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Review

Like most people that discovered this album around the time it came out about a month ago, I was blown away by this album. Even now over a month later, I'm still blown away by this album. Few artists come onto the scene as focused, concise, and as profoundly passionate as these guys. You've got John Michel, who is relatively new to the scene, only having come in with a mixtape a few years ago before this album, and Anthony James, who produced this entire album. These two have worked together at certain points, but it's only been now that they've teamed up for a full length album, and boy does it sound like they went all out. It's part of the reason that I'm pretty impressed with this album as a whole. For one, the production is lavish as FUCK. Anthony James used some beautiful soul samples and made some of the most powerful beats I've heard this year. Just about every track has a really punchy beat to it that really gets me going, whether it be the hyped up vocal samples on "PREACHER!", or the gorgeous soul samples on "Confrontation" and "NOBODY", or even some of the more emotionally charged guitar driven tracks like "world's end". Just about every beat here hits to some degree, and even if some are definitely not up to snuff with the best, I think it's still a mark of how amazing the production here is overall. There definitely are improvements to be made, but for a debut album, this is still a really fucking good starting point.

But if there's one defining factor to this album that really changes everything, it's John Michel. Now, John Michel is not a perfect rapper. There are some bars and lines here that I found kinda corny here, and I think he still has a ways to go with songwriting and other things. But his energy, his passion, and the way he puts EVERYTHING into his performances is something truly admirable. Even if you don't love this album, I feel like it's hard to deny the hunger that John Michel is feeling here is driving him to make some fucking bangers. On just about every single song here, you can feel the hunger, the passion, the energy, the emotion, the EVERYTHING in his voice. He sounds hungry, and rightfully so, especially with everything he's talking about on this album. Troubled relationship with parents, alcohol issues, selfishness due to his ego, which he goes over very blatantly on the title track "Egotrip". Either way, regardless of what John is spitting about, he sounds fucking incredible. It goes to show that even if you're not perfect with your rapping, if you have enough passion and energy to your performances, flaws can easily be overlooked by just the feel of the performance. You can feel the energy radiating when John is spitting over these soulful beats, and that's really what makes the magic work.

It's because of all of that, this album, despite its many flaws, is still able to reign supreme as one of the best hip-hop albums this year, possibly even this decade. For sure, there have been better hip-hop albums to come out this year, but for a debut to have so much passion and emotion into it is genuinely special. I think the only tracks that I really didn't fall in love with were the first few, specifically "Going Down" and "TAKE NO MORE". I also think the vocals for the latter are mixed really weirdly, and I just can't get down with it unfortunately. But besides that, just about everything else was really quality. From "ONEWAY" onward, every track stands out pretty goddamn well. I also have to mention that a lot of the features here are really fantastic too. Kid Tokio, colin!, 8ig 8, Kennadi Rose, and Yung Senju all contribute greatly to this album, especially Kennadi Rose, who sounds stunningly beautiful on her respective tracks. They all add a lot to this album and the many great and soulful songs on it.

Now in all honesty, I could talk all day about how great almost every track is, but it mostly boils down to the same stuff. Just know that most every track here is phenomenal to an extent. But if there's one track I really wanna talk about, it's "world's end". Not only is this easily the best song on the album, but it's probably the emotional peak of this album that will most likely not be topped by these guys that I imagine few will ever top. This track feels like a high like no other, from the gorgeous instrumental of drums, guitars, vocals, organs, and MANY other instrumental embellishments building up on this track, to John Michel's passionate performance, to his soul-crushing lyrics about his troubled relationship with his parents that I mentioned earlier, as well as his issue with alcohol. It's as if he's just become drunk one night in an effort to drown his sorrows, but they only become more pronounced than ever, resulting in a fever dream of many emotions to this one powerful moment on the album. It's a high like no other on the album, and it'll remain an underground classic for years to come.

I also want to mention "Sunday Morning, Genesis." while I'm at it, which I think is a pretty underrated moment on the album. I think some people may have been caught off guard by how much smoother and softer this track. But in all honesty, I think it makes sense. It's as if John has just woken up from that drunken high from last night, and he's almost repenting for everything he's done. He's acknowledging his sins and his flaws, and knows what he must do to get himself straight, as well as his family. As a post-hangover track in a sense, I think this track is fucking phenomenal, and I respect it for what it does for the flow of the album at this point. Easily one of my favorites here!!!

But either way, that's all I wanted to say. I think these guys most definitely deserve their flowers for crafting one of the most promising hip-hop albums this decade. Even if it isn't the best by any means, I still think it shows an IMMENSE amount of potential for these guys, both of which clearly have an immense amount of appreciation and love for their craft. They both sound very hungry and very passionate about what they do, and I think that energy is infectious in the best way possible. I really hope these guys succeed in their dreams, and I hope they continue to do what they do best, because they definitely can come through with an all-timer at some point. Either way, despite all of its flaws, this album is stunningly beautiful, and one of the most potential-filled albums this decade has had to offer. Definitely two artists to be on the look out for. No question about it.

S