From North Carolina comes BIGBABYGUCCI, who is bringing some interesting sounds to the hip hop landscape. The sound on this album feels a bit of a blend between some Travis Scott stylings, specifically his usage of autotune, and hyperpop. None of it is too derivative however, these are just baselines to build off of. On the best tracks on the album, he’s able to create new sonic landscapes. However, these tracks are fairly scarce.
“Robocop” in particular is one of the best on the album. He employs this autotune drenched performance, with unique lyrics compared to Travis Scott’s blunt lyrics. The beat is overblown, with a dirty bass line that bounces around. The synths feel like they’re screaming underneath the bass, trying to escape. Even with all this noise, BIGBABYGUCCI shines right through.
I just grew out the ground
Turned into a rose
Toward the backend of the track list, another highlight sits with “Take Time.” The bright synth that appears shifts throughout the track to create a melancholy feel, pairing with his lyrics about having a woman that loves him, yet he isn’t on the same page yet. He packs together this emotional display in just under two minutes, quickly delivering all his thoughts at a rapid-fire pace. Amongst it all, he squeezes in his flexes of success on others within the track.
Not every track lands though. “Attachment” feels like a limp effort, with a similar concept to “Take Time,” just executed poorly. The track moves at a much slower pace compared to others, killing any momentum that was felt prior. This continues again on “Late Nite Lovers,” lazily these drug induced love ballads.
BIGBABYGUCCI’s talents lie within this fast-paced emotional tracks. Any time he decides to slow it down, it usually feels like a lousy attempt. It doesn’t help that these tracks are also the weakest instrumentals on the album, never being nearly as layered & intricate as the more upbeat tracks. What is here that works though, is some of the best music of the year already.