From a scratchy velcro octet of tire onomatopoeia on “ Ardemaur” to a dexterous chorus on “ STS,” everything on Slime Language feels fresh in a way that only Young Thug can do. You will find yourself listening closely just to see what Thug will do next, and I think that’s exactly what he wants. Even when the words themselves are covering well-trodden hip-hop topics, the way he says them is never the same. On Slime Language Young Thug offers up nearly one hour of outsider hip-hop from someone who’s spent years rising through the ranks yet still remembers who he is. From taunting the greats, and rocking dresses to performing the bare minimum required to qualify as enunciation, Young Thug seems to have cemented himself as something that’s sorely needed in hip-hop today: an unknown. And this isn’t a role that comes easily Thug has spent the last few years cultivating his absurdist image while simultaneously upending all of hip-hop’s traditions in the process. Unpredictable, animated, and reveling in his audience’s utter confusion. A solid, but lopsided album with scattered glimpses of greatness. Even though Astroworld is a bit of a mixed bag, the loaded front half is so undeniable it ends up elevating the entire thing above some of his more recent offerings. While “ COFFEE BEAN” is a compelling album closer, this ending stretch of songs only highlights the fact that Travis Scott probably couldn’t hold an entire album on his own. The album’s back half of barely-conceived hip-hop is punctuated by the album’s final three songs which all feature Travis Scott solo. From “ NC-17” onward it’s essentially a plummet straight down into dregs of meandering trap. While this is all impressive, by the end of the record it becomes clear how much Astroworld has been propped up by features. Similarly, “ STOP TRYING TO BE GOD” packs Kid Cudi, James Blake, and Stevie Wonder into one of this year’s most heavenly and star-studded five and a half minutes. It’s a fantastic introduction that leads to the crowd-pleasing “ CAROUSEL” where a surprise Frank Ocean feature leads to an unexpected Drake introduction. Opening track “ STARGAZING” is an excellent mood-setter featuring tight bars, a cascading instrumental, and multiple beat switches. Now one year after airing those concerns we have our hands on Trav’s newest project, and it’s… better.Īstroworld is far from perfect, but it at least signals that Travis Scott is taking a bit of a more holistic approach to his music again. In fact, I’m such a fan of Travis Scott, last year I wrote nearly 7,000 words lamenting the fact that both he and Drake were so successful they didn’t have to try anymore. While these are harsh words, they’re only because I know Travis has it in him to make another classic. After the half-effort Birds In The Trap Sing Mcknight, and the aggressively-middling Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho it seemed as if Travis Scott was on an irreversible downward trend. While it’s clear that Travis Scott will never again attain the bombastic attention-seeking highs of his early days or the conceptual glitz of his creative peak, Astroworld at least restores hope that he can get close.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |