Overview
Lil Uzi Vert is a rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is quite the character. His music is light yet hood-focused which is rare. He's a walking cartoon that is simultaneously passionate about his origin. This album can be played in rotation with standard hip hop, but the target audience is vast. Eternal Atake is designed to be a lit performance, not a deep experience. There are skits at the end of most tracks but the tracks themselves are nearly topic-less. He really doesn't have much to say. His money is long, his girl is down... Did I mention his money?
Defining Track
"Futsal Shuffle" is his debut single from the release and is a fun distraction from the woes of hip hop culture. It isn't revolutionary but his personality is infectious and is a good introduction to black culture.
Final Thoughts
Lil Uzi Vert is cool, but he isn't a passionate artist. His songs stay about the same level in every release, but thankfully they are still fairly good. "Eternal Atake" is decent, but that creates a relatable-ness and inviting universal quality that draws humble people in.
Defining Track
EAST is as political as the name implies. He questions everything in his life with an awareness higher than every genre's norm. It's hookless but is short enough to not leave you searching for one. It's a good song but would be far from anyone's favorite Earl song.
Final Thoughts
Earl pioneered a level of clout that lingers over this release. His vision of the world is much deeper than most and this is his most sophisticated release.
Post Malone is a singer-rapper from Grapevine, Texas. His style is melodic medium-paced hip hop with a hood dialect. As far as subject matter, this album is about pain and grandeur. Nearly all of his songs are catchy and memorable, yet they're pretty consistent in quality. His melodies evoke emotion, and they're non-predictable. There are a lot of strong rap collaborations, which he doesn't need to be authentically hood but they're there if you need it.
Defining Track
"Take What You Need" is a song about being used. It's well put together and the hip hop sampling in a sung song is fairly new. Post Malone has a believable delivery, but he isn't really pushing himself on this one. It's laid back and well executed.
Final Thoughts
All three Post Malone albums are at the same level of quality. He's consistently good, but a little non-eventful. If he had some interesting or comedic punchlines or referenced some current slang he could make a more exciting album. He's always good, but if you heard his other albums, you've basically heard this one.
Overview
YBN Cordae is a rapper from Raleigh California. He's an interesting mix stylistically. He's a solid lyricist that focuses on struggle and keeps his music "mid brow". It's simple and complex in a very moderate level like T.I.'s Paper Trail album. That's a solid move because it gives him a lot of fanbase flexibility. The only drawback to his message is he lacks a point. He isn't convicted about his life choices like a proud thug, and he spends a lot of his bars defending himself. If he really cares that much about the ethics of his choices, he should stop defending them.
Defining Track
His best song on this release is his track "Have Mercy". It was wildly successful from Lyrical Lemonade and the album sounds like it was the blueprint. He's extremely consistent. He has no lazy bars which is refreshing. On the other hand, he isn't innovating rap with anything creative or difficult either.
Final Thoughts
YBN is good. His come-up ethical struggle spirituality is nice because it puts him in the footsteps of hood leaders and activists, but it's hard to stand out with an angle that generic. He's talented enough to do something a little more creative and I await his sophomore drop.
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