Roland Ryan - Las Palmas (Album)

It may have taken him longer than expected but Roland had a lot of life to experience, a lot of adversity to overcome but he came out on the other side with a debut opus that truly exemplifies what he’s all about. You may know him as Banco’s righthand man but Roland proves that he’s more than capable of crafting a timeless record all on his own & one that is not only gorgeous in its sound but introspective in its lyricism throughout. Records like this are more than worthy of a track by track breakdown so let’s journey with Ryan through these reflective numbers produce by Posta Mayne.

“78237”

You know it’s about to be a lot of introspection in the intro when the artist area code is the title of it. Since day one, he’s always been about his family. Not only did they make sure he was always dressed the flyest, I mean how many elementary school kids was rocking Nautica but they also played an integral role in his musical upbringing, particularly his uncle for putting him onto a few West Coast legends that influenced the sound of his you’re hearing today. As beautiful as it is for him to see his family celebrate his newfound success alongside him, the fruits of his, as well as their labor, taste even more sweeter as he ponders the struggles his loved ones had to endure just to get to this juncture in their lives. It’s important to him that he never forgets where he came from, that he never allows his success to blind him from what truly matters at the end of the day, la familia.

“NIGHTRIDER$”

As he stated during the Baby Aztro “False Idle” release party, if you were there that is, the real Roland comes out at night. Not to say that he doesn’t get his hustle on during the day but once the sun starts setting, it’s time for him to wind down & hit that cruise control. The lambent glows of the city lights at this point in his life feel like he’s getting closer to God the more he allows these beacons to swallow him whole. The duality of life he draws is as gorgeous as this sound, sure he’s overindulging in that night life, that fast life that is but he always makes sure to take the time to slow things down & make a toast for those who aren’t able to be here with him to celebrate. It just goes to show that, sure, all the glitz & glamour is cool but it’s not all that matters to him but rather than wallow in his own sadness, he’s gonna live it up, as he’s certain that’s what his Pops & Ace would want him to do.

“LATE NIGHT$”

He ponders those late nights, with his nose to the grindstone, before the gold teeth & the bravado you see today. It took a lot of hard work for him to make a name for himself. Finding success in this business is no easy feat, it’ll either make or break you & frankly, not a lot of people, especially young cats like him are able to sustain it, let alone willing to put in the necessary leg work. Thankfully, he’s a product of his environment, packed with knowledge & wisdom from his loved ones that has surely set him apart from most. Records like this showcase how wise beyond his years he is. You can feel now eager he is to bring it all back home, for his people to bask in as well. Not to mention the elite level he’s rhyming at, conversationally so. His flow is just that.

“SUNDAY NIGHT”

Nothing like a good sample & not many people can sound this smooth rhyming over a loop like this. He’s a little too player to be willing to put up with someone trying to continuously drag their baggage into his circumference. I wouldn’t even say it’s dissing, more so just him setting a boundary like, okay, you chose to leave so don’t come back knocking, expecting these walls to come down once you see him doing good for himself. Don’t be jealous that you ain’t none of these models eating healthy with him, getting treated by only the finest nail techs. You simply can’t be mad at someone doing their own thing, after all, when you left, you gave him no choice but to continue doing what he’s always done. He may be at a much better point in his life & career but although he’s enjoying it all, he’s not at all complacent & knows he still has more to do & not to just rub it in the faces of his detractors, they the ones upsetting themselves by sneering at him from the outside looking in rather than going out & attaining what he isn’t even preventing them achieving.

“BLEU DE CHANEL” featuring Mason Duran

You smell the fragrance permeating the air when these two walk in this bitch. How can anyone still be claiming that “Hip Hop is Dead” when their scent is overpowering the supposed stench of death? If anything, these two are breathing life back into this game. The amount of cultural references in Roland’s verse is ridiculous, from Jodeci to Biggie to Too $hort, not to mention the schemes & syllable play littered throughout, it’s no wonder Mason snaps as well after feeding off his energy. The rhythmic flows throughout this cut are superb as they subtly cut through this subdued production.

“THOUGHTS AT 4AM”

As previously mentioned, Roland is a night owl so, makes sense that some of his best bars would hit him at this late hour. You can’t even call it real talk, he just talks & it’s just real. If you referencing Jigga & Killa Cam off rip then you already as goated as they are. Not many people are willing to pay that homage to those who came before them. He even mentions Motown, just in case you forgot how much of an old soul he is. He’s been rapping his off the entirety of these records thus far but it’s nice to get a lone cut with him just simply going, proving that even his chicken scratch is capable of carving the surface.

“PLAYER$ BALL” featuring KP THA PROFIT

Again with the homage, who doesn’t love Outkast? This is that southernplayalistic sound & their nonchalance throughout will have the ladies swooning. Their smooth flows throughout chop & screw this record effortlessly. He & KP just simply talking that shit. They don’t require all that extra shit to showcase their elegance, they just simply have to be present & their essence is more than felt. Elite level lyricism as such is an acquired taste, like ambrosia. These two may be some of the flyest players in this game but don’t think for a second they came to play games, they’re all about their business.

“CHINA WHITE”

So we taking all the way back to 1988 Jigga huh? Not a lot of people are familiar but fret not, Roland got you covered. He’s infatuated with that fast life, counting up that easy money & more importantly, maintaining it by filtering it through his legitimate hustles. Even the sound of this record, you can envision him packaging up this dope of his & shipping it out to communities who are more than eager to get a whiff of this “CHINA WHITE” flow of his. These samples as well, not many can do them justice as much as he has.

“PALM TREE$” featuring Banco

It’s beautiful to see this single make the cut. A lot of people’s introduction to Roland was this Banco assisted gem. They got this West Coast sound down to a T, the flows just breezing ever so elegantly through those palm trees, causing the leaves to whistle as much as those birds are chirping. At this point, it’s safe to say Biggie may be his favorite artist, being that he’s the influence most mentioned throughout this album, also showing that he’s not just influenced by those from the Westside, he draws inspiration from many sources. He & Banco just sound so good together, they basically twins, both got that conversational flow, as well as swagger. It’s beautiful to see how much both brothers have grown since this record’s original release, I mean, Banco still had the Ray at the end of his name!

“BLEU”

Closing things with more of that “BLEU”, Roland sets himself apart from the supposed competition, he doesn’t even have many people he considers his peers so truthfully he’s only competing with himself. He’s never been one to fake the funk just for an ounce of clout, he knows all too well, he’s where he is today off the pure strength of his authenticity & vows to only continue showing out & living life to the fullest. That refrain as the night winds down, the flows smoother than what’s pouring out that BLEU bottle, Roland manages to craft a masterpiece of his life over the last few years but is aware that he still has more work to do. A masterfully concise debut effort from one of the smoothest spitters the game has ever been blessed with.