Before I get into any reviews I would like to preface this article by saying that since the initial Savage Mode II review, my liking for that album has grown exponentially. There is something about that Metro production that gives the album a horror movie vibe. That is definitely one of my favorite albums of the year as I will be returning to it constantly. As far as other music that has been released, there was a new Ty Dolla $ign album called Featuring Ty Dolla $ign, funny enough. I was able to give it a listen over the weekend and really enjoyed it, which is surprising given his past albums, but I will not elaborate on that album in this week’s review. There was also a new Ariana Grande single called “Positions” for her upcoming album. I will wait to listen to that song when the entire album is released. The album in this review is REASON’s New Beginnings. He is a more low-key artist for those who are not heavily interested in the hip hop community, so I am hoping to introduce some new music to readers with this edition. I wanted to review Westside Gunn’s album WHO MADE THE SUNSHINE, but felt it would only be appropriate for me to review that album alongside Benny the Butcher’s Burden of Proof, so that review will be coming soon as well. As always, please reach out to my email with any opinions on music I have reviewed or suggestions for what I should listen to in the future at halperi_davi@bentley.edu
REASON is not a rapper I would expect the average music fan to listen to. He may be slightly familiar to people as he is most commonly known for his feature verses in “LamboTruck” and “Still Up” off of Revenge of the Dreamers III, one of the most popular albums from a couple of summers ago. Therefore, people may recognize his voice, but likely not his name as he is one of the least popular members signed to arguably the number one rap label in music, Top Dawg Entertainment. The list of rappers affiliated with this label include Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, SZA and even the upcoming rap superstar Isaiah Rashad. The list is stacked to say the least, and REASON is a solid addition to that list as proven by this most recent album. He utilizes some great artists to make a few nice tracks on New Beginnings. Some features on this album include ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Isaiah Rashad, Vince Staples, Rapsody and JID. This is a fantastic list of artists to work with and REASON does not disappoint. The song with ScHoolboy Q, “Pop Sh*t”, had a music video that played perfectly into the sound of the song. The chorus of this one makes you envision the two rappers slowly driving around their neighborhoods asserting their dominance in gang violence. I think my favorite parts of the song are basketball references made by REASON in his verse. He talked about James Harden by saying he took too many steps, then said he was “balling before the bucks” (making money), and rhymed Antetokounmpo with “too slow”. He really showed off his lyrical abilities along with NBA knowledge in this verse. ScHoolboy Q helped extend the song with a solid verse of his own. Another song on this album that I enjoyed was “Show Stop” which has uncredited ad-libs from Kendrick Lamar. The structure and energy of the song would have benefited so greatly from a guest verse from him (as would any song, really). At first, I did not like this song because it felt like a direct bite from Lamar, just executed in a poorer way of course. But, I have actually grown to like REASON’s flow on this bouncy beat. I guess I can get over the fact that there is no Kenny feature on this. This is definitely one of the more fun songs on this album as REASON flexes about his come-up and his current standing. The most impressive aspect of this song are his flow switches, pure dominance on this track. One of the last tracks on the album was probably my favorite as the vocal sample and bells on this song, “Gossip”, are absolutely beautiful. There is so much substance in this track as well, as REASON talks about his haters talking behind his back. This is an homage to all of the people who were praying for him to fail, but he wraps up the track with an audio clip of him telling his family that he has signed to Top Dawg Entertainment. I think this album has great implications for REASON’s career as a rapper.
Top Tracks: “Gossip”, “Windows Cry” and “SAUCE”
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