So… This is different than what you might expect from me… Backstory: I was updating playlists and got to my hype songs. I thought, “Hmm… I listened to a lot of trap music according to these hype playlists, but I’ve never thought about reviewing them.” There is a reason for that. See, trap music is a little… hard to review. Let me explain.
In the Trap House: Backstory
Rap is encompassing of so many different styles, and plenty of subgenres. We have cloud rap or chill-hop, we have conscious hip-hop, and we have what we are discussing today, trap music. Trap music is the aggressive cousin to rap, where it is all about flexing, selling dope (or trappin’, hence the genre’s name), and potentially killing people; all over some great production. The most important part about trap music is production, so regular lyric breakdowns fall to the wayside. And… I think that’s perfectly fine! Here’s the thing: there is a time and place for everything. I’m not going to Crank Dat Soulja Boy when I’m studying, but I’m also not about to listen to “u” from Kendrick off of my favorite album when I want to turn up. That is an Unpopular Opinion that needs to be written, but with all that said, let’s talk about how I will be reviewing this project.
So… How You Reviewin’ This?
Like I said, lyrics don’t matter as much in this. I reviewed this album differently. For some insight, I typically will throw an album on once to get a first impression of it. I might be in the car, I might be chillin at the crib, but I’ll let myself hear the sounds, and hear how it comes off initially. Then, I get into my actual listening stage, where I break down the lyrics of each track and write notes on them. With DS2, that wasn’t needed. Lyrics aren’t as important as the beat, so I did this: I listened to it with my headphones/in my car, and then I listened to it on my speaker, for that atmospheric “house party” effect. Now that the preamble is out of the way, let’s discuss the man himself: Future.
Of all the people in trap music, Future is a legendary artist. Seriously, look at his catalogue, and you’ll be astonished at how many hits the man has! He also has some of the most toxic lyrics of all time (“If she catch me cheatin’, I will never tell her sorry” is definitely a gem). Regardless, DS2 (standing for Dirty Sprite 2) has been considered the magnum opus of Future. Let’s talk about it!
Music
Let’s address the elephant in the room: lyrically, this album is subpar at best… from a pure lyricism perspective. However, we’re looking at something separate from lyricism. With a trap album, we’re looking at production and catchiness. Starting with “Thought It Was A Drought”, the production has this ominous feeling, which would fit for a pregame song. However, what sticks out is some of the lyrics, which is where the catchiness comes in. “I just f*cked your b*tch in some Gucci flip-flops” is quotable as hell, and you’ve probably heard that phrase before, which shows its staying power.
The production is pretty consistent, but it also is sporadic enough to keep you surprised. The majority of the project has very dark production; there’s synths, piano keys, and BASS. The first thing that I made sure to check out on the project was the bass of it, because if I were at a party (pre-Rona, of course; stay home, y’all!) I’d want to hear some BOOMIN’ bass. This is where the album truly shines, and my favorite produced song would probably have to be “Colossal”. That piano is a lil too smooth for me not to love it! “Where Ya At” is so much fun, starting the Drake/Future pair that gave us WATTBA, we have“Stick Talk” that gives us another quotable line, as well as more toxicity, “F*ck Up Some Commas” has a beat that makes you want to make some money, and then you have my favorite song, “Freak Hoe”. Y’all… This song right here has the production, the quotable lyrics, and the party atmosphere. What’s not to love??
Therapy
Now, this is a section I didn’t think I would need to make… but we have one song where it applies. That song would be “Kno the Meaning”, where Future discusses all his influences, as well as how one of his boys got locked up, WITH his flash drive that contained all his music. I didn’t think I’d want to hear something like this from Future, but it actually works better than you might think! It isn’t something that you necessarily want to hear from Future (he’s the trap guy, we want to get TURNT), but he pulls it off pretty well! I can’t say the same for “Rich $ex”. This is one of those songs that is supposed to show how romantic our friend is, even after talking about his “freak hoes”, and how he’s “f*ckin his groupies”… From that fact, it doesn’t work, but it just comes off as disingenuous and doesn’t make sense… Like, what in the hell is rich sex? Is there middle-class sex? Is there poor sex, from a monetary standpoint? Do you owe taxes for the rich sex? I’m going down a rabbit hole that’s only leading me to think this is about prostitution, and it isn’t at all.
Overall and Rating
At the end of the day, this is a trap CLASSIC. We have all heard “F*ck Up Some Commas”. We’ve all asked “Where Ya Ass Was At?”, we’ve all gotten lit to “Stick Talk”. This album is not the strongest lyrically, but it never was supposed to be! It is all about the production, and the quotable lyrics you can take away from them. Production is a 5/5, every song has excellent production, and as far as quotable lyrics? “I’m bout to f*ck this cash up on a new toy!” “I just f*cked your b*tch in some Gucci flip-flops”, “Bounce that ass, make your knees touch your elbows”, and “Hundred thousand to a hundred thousand!” This was just off the top of my head! Overall, save two songs, this is a perfect trap project
Rating: 5/5
Favorite Songs: Freak Hoes, Thought It Was A Drought, Where Ya At
MT Out!!!
Photo Creds: Epic Records
