As another week rolls on by, it brings with it another edition of new music Friday! This morning didn't feature too many interest-piquing releases hip-hop wise. The new Game of Thrones soundtrack, 'For the Throne', featuring The Weeknd, A$AP Rocky and the late Lil Peep was one of the most notable, but isn't the one we'll be looking at today.
In this edition, I'll be listening to, and reviewing 'CrasH Talk' by ScHoolboy Q. 'CrasH Talk' is the long-awaited fifth studio album from the California-based artist, and was preluded by singles 'Numb Numb Juice', 'CHopstix' with Travis Scott, and promotional single 'CrasH'. Admittedly, I've never listened to ScHoolboy Q so I'm going into this with a blank canvas, and I've no idea what to expect. The album itself has been kept fairly quiet in general though, with I'm sure many critics and fans alike unsure of what to expect from Q this time around too. Without further ado then, let's get into 'CrasH Talk'.
Gang Gang - An interesting start to the album for sure. A catchy hook, "Whip clean, dope boy", repeats throughout the song, that a lot of listeners will likely find themselves whispering along to. Q's style of rapping sounds very stereotypically Californian-style, similar to G Perico or the late Nipsey Hussle, but it works very well on this beat. I'm not sure if I'd choose this as an intro song in all honesty, and my immediate impression is that aside from a few plays now and again, I wouldn't keep coming back to this tune. The transition from this beat, ending with a gunshot, into the few starting notes of the next song is incredible though, I'll give him that. All things considered, a solid song, 7/10.
Tales - Very 'Tyler the Creator-like'. Production from Jake One, G Koop and DJ Dahi results in a lazy, relaxing but cheery instrumental coupled with lyrics that are actually fairly sad and moving, culminating as a very-well mixed contrast and a good song. There's a definite air of sadness hidden behind the drumrolls and the 'ha-ha-ha's' mixed between the verses, leaving you wondering if this record is Q's quiet dedication to lost friends Mac Miller and Nipsey Hussle. A great change of pace and a strong song to set the listeners up for the rest of the album. 8/10.
CHopstix (feat. Travis Scott) - The big feature from Travis Scott. It's a bit underwhelming if I'm honest. I was already sick of Travis repeating the word 'chopsticks' by the second repetition of his chorus. Lacks a lot of energy that we all know Travis can bring to a song. Even Q himself seemed a bit slow and uninterested compared to the first two tracks. Perhaps this was released purely with the intention of being the money-maker out of all the tunes on this album. Lyrically it's fairly forgettable, but the instrumental was a bit of a saving grace - the bouncy, cheery beat with the repeating piano keys is great. Overall, 5/10.
Numb Numb Juice - This is a great song. Already starting aggressive, the instrumental comes in about five seconds later. Dark and gritty, Q comes across fantastically on this track. Switching his styles and flows several times throughout the song, Q flexes his metaphorical rap muscle to its limit here. The production is immense as well, simple but effective. A shame it's only 1 minute 47 seconds, but all good things come to an end unfortunately. Again, the transition at the end into the next track is fantastic as well. Definitely a song I can see myself coming back to in the future. 9/10.
Drunk (feat. 6LACK) - Starting off with record scratches and a somber piano, you already get a great first impression. The beat is slow, woozy and almost 'old-timey'. 6LACK's R&B style compliments Q excellently here. Q himself is equally as impressive on this song, his first verse in particular really grabbing my attention, lyrics referencing his late grandmother and murdered cousin convey the true sadness that Q hides on his other tracks. The chorus too is catchy and works well in breaking up the track, with the line "I ain't really drunk, I ain't really drunk" being another that'll get stuck in your head. 8/10.
Lies (feat. Ty Dolla $ign and YG) - A totally different track to the previous one. Sounds more like chart music, or something that you'd hear on repeat in the summer. Ty Dolla $ign provides the melodic vocals throughout the chorus, singing happily amongst Q and YG's rapping. It's a lighthearted song and even YG, who I usually imagine to have a fairly stoney-faced personality, manages to sound upbeat. However, due to these two points I feel like I didn't notice Q that much on this track, and I think he could have done with a bit more showtime, or a longer verse, or something, to really harness his abilities. 6.5/10.
5200 - The song that a lot of people seem to be talking about. I can certainly see why, What a strange but wonderful tune. The instrumental is wacky, and all over the place and the style that Q goes for here is unorthodox but wow it works. Reminds me of something from the 'Black Panther Soundtrack', and that's only furthered by the Kendrick Lamar vocals you can hear in the chorus. It does seem a bit out of place compared to the rest of the album so far, but in this case I think it can be forgiven. 8/10.
Black Folk - It's alright. Style-wise, it's like a poor man's version of the earlier track 'Tales'. The lyrics and Q's approach to them are still engaging and I feel the track would thrive, but it isn't given the chance to as it's interrupted time and again by the frankly quite boring chorus. Not much else to say here really - not one that I'll go out of my way to listen to. 5/10.
Floating (feat. 21 Savage) - An exciting collaboration here. I wouldn't normally associate 21 Savage with ScHoolboy Q, but it seems to work! Q changes his style quite drastically from previous tracks, although I certainly couldn't pinpoint someone else to compare this kind of style to - but it's certainly dark and uncertain. 21 Savage typically delivering a strong feature, and both his and Q's verses are complimented by a thus-far uncharacteristic deep and distorted bass. It's by no means the best on the album but it's a solid track all the same. 7/10
Dangerous (feat. Kid Cudi) - Even from the first few notes you immediately get the impression that this is a Kid Cudi song. Kid Cudi himself introduces us to this song with his wavy, melodic tones, before the beat stops and gets even stranger and more dreamlike. For this tricky style of song and instrumental to work, it feels as though ScHoolboy Q is the newbie and Kid Cudi is the higher power overseeing the whole track. Q's verse is strong and he delivers it confidently despite all the commotion amongst the instrumental. I can see why this song could be popular, but personally its just not my style - a bit too messy - so 5.5/10.
Die Wit Em - Back to the aggressive style we've seen a couple times already on this album. Q also utilises the same style of distorted, heavy bass from 'Floating', and it works in this track's favour too. Confident and in-your-face, Q delivers brash and dirty lyrics that are different to some of those we've heard on other songs - not so much apparent sadness hidden between the lines here. Transitions into the next song beautifully once again too. 6.5/10.
CrasH - Much more like the style that I had assumed Q would be like. Great instrumental and a catchy hook and chorus, much like several other tracks on this album. Intriguing lyrics that flow fantastically, but Q seems to convey them in an almost sad and hopeless style. Not that this doesn't work but Q seems to come to life a bit in the second half, which I think is necessary in this song's case, just to compliment the storytelling, and the meaning behind these lyrics. One of the better ones on the album. 7.5/10
Water (feat. Lil Baby) - I'm not a big fan of Lil Baby so wasn't expecting a great impression on this track. However, the style in this song is different to that of what we're used to hearing Baby feature on. There's string instruments, layered over another distorted bass line - an odd mix but it works production-wise in this case, although the strings make me think of a PS2 game's main menu or loading screen for some reason. Q doesn't offer too much on this track unfortunately and I'm not sure this sort of style works for him. Sounds too much like something from Migos or another mainstream trap artist - especially with Baby's vocals who, as I expected, failed to impress me once again. 5/10.
Attention - What an unusual final song for the album. The back track is very simple with no fancy or unnecessary additions - great work from producers Nez and Rio. Proper old school rapping and rhyming from Q is great and it feels like a freestyle. Lyrically, there's a lot of references from Q, about a lot of different aspects of his life - from his relationships with Nas and Dr. Dre, to the lifestyle he's now living, to some of the hardships he's faced. A lot of topics, but they're all covered fantastically by Q's ability here. A solid song but my only criticism would be that it doesn't feel like a conclusion, and I feel like I'm left with no closure to the album. Nevertheless, 8/10.
In conclusion, 'CrasH Talk' is a good project. Like I said, I'd never really listened to ScHoolboy Q, or paid attention to his work prior to this review, but I feel like this album is a great way to introduce yourself to him, thanks to the various styles and diversity that Q showcases throughout. At 32 years old, Q is not a newcomer to the rap game and certainly can't be bunched in with the loud, unfinished up-and-comers of the SoundCloud generation. That being said though, I think it's great to see him not only collaborate with names like 21 Savage and Lil Baby that you perhaps wouldn't associate him with, but also to see hime embrace and utilise the type of instrumentals and the heavy, distorted bass that this aforementioned generation have become notorious for - whilst still offering classic rap, and melodic, easy-going tunes throughout the remainder of the album.
Overall then, I'm going to give 'CrasH Talk' a 7.5/10. I did enjoy it for the most part, but I can't lie and say that I'll be listening to it on repeat because I won't. There's a couple of tracks, namely 'Tales', 'Numb Numb Juice' and 'Drunk' that I'll probably revisit but apart from that, it's just not really my cup of tea. I appreciate Q testing out all these different styles but that's not to say that all of them necessarily work in his favour. I think, if he stuck to a couple of stand-out styles, like that of 'Tales' and perhaps even 'Attention', he would have thrived with this incredible storytelling ability he has, and been able to release the emotion that I feel he is trying to convey, however discreetly, throughout this project.
'CrasH Talk' by ScHoolboy Q is available now on all major streaming platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube.
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