Review Summary: A fresh take on hip-hop mixed with pop and radio-friendly beats.
Jake Miller has really come a long way in the last three years. He was just a college student in the University of Miami before he started posting videos of his raps and gaining local attention and garnering a large social media fanbase. The Florida-based rapper/songwriter has opened for major mainstream artists such as Snoop Dogg and ironically Mac Miller, along with performing aside guys like Flo-Rida, Sean Kingston, and Asher Roth. All of that success resulted in his signing to Warner Bros. Records in November 2013, which sees his first ever release in an EP titled Lion Heart. Consisting of five tracks, two featuring collaborations by artists such as Travie McCoy and Nikki Flores: Jake Miller's debut mainstream EP showcases the swagger and cleverness that the young 21-year old rapper has under his belt.
In this five-track EP, Jake Miller displays to those who have been familiar with his previous material the same man who's continuing to drop meaningful rhymes in his pop-rap music. He's got the charming looks of a pop sensation like Austin Mahone, but his raps have the fluidity and swaggerness of a hip-hop artist like a Drake and Jay-Z. Unlike the majority of the radio side of hip-hop, which has been overrun by songs like “Don't Tell 'Em” that essentially are about the same ol' subject rap has been riding for too long with screwing girls and making that “dough”: Jake Miller's raps aren't about that but about relevant and empowering topics that deserve more attention. “Party In The Penthouse” displays that in full form, with an upbeat piano melody layering in the background as Jake raps about how he used to be at the bottom and he's celebrating the fact that he's made it to the top despite the struggles. Unlike in previous material, where Miller strictly raps, Jake is also implementing his singing skills to the table which is also seen in tracks like “Party In The Penthouse” and his Top 40 hit “First Flight Home”. While it's nice to see him do something more than just rap: it's hit or miss. It works for “Party In The Penthouse” and “First Flight Home”, but it just doesn't sync well in “Dazed And Confused” featuring Travie McCoy. The only time where you see Jake strictly rap like previously before is in “Ghost” featuring Nikki Flores, which comes down as probably the “hardest” track on the EP: touching on the topic of loneliness and fighting your struggles on your own.
Lion Heart is definitely a promising first step for Jake Miller as he gets situated into the mainstream realm. It's very different from his previous work, and some of that is somewhat of a problem that hopefully won't be visible as much when he releases his debut mainstream LP in 2015. His attempts at singing are 50/50, and when they do fail it really does display itself quite prominently. It's obvious that Miller cannot replicate what Drake can do with his singing in certain tracks, but his deep and meaningful raps hold the record up pretty tightly. The limited collaborations were 50/50, with Travie McCoy not making the most of his collaboration with Miller in "Dazed And Confused" while Nikki Flores hits it out of the ballpark in the hook of "Ghost". Fortunately for Jake Miller “purists”, he's still mostly doing the same ol' material that has kept him going for the last couple years, putting out songs where his raps brim with confidence, swagger, and for a love of life. His relevant, meaningful raps about struggles and being alone are relatable to people, and it's a fresh take on hip-hop from the usual "screwing chicks" and showcasing cars and money. While people will hate and label him as the “hip-hop/rap” version of an Austin Mahone or Justin Bieber, Miller really isn't and this EP is a prime example of that path he has chosen for himself.
