Dru Kelly - chum (Album)
Andrew Kelly albums always stand on their own, the sound of each thus far has always differed, he’s fearless when it comes to experimenting with new sounds & styles lyrically. I mean, everybody who knows of him knows full well how insane he always is in terms of rhyming but on the “intro”, we get something different, he’s still rhyming like crazy but his flow is just so nonchalant, he’s almost crooning a bit while simultaneously rapping, it’s just the texture of his vocals here, whereas a lot of his rhymes are just so in your face, these here are much more pleasantly presented but still remains at that elite level.
It’s amusing to say the least hearing him play around with these new sounds, he just sounds so comfortable finding all these new pockets to insert his rhymes into & it’s still him, he’s still being himself cause if you follow the man on Twitter, which you should cause he’s fucking hilarious, he’s always posting some kinky shit, I be looking forward to that shit everyday. Fuze comes through with the auto tuned flow, effortlessly keeping up with Kelly, it’s a beautiful fusion of styles, like both artists jumping into each other’s worlds.
Kelly brings that auto tune to his vocals on “less / more”, where he actually does some crooning on & its impeccable I tell you. I can’t say I’ve heard a love song quite like this, it’s so much detailed description throughout it, when he’s with her, he feels ever so elated, regardless how much she may get under his skin at times & I love the subtle detail of him only saying “less” once, in terms of stress but more of everything else, brilliant! Kelly must be OCD when it comes to the rhymes cause he maintained the same syllable scheme throughout his entire verse here on “kids” & not only that, but it’s a bit of introspection on here, where he details a bit of his troubled past & the anxiety that he feels in fear of slipping back into those ways, though he fights through it for his kids & anything & anyone else he holds dearest. DusséDan & Kool Plae follow suit by tapping into those deep seated fears they hold, it’s a beautiful anthem about standing tall for their children, they have to be strong in the face of adversity for them but let them know at the end of the day, they’re still human & they feel pain & fear just as much as anybody else.
He goes absolutely retarted on “routines”, the producers thus far on this record have been crushing it & Kelly is just floating on these, he’s killing people at their own game, like this sounds like some gangster shit & he’s absolutely popping off shots at the opps, he just don’t give a fuck who he hits, be it an innocent bystander or whoever, anybody can get it, this is just routine for him. I for one appreciate him calling out not only this generation but Big Pharma, they play a big role in the reason why everybody sounds like zombies on records & the powers that be who expect everybody to sound like that cause it’s what they pumping out anyway, there’s no sort of rehabilitative services in this industry, I’ve even heard stories where labels be actually encouraging & even assisting in their drug use so these artists can maintain the image they’ve been promoting, to kids nonetheless, it’s a very “pivotal period” we’re living in but it’s not preachy at all, he’s clearly been affected by it personally & therefore, speaking from that experience.
All the p’s in “pessimism”, Andrew must know how deep an affinity I have for alliteration & ironically enough, just to add more p’s to the mix, he’s prowling over this beat like a panther stalking it’s prey. I love when he rhymes over these extremely distorted beats cause I know he’s about to absolutely flip his lid lyrically & that he does, 704 Prod comes through to math the intensity as well & did he produce this as well, someone tell me cause this beat is bonkers & they some junkyard “pitbulls” on this one, that intensity carrying on to “throat” as well, got me choked up trying to find the words to describe what it is I’m hearing.
Of course, it’s not an Andrew Kelly album without a Nick Enaigbe feature, everytime these two get on a record together, they black the fuck out & it’s crazy cause I just recently reviewed Nick’s latest release & they had a record on there as well, their chemistry is just undeniable. The production on this one might be my favorite, those chimes in the background add to the haunting feels of this record & Kelly sounds number than an out of body experience & can we just acknowledge how much better he sounds than the zombified, who tend to be the ones slurring over these kinds of beats. Overall “chum” is a masterclass of rhyming, that proves that a true MC can rhyme over anything.