever was afflicting him that day and not paying as much attention to his hitmaking ways. It’s admirable that he wants to showcase a bit more range here, but something like the chorus of “R.O.D.” where he sounds out of breath and falls off the beat trying to get everything out through a cloud of emotion and a freeform guitar solo feels off when it’s juxtaposed with so many surefire hits. It would have been pretty difficult to go for 20 tracks on this thing without playing into some of the more basic trap music trends that I’m sure come far too easily to someone like A Boogie, and “Big Sh*t” and “Reply” are those tracks that don’t come close to hitting the same level of innovation that he displays with his reliance on real instruments elsewhere.
Ultimately for review purposes, Artist 2.0 suffers from the same problem that most triple-A rap releases do – cut a few tracks off of this thing, and it would have easily made my year-end list. A Boogie Wit da Hoodie is the rare case of someone who has clearly settled into a certain wave, but has also created his own unique vibe that comes across as innovative more often than not. He uses the formulas we know and changes them up just enough, centering it all with one of the best ears for a hook in the game.
Favourite Tracks: Right Back, Calm Down (Bittersweet), Numbers, Blood On My Denim, Hit ‘Em Up
Least Favourite Track: R.O.D.
Score: 7/10
Fame hasn’t been particularly kind to the man they call the Biebs. Returning from a litany of personal struggles with a new album for the first time in 5 years and a slew of interviews where he seems to need to really convince the public of just how happy he is in his newfound marriage, Changes was affectionately billed as an “R&Bieber” project in a departure from his world-dominating pop anthems of the past. Seeing even his biggest haters admit that he radiated a certain kind of magnetic charisma during his last era made this a highly anticipated project for me, hoping for another massive hit that everyone could get behind. Then, of course, he dropped “Yummy” and that anticipation self-destructed. Featuring 16 nearly identical tracks as Bieber leans hard into the sleepy alt-R&B trends of the current moment, the lack of any genuine emotion behind awkward and clinical lyrics about the joys of matrimonial lovemaking really sounds like Bieber is straining to convince himself, too, that he’s finally taken the right path in life.
The internet would have me believe that at the moment it’s impossible to walk the streets of New York City without hearing a car driving past blaring the music of 20-year-old drill rapper Pop Smoke. After a high-profile collaboration with Travis Scott and some genre-bending remixes of his track “Welcome To The Party,” he already has quite a few eyes on him as he releases what is only his second mixtape. Meet The Woo 2 is a brief collection of dark and grimy trap cuts, but for the most part I fail to see what distinguishes him from so many of his contemporaries. Of course, I shouldn’t be expecting new musical trends to suddenly appear out of thin air as the decade switches over, but there isn’t a single moment on this project where my eyebrows raise in surprise. It’s the sound that you hear everywhere you go, except that Pop Smoke’s approach to creating it comes from such a place of nonchalance that there are a couple moments where it’s clear he doesn’t care if he falls off the beat, or leaves too much dead air filled with only ad-libs. That attitude certainly works for a lot of people, but this is far from an engaging listen.
UK indie-pop duo Oh Wonder are back with another album of beautifully understated melodies as their worldwide profile continues to grow. While I definitely thought their sophomore effort, 2017’s Ultralife, was mostly played safe and was ultimately uninspired and unmemorable, the duo returns to some interesting high-powered synthpop production quirks here that often provide a thrilling contrast to just how whispery and intimate their vocals can be at times. Their songwriting still isn’t always there, but hearing them experiment more than usual in combination with the always hypnotic vocals of Josephine Vander Gucht make this one an enjoyable listen for its brief runtime – it only stands at 10 tracks and 30 minutes – and what is likely their best work so far.
You have to give Kesha credit for continuing to push onwards. After returning from a long legal battle with former producer Dr. Luke with the cathartic and triumphant Rainbow, one of the most successful pop artists of the early 2010s is back with her fourth studio album. Blending together the over-the-top party girl rap persona of old and the soaring pop-country styles she finally showcased to the world on her previous project, High Road can come off as a disorganized mess that firmly establishes Kesha’s early music as the product of another time – but at the same time, it’s impossible not to respect her for finally harnessing full creative control and doing what Kesha has always done absolutely best: whatever she wants, with no regard for the opinions of others. High Road is nowhere near as impactful and brilliantly structured as Rainbow, but it’s definitely a wild party.
Man, it used to be a much bigger deal if Lil Wayne and Eminem were to release albums in the same month. Regardless, one of the most influential figures on the modern rap landscape has returned – despite being a couple years older than the age at which he threatened retirement – with his first non-Carter album since 2013. Gliding over some of the most unique instrumentals of his long and storied career, Wayne continues to put out some quality music that maintains his legacy and solidifies his placement in the rap history books, even if his albums don’t have as much effort put into their structure as the genre-defining masterpieces from back in the day. Yet another endless affair at 24 tracks in length, you’re also bound to stumble across a litany of filler tracks and more than a few washed-out trap beats that are already starting to sound dated. Still, Wayne is regarded as one of the greatest alive for a reason, and just listening to his bizarre inflections and turns of phrase that could only come from his mind shows that the lovable Martian still has quite a bit going for him as we head into a new decade.
Canadian electronic artist Ekali has released his first full-length project after tearing it up on the festival circuit for the last couple years with a blend of hard-hitting future-bass and trap-inspired tracks and the ethereal and atmospheric sound of many of his contemporaries. He certainly exhibits both sides working at their full potential on A World Away. A short and consistently surprising project, Ekali’s sonic diversity and excellent placement of guest vocalists across this album’s runtime makes it one of the best electronic works I’ve heard in a while.
Last night, Billie Eilish became only the 2nd person in history to sweep the Grammys’ “Big 4” categories and the third to even win all four of the awards over a career. Do you think it might be possible that music labels are trying desperately to find the next off-kilter teenage success story? Tate McRae is a 16-year-old from Alberta who attracted quite a bit of attention on YouTube with her covers – largely, of Eilish songs – and has now received the fast track to working with some of the best producers in the game, including Eilish’s superstar brother FINNEAS, who co-wrote one of the songs here with Billie herself. I hate to so overtly measure someone’s work up against someone else’s, but McRae’s vocal delivery and lyrical content clearly draw heavy inspiration from someone who is rapidly becoming the voice of a generation. However, while her music isn’t as groundbreakingly unique as Eilish’s, McRae proves that with an injection of her own personality the style is going to stick around for a while. With more traditional pop sensibilities applied to the dark bedroom-pop framework that’s running rampant in the industry, McRae delivers 5 pretty great pop tracks here to appeal to those who are just a little creeped out by Eilish’s horror imagery.
Alt-pop singer-songwriter Halsey’s third studio album Manic is meant to be a journey into the way her mind works – named after her bipolar disorder, formerly referred to as manic depression. Sonically, it’s certainly a fitting title as the project dips tentatively into quite a few genres, all smoothed over with the glossy psychedelic pop sheen that some of her biggest tracks are known for. For an album with a concept and a sonic palette this interesting, it comes as a big surprise that it’s far from memorable outside of a couple of very strong singles. Halsey has always been an artist that seems like she doesn’t know exactly where she wants to go – during her last, very 90s-pop inspired era, she became offended when people referred to her as a pop singer rather than alternative. While there are some great individual tracks here and her songwriting certainly continues to improve, touching on some very powerful personal material, as a creative musical vision Manic plays it safe all too often for what it could have been.
Always one to play into the power of a good surprise, whether it be unleashing a dizzying string of syllables or a provocative bar that will get Twitter talking for months, Eminem’s 11th studio album Music To Be Murdered By came with absolutely no warning. Most people seem to agree that the majority of Eminem’s output for the last decade hasn’t quite been able to match up to the thrilling novelty of his earlier days – but Kamikaze was certainly a step up from the dismal Revival, and this one is yet another step in the right direction. Of course, there is still no shortage of corny dad jokes and subpar hooks, but in addition to his technical toolkit and wordplay – which is still nearly unmatched even as he nears 50 – quite a bit of what has been going wrong for Eminem lately is mended here, including his beat selection as he links back up with the increasingly prolific Dr. Dre, tossing aside lacklustre pop features, and finally finding a way to say something powerful about the social issues he has recently begun addressing in song. Inspired by the works of Alfred Hitchcock, whose voice appears throughout, even standing at over an hour in length its hard to say that this project isn’t, at least, highly entertaining.
