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G-Eazy - The Beautiful & Damned (RCA Records)
Released: December 15th, 2017
Bay area native and underground-turned-pop rapper G-Eazy is back with his fourth album and third major label release, The Beautiful & Damned.
More known for his looks than his music, G-Eazy has never been a rapper who delivered a solid full-length project. He does have a handful of hits here and there, but he has an inability to produce a record that lasts from start to finish.
That inability doesn't help his latest album. G-Eazy's TB&D is a 20 song, hour and fifteen minute project about the corny struggles of a successful and popular rapper.
A haunting and looping sample dominates the title-track. G-Eazy attacks the verses while receiving support from Zoe Nash on the chorus. This album opener is dark and gloomy but aggressive and concise; G-Eazy lays out the theme for the following 19 songs.
The pop-radio standout "Him & I (feat. Halsey)" is a four and half minute track about the highs and lows of love. This song holds the same power as "Me, Myself and I (feat. Bebe Rexha)" from his last album; very simple songwriting with an attempt at that "female-catchy-chorus" concept/idea. Definitely not one of my favorites from the album, but I understand the pop-appeal. On this single, a very moody and dark instrumental melds with some of the corniest lyrics of 2017.
The other singles from TB&D include "No Limit (feat. A$AP Rocky & Cardi B)" and "Sober (feat. Charlie Puth)".
Produced by Boi-1da, "No Limit" is a hard hitting track. The kicks are punchy while the hi-hats rattle from beginning to end. Again, a dark and aggressive instrumental shines on one of the album's highlights. G-Eazy discusses how there is no limit to what he can do; financially, with women, popularity, etc.
'Ayy, yeah, fuck with G and get some money'
A$AP Rocky and Cardi B add a nice touch to TB&D's lead single.
Not too much to say about "Sober". Singing/rapping basic lyrics about the struggles with alcohol, Charlie Puth assists G-Eazy on one of the most expected and unsurprising rap songs of the past year.
Some of my personal favorites from TB&D include "Pray For Me", "Legend", and "The Plan".
The second track on the album, "Pray For Me", is a simple and straightforward cut. No deep concept or theme, just one of the better songs from a list of not-so-good tracks. The beat is low-key and fits along side G-Eazy's flow neatly.
"The Plan" is a straight rip of XXXTENTACION's "Look at Me" flow, but I personally feel like the beat is too good to ignore. Very thick bass hits and a clicky snare complement G-Eazy's bars.
Outside of these main tracks, TB&D was a huge miss. Throughout the album, G-Eazy rarely alters his flow style or pattern. He constantly sings in a 1-2, 3-4 pattern...
"Him & I"
'Swear we drive each other, mad, she be so stubborn
But, what the fuck is love with no pain, no suffer'
Touching on his F. Scott Fitzgerald inspired theme, G-Eazy relates the stories from a great author to the issues and struggles of LA life. This story idea leads him to creating some of the most banal lyrics of the past year. Also, the feature setlist is heavy and contains notables, specifically ones that aren't inexpensive; in the end, he put down a lot of money for an 'okay' project.
I do believe the production and beats were solid on almost every track. Even though G-Eazy may not deliver lyrically or stylistically, his instrumentals and production will always be one of the best in the modern rap-game.
Even if it was compressed to ten songs, G-Eazy's TB&D is a musical mess. Only containing a handful of solid tunes, TB&D falls well short of its hip-hop contemporaries. Listen below...
Listen: G-Eazy - No Limit (feat. A$AP Rocky & Cardi B)
Genre: Rap/Hip-Hop/Pop-Rap/Trap-Rap/West-Coast
Rating: 3/10
Fav Songs: No Limit, Pray For Me, The Plan, Legend, That's A Lot
More known for his looks than his music, G-Eazy has never been a rapper who delivered a solid full-length project. He does have a handful of hits here and there, but he has an inability to produce a record that lasts from start to finish.
That inability doesn't help his latest album. G-Eazy's TB&D is a 20 song, hour and fifteen minute project about the corny struggles of a successful and popular rapper.
A haunting and looping sample dominates the title-track. G-Eazy attacks the verses while receiving support from Zoe Nash on the chorus. This album opener is dark and gloomy but aggressive and concise; G-Eazy lays out the theme for the following 19 songs.
The pop-radio standout "Him & I (feat. Halsey)" is a four and half minute track about the highs and lows of love. This song holds the same power as "Me, Myself and I (feat. Bebe Rexha)" from his last album; very simple songwriting with an attempt at that "female-catchy-chorus" concept/idea. Definitely not one of my favorites from the album, but I understand the pop-appeal. On this single, a very moody and dark instrumental melds with some of the corniest lyrics of 2017.
The other singles from TB&D include "No Limit (feat. A$AP Rocky & Cardi B)" and "Sober (feat. Charlie Puth)".
Produced by Boi-1da, "No Limit" is a hard hitting track. The kicks are punchy while the hi-hats rattle from beginning to end. Again, a dark and aggressive instrumental shines on one of the album's highlights. G-Eazy discusses how there is no limit to what he can do; financially, with women, popularity, etc.
'Ayy, yeah, fuck with G and get some money'
A$AP Rocky and Cardi B add a nice touch to TB&D's lead single.
Not too much to say about "Sober". Singing/rapping basic lyrics about the struggles with alcohol, Charlie Puth assists G-Eazy on one of the most expected and unsurprising rap songs of the past year.
Some of my personal favorites from TB&D include "Pray For Me", "Legend", and "The Plan".
The second track on the album, "Pray For Me", is a simple and straightforward cut. No deep concept or theme, just one of the better songs from a list of not-so-good tracks. The beat is low-key and fits along side G-Eazy's flow neatly.
"The Plan" is a straight rip of XXXTENTACION's "Look at Me" flow, but I personally feel like the beat is too good to ignore. Very thick bass hits and a clicky snare complement G-Eazy's bars.
Outside of these main tracks, TB&D was a huge miss. Throughout the album, G-Eazy rarely alters his flow style or pattern. He constantly sings in a 1-2, 3-4 pattern...
"Him & I"
'Swear we drive each other, mad, she be so stubborn
But, what the fuck is love with no pain, no suffer'
Touching on his F. Scott Fitzgerald inspired theme, G-Eazy relates the stories from a great author to the issues and struggles of LA life. This story idea leads him to creating some of the most banal lyrics of the past year. Also, the feature setlist is heavy and contains notables, specifically ones that aren't inexpensive; in the end, he put down a lot of money for an 'okay' project.
I do believe the production and beats were solid on almost every track. Even though G-Eazy may not deliver lyrically or stylistically, his instrumentals and production will always be one of the best in the modern rap-game.
Even if it was compressed to ten songs, G-Eazy's TB&D is a musical mess. Only containing a handful of solid tunes, TB&D falls well short of its hip-hop contemporaries. Listen below...
Listen: G-Eazy - No Limit (feat. A$AP Rocky & Cardi B)
Genre: Rap/Hip-Hop/Pop-Rap/Trap-Rap/West-Coast
Rating: 3/10
Fav Songs: No Limit, Pray For Me, The Plan, Legend, That's A Lot
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