Welcome to another edition of new music Friday! Releases this morning included an anticipated single from Logic, titled 'Homicide', featuring Eminem, as well as YG's new album '4 Real 4 Real' but neither of these are the focus for today's article.
Instead, today we'll be listening to, and reviewing, PnB Rock's new album, 'TrapStar Turnt PopStar'. The album is an 18-song-long project, and was preluded by four singles - 'I Like Girls' featuring Lil Skies, 'Go To Mars', featuring Tee Grizzley, 'ABCD (Friend Zone)' and 'Nowadays'. For the most part, I'm a fan of PnB rock. I wouldn't say I listen to him on the regular, but I enjoy a lot of his work - despite him perhaps not being a 'rapper' by definition, he's more of a mix of hip-hop and RnB, so this album title really reflects his style. The project is his first official studio album, after his fifth commercial mixtape 'Catch These Vibes' in 2017. The project is billed as a double LP, with the first half of the album being the 'TrapStar' section, and the second half being the 'PopStar', so I'm very much looking forward to the variation in music that should be on show. With that being said, lets get right into 'TrapStar Turnt PopStar'.
Dreamin' - A fun, lighthearted-sounding start to the album. The instrumental is dreamy and bouncy, but it's a fairly standard cloud rap/trap song. PnB's vocals resemble the standard mumbling from mainstream acts like Migos, but the song itself is pretty good. There could be better introductions to an album, but for the vibe that this album is going for, it's a pretty solid song. I think I'd get sick of it eventually, but still a 7/10.
I Need More - A great transition from the previous song, this track reminds me of The Weeknd a lot. A theme that revolves around an ex-girlfriend and a well-lived lifestyle leaves for unfortunately, some pretty shallow lyrical content. Criticism aside, it's a very catchy song and the instrumental packs a bit of bass, and suits the style that PnB goes for. 7/10.
Deez Streetz (feat. Lil Durk) - PnB takes on a bit of a deeper voice in this song and it works in this case. Lil Durk outshines him in this track though in my opinion, with a well-paced delivery that results in a very catchy verse from the 26-year-old Chicago rapper. The chorus, provided by PnB, is also catchy but unfortunately distracts from PnB's actual verse, which isn't that great. 6.5/10 for this one.
Go To Mars (feat. Tee Grizzley) - A very trappy song. PnB's third collaboration with Tee Grizzley, and it's a fairly good one this time around. Their differing styles compliment each other as PnB goes for a spaced-out dreamy delivery whilst Tee Grizzley brings it back to Earth with an aggressive, classic rap style. All of this makes for an enjoyable track. Its biggest downfall is its genericness though - it's not too different from anything else in the mainstream market. 7.5/10.
Penny Proud - A bit different form PnB this time, with a faster-paced delivery, with no room left for breathing in between the verses and the chorus. Unfortunately I don't think PnB's vocals work for this style. It comes across as very panicky, and PnB sounds like he's struggling a bit in this song - as though the instrumental (which is, incidentally, very good) is outrunning him and he's painfully trying to overtake. 6/10
MIDDLE CHILD (feat. XXXTENTACION) - PnB's much anticipated collaboration with the late XXXTENTACION. The track shares a name with J. Cole's very popular track, but this one stands its own. PnB seems to guide X towards a more mainstream style sound here, but I think X suits it very well. Both artists do well in this track - reminiscing on their childhood and their come-up. Due to the fairly mainstream sound, I feel they've sacrificed originality, so it's by no means the best song that each of them has ever released but it's fun and catchy, with good replay value - 8.5/10.
Fuck Up The City (feat. Quavo and Mally Mall) - A Quavo feature seems to be a staple for a lot of albums nowadays. It's quite a packed song, with a lot going on in the instrumental, thanks to production from the renowned Mally Mall. I'm not usually a fan of Quavo, but he makes the chorus very catchy. He lacks somewhat in the verse, but PnB has his back in that department, delivering a strong first verse in the track. Feels like it draws inspiration from Travis Scott with the adlibs, but with Quavo's name on the tin, I won't be surprised if this manages to make its way up the charts. Nevertheless, 7.5/10.
Nowadays - In this song, PnB focuses a lot on his past, and reminiscences on the hard times he had to endure to reach the position he's in today, and it makes for a great tune. Bass kicks in the instrumental when necessary helps punch the lyrics home, and whilst it does feature some more boasting about his new lifestyle, you feel like you can forgive PnB in this instance thanks to how well this song flows. 8/10.
Now Or Never 2.0 - The final song in the 'TrapStar' portion of this album starts off with a murmuring that sounds almost holy - as though someone is reciting a prayer in a very large, very empty cathedral. It soon dawns on you that this seems to make sense though as it evolves into a track that sounds incredibly mournful. PnB conveys his emotion fantastically in this one, and the instrumental is a great one - with the interludes of 'Tell me why did you have to leave so fast' reminding me of an early 00's type of beat. PnB switches up halfway through the song to a harder delivery and you're left to imagine that this is to reflect the switch-over into the 'PopStar' section of the album. Overall, a very good track, one of my favourites from the 'TrapStar' half - 9/10.
Swervin' (feat. Diplo) - From here on out, we should expect a more 'pop' sound to PnB's voice and songs overall. From my experience, Diplo can be very hit-or-miss when it comes to his production, but he does quite well here. The instrumental is pretty calm and consistent, but the lyrics and whining-like style of PnB's voice in this one don't do it for me. Fortunately, what PnB is very good at, despite any flaws in his music, is making his music catchy, which he does again hear. Still, it doesn't necessarily save the song. 6/10.
I Like Girls (feat. Lil Skies) - Right from the start you can tell Lil Skies will be in this song. Skies has a very noticeable style, and he's clearly brought it over and influenced PnB in this track. Still, why change what works well. The hook is fantastic and incredibly catchy. Skies' lyrical content can sometimes be a bit 'same old, same old', and unfortunately he suffers from this again in this track. It's by no means a boring verse, but just feels like Skies could utilise his voice for something a bit more adventurous. Fortunately both PnB and the instrumental are the saving grace otherwise, so it's an 8.5/10.
All These Bands (feat. Tory Lanez) - Not sure what's going on with the backing track here. Too much drum machines layered over a space-like droning that kind of sounds all over the place. PnB switches his voice up again for this one, and doesn't sound like himself, resulting in a pretty average sound. Tory Lanez makes himself known by cutting the instrumental and going into a hard-paced delivery, challenging PnB's ownership of the tune. In this case, I think Tory wins, as his verse is just ultimately better, proving to be the best part of the track. The song also just feels like it finishes too soon, and cuts off PnB in the middle of his chorus. Overall, 5.5/10.
Put You On (feat. A Boogie Wit da Hoodie) - A Boogie is one of the best come out of this new generation of rappers in my opinion, but I'm just not sure he entirely reflects that in this song. His part of the song is alright, but it feels a bit too forced, and although he's trying to be something he's not. A Boogie is not built for RnB and unfortunately, this track proves that. His voice comes across as though he's screeching and this, paired with the short, sharp bass makes for some uncomfortable listening. Thankfully, PnB saves the day thanks to his calming vocals - but that's short and sweet. Too much A Boogie domination in this case. 6/10.
Stage Fright - Immediate impression is that the instrumental is too loud. The hi-hats and drum kicks are overwhelming which is a shame because it drowns out what could be a very catchy, dreamy sound from PnB himself. The song itself sounds like something you'd hear whilst cruising down a highway in the Miami night, and both the instrumental and delivery would be fantastic for that style, but it suffers from just not mixing these two ingredients together well enough. Despite, I still enjoyed this song. There's something about it that just feels relaxed, despite all that's going on in the song. 7/10.
Choosin - Another fairly average sounding song unfortunately. PnB could do a lot more with the backing track here, but he relies on the infamous triplets flow, popularised by Migos - who he manages to sound like in this track, however intentionally that was. The instrumental reminds me of the instrumental from X's 'Moonlight', which in itself was a catchy tune. Overall, quite a lot of lost potential in this one. 6/10.
My Ex - The piano in the background here is refreshing. It's a fair and well-placed switch-up from the rest of the album, after the previous three or four average-sounding songs. It features the 'in my feelings' side of PnB that we saw earlier, in 'Now Or Never 2.0', which he utilises well - maybe he needs to introduce that side of himself a bit more frequently. Slow-paced, but catchy and very much one of those songs that you'd listen to on a rainy day. Only complaint is that it ends too quickly once again - seems to cut PnB off mid sentence. 8.5/10.
ABCD (Friend Zone) - A clever title for the track, if you listen to the lyrics. I'll leave you to take your own interpretation from the song. Anyway, a strong track - another catchy tune, with a good instrumental, which seems to be the running trend for PnB in this album. Unfortunately it lacks a bit in lyrical content - it's one of those songs where you feel like you're kind of just listening without taking anything in. As such, this leaves it at an 8/10.
How It Feels - The final track of the album is an alright one. Not the best but not the worst. I feel like it's a great final song though, and it gives good closure to the overall theme and style of the album. Other than that, it's just one of those standard pop songs that does alright on the charts for a while then disappears into the chronicles of PnB's career afterwards. Thankfully, it's not one of those that feels cut short, and instead it ends excellent with a couple of descending piano keys. 7/10
In conclusion, 'TrapStar Turnt PopStar' is an interesting project. I feel like PnB is trying to show a lot more than he actually does in this album. The whole time you feel like you're waiting for PnB to switch it up a bit, and deliver a truly great track, but unfortunately that giant-killer of a song never comes. There are some great tracks, and I'll for sure be downloading a few of the songs we've reviewed, but it seems as though, as much as he may have wanted to expand a bit more, PnB has just settled for the mainstream trap sound, in the hopes to make it up the charts.
Overall then, I'm going to give 'TrapStar Turnt PopStar' a 7/10. Whilst the project does have a few fantastic songs on it, they're only few and far between, and are unfortunately overshadowed by the dominance of just '7/10' or '6/10' songs. The problem, as a lot of artists similarly suffer from, is that PnB hasn't gone for an album of his best work. He's gone for three or four big songs that he knows are good, in the hopes of scoring high on the charts, and seems to have just left a lot of the rest as generic trap/pop songs that at the end of the day, are just forgettable tunes. All these criticisms aside though, it's hard to deny the one aspect of PnB's genius - the fact that no matter how good the song is overall, his voice, and his delivery seem to almost always make the song catchy, His vocals are fantastic and his style is a recognisable one, but in this instance, I feel like he still has some horizons to broaden.
'TrapStar Turnt PopStar' by PnB Rock is available now on all major streaming platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube.
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