Future & Metro Boomin : "We Still Don't Trust You"

If I am going to check out a new hip-hop album, the latest by Nayvidious seems the way to go. There is a synth wave vibe to the opening track that features a really dialed-in performance by the Weeknd, which was a bit of a disappointment, but the overall mood of the song wins me over."Drink n Dance" is the typical Future take on trap-lite with a poppy cadence to his auto-tuned vocals. Things are not as catchy on "Out of My Hands". A song like "Jealous" is interesting, given the rapper's turn to sobriety in 2019. He is no longer self-medicating these problems, though there is still lyrics about drug dealing on this album. He kept his sobriety quiet as he thought his fans would think it changed his music. They might not be wrong. "This Sunday" finds his delivery more rapped. 

"Luv Bad Bitches" features 90s r&b group Brownstone lending their vocals, as Future's sobriety might be called into question as he suggests to his bad bitch that they do X. Musically it works though not the hookiest track he is dropping here. "All to Myself" feels more like old-school r&b. The Weeknd, returns to this track, he does more than he did on the first song, but he is not breaking new ground here.  The beat to this one is a little weak, but the guitar sounds and overall vibe balances things out. They continue down a street not too sonically distant from the r&b vibes on "Nights Like This", though the beat is stronger. While this works, there is the feeling that he needs to start exploring other sonic colors or everything is going to start sounding the same, 

"Came to the Party" needs to hit harder even if he just went to the party to take pictures of his new outfit. "Right 4 You" sounds like he is trying to remember who he is, but this is still done better than the bulk of rappers who came after him.  "Mile High Memories" is an improvement in songwriting, as it feels like he is back tapping into the essence of who he is. Overload" is marginally better lyrically, though musically things are beginning to all run together. Ty Dolla Sign joins him for "Gracious".  This song is one of those moments where it feels like Future is trying to make a Young Thug album. Though this is one of the album's strongest songs. "Beat it " feels more like a spoken word interlude, until the song actually kicks in. "Always Be My Fault" is the third song to feature the Weeknd. It's the best of the three. None of these come close to "Low Life".  The Weeknd, sings through almost as many effects as Future here. The synth wave backing to "One Big Family" is almost as epic. 

Now moving on to the second disc. Though I suspect a double album might have been overextending himself, "Nobody Knows My Struggle" feels like the direction he should have headed in more on the first disc. "All My Life" is another return to a more trap-oriented sound with Lil Baby joining him. "Crossed Out" is a quick burst of beats for the TikTok generation. "Crazy Clientele" is not unlike his earlier work. Lyrically absurd. ASAP Rocky joins him for "Show of Hands". Lyrically it makes you wonder why the public does not go after guys like this to cancel them for their content. I am fine with it, but it is an interesting concept to ponder. 'Streets Made Me King" is not the album's most inspired song and an example of why he might have been better off streamlining this release into one great album rather than including some of this filler. I'll give this one an 8.5, and see how it sits with me. Some great songs, but too much filler as well. 

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Report to the Dance Floor : Bossiie

British rap is head and shoulders over the commercial garbage being put out in America these days. The beats and lyrics of "Hero" or both introspective. The initial impression she creates on the ep's opener is that Bossiie  is not the greatest urban poet if we are going to but here against Lil Kim or the more social metaphors M.I.A uses, but her lyrics get the job done.She is not relying completely on rapping here as she can sing her own hooks. She does create more of a lyrical command on "TIP" which follows.

The  beginning  beat to TIP takes a darker feel along the lines of Death Grips or Dizze Rascal, before taking a trip into the Dirty South. The lyrical flow still retains more in common with M.I.A , than say female booty shakers in the U.S.

Tjovitjo she does take on a very Missy Elliot influence cadence to her voice. I guess you could say Nicki Minaj is an influence on something of the quirky hooks she skips into .But it doesn't fee like she is shaking breast implants in your face to distract you from the music. The sexual element which with the hyper objectified take on females in the hip-hop is not as  prevalent. The image is projects in this regard is almost more along the lines of Die Antwoord's Yolandi Visser. While she has a ghetto background behind her in the video for this song ( see below) she has her face heavily preceded and more of a punk hair cut . giving more edge to her persona despite rapping in a sports bra.

Why are we talking about image, instead of just focusing on the music here? Well it is part and parcel to hip-hop as a whole, unless you are Outkast or Public Enemy you are selling the whole brand you have created for yourself ,as hip hop is one half street poetry one half playing a role. While Bossiie is less in your face with the sexual element than Yolandi, who seethes with the Lolita vibe, she is very much in control of it in a similar fashion. The lyrics "we are on that model diet/ anything we do/ we do so violent" hint towards this fact.She does have a bit of the androgynous sneer that Missy Elliot carries , but being younger and attractive sex can be the elephant in the room that she doesn't dangle before you , but uses her lyrics to dance around.

If you like experimental hip-hop that is not like everything else you hear on the radio, then she is worth checking out as within the span of  the three songs on this EP she covers a lot of ground. I am interested to see which of these three paths she takes, as she is certainly as talented as the Nicki Minaj's with out resorting to the t/a.