Review Summary: a debut album with just as much/more potential than the artists it pulls from
During 2015, in the halls of Blaine High School, I'd once in awhile hear about this one guy that talks about Kendrick and J. Cole a lot. I'd see him every once in a while, didn't know his name, just knew he wore a bucket hat a lot. That's about where all my prior info of Michael Jide ends.
Fast forward to January 7th of this year, and I hear he made an album. See, my first instinct was a hefty laugh, because our school has a hell of a history of just, well, the most unbearable soundcloud rappers. Then I come to find out the album is Entitled “Diary of a S.I.M.P.Y. Kid”, and at this point I'm on the floor laughing. As my friend got ready to play it for the first time, in tears, I prepared myself for some poorly produced beat, talkin’ about nothing, incoherent garbage, and even more nothing. Then I actually heard it and shut my mouth.
Upon hearing “Constipated”, I was floored, if for nothing else, for the fact that there was some sort of substance to it. The beat seemed instantly familiar, in fact I'm sure I've heard it before. Regardless, it instantly set a light jest for the rest of the album, showcasing that despite being somewhat of a serious project, it’s an album that doesn't take itself too seriously. Lyrics that resemble a Lil Wayne *** pun, talking about how girls are constipated cause he ain't ***, somehow become bearable, due completely to how light and fun the beat and delivery are.
Off top, the biggest complaint I could see a hip hop head having as that the influences here are nothing more than transparent. Usually this is something that would bug me as well, but I'd be damned if someone tried to tell me Jide can't rap with a J. Cole or a Chance (both rappers whose influences shine a plenty on this). There's never a point on this where Jide seems to fall behind a beat, or like he doesn't know how to ride said beat with anything less than an above average flow (use rap keywords in rap review; check).
The biggest positive of the influence, despite how blatant it may be (I mean come on, song called Alpha Negro. GUESS who this man listens to on the regular.), is that he gets to explore a plethora of lyrical themes. “Alpha Negro” talks about the oh-so-regular race relations topic, accompanied by a hell of a hook might I add. “Divine Intervention” discusses religion, and of course, trappin. Along with those, a MAJOR lyrical highlight comes in the form of “Modern Day Savage”, which with paired with the interlude “You THOT!”, takes a tad of an introspective turn, talking about what it really means to be a savage, and how he could call himself such a thing while still catching feelings over females.
Production-wise, this is solid as it comes. 808’s, boom-baps, the whole gamut is showcased here. Wonderful, soulful instrumentation showcased on songs like Otherside Pt. 2 and Alpha Negro, a trap banger in Divine Intervention, Chance influenced key-based tracks like “Intro” and “The Blues”. To top it all off though, on the song “D.U.I”, Jide/his producer samples what I believe to be the opener on the Macintosh Plus album Floral Shoppe, and turns it into a delightful boom nap hybrid beat.
One of the only complaints I could have about this record is that the singing could use some polishing. “The Otherside Pt. 1” showcases arguably the worst singing performance, with Jide singing a scarily familiar hook over a piano track with an almost unredeemable lack of pitch control. The other complaint I have, which also applies to the same track, is some shaky mixing here and there. Occasionally the vocals seem to fall into the background. The album isn't littered with mistakes like these, but enough to where it could be considered important to mention.
Aside from a few flaws, this is a startlingly good debut. In an era where mediocre soundcloud rappers pollute the musical waters on the internet, albums like this are major sighs of relief. Jide proves that he is, at such a young age, almost at the level of any rapper out in the mainstream. Once this man finds more of a sound of his own, it's game over from there.
Recommended Tracks:
Alpha Negro
D.U.I.
Constipated
4.1/5
