Print Edition: October 22, 2014
AK The Underachiever
Blessings in the Gray
Blessings sees AK embrace a staccato, yet relaxed, cadence throughout the mixtape. Loaded with production that sounds like a cocktail party set in the clouds, the entire mixtape does a great job of highlighting AK’s best features: his precise rhyme schemes, tight cadence, and his ability to paint complex scenes and situations effortlessly. As opposed to his Underachievers counterpart, AK spits verses that are very controlled, yet still retain a very intense quality. He takes the energy of an explosion and focuses it into a single spray of rhymes that propel themselves forward with precision and speed. AK ties together multiple, expertly crafted verses into coherent narratives time and time again on Blessings, and does so with the air of someone who is not just comfortable, but at home when performing increasingly intricate verses.
Ab-Soul
These Days…
Ab-Soul’s These Days… delivers a varied plate of tracks that all highlight the rapper’s skills. “Tree of Life” is a more straightforward track than what Ab-Soul usually delivers, which is good: it anchors the record with boom-bap production and great rhymes on Ab-Soul’s part. “Tree of Life” also features a sample of Joey Bada$$’s “World Domination.” “Twact” has more modern production, along with tight rhymes. “Twact” is the track off These Days… you’d most likely hear at a house party. “Sapiosexual” has more staggered production by comparison. However, it’s still a great track sprinkled with some great wordplay. “Stigmata” is a lot more laid-back than the rest of the tracks on the record, featuring a great verse from Action Bronson. “Ride Slow” has Ab-Soul and Danny Brown spitting over dissonant production. Danny Brown’s verse is the highlight of the track, although Ab-Soul more than holds his own, as he does on the entire record.
