Review Summary: CrasH and BurN
Loudmouth and brash but with smooth, stylish R&B tendencies to offset all the guntalk and drug patter, ScHoolboy Q's style of rap represented a counterweight to a lot of prominent rappers that came up in the same era, with a calculated edge to his heavy, mainstream-inflected hip hop sound. Contrasting his lyrically aggressive persona and unapologetic west coast vibe, CrasH Talk represents a change of pace for the rapper, being a far more introspective and personal effort in its preoccupations than Q's most popular releases. While the distinctive, booming sound remains unmistakably his, there is an unfortunate lapse in quality present throughout CrasH Talk. The brevity of the tracks affords them comparatively little staying power and the beats, whilst serviceable and occasionally raucous, lack the impact of the creative hooks and loops typically associated with the rapper's output. Even though there are instances of the bars and passages channeling that trademark ScHoolboy Q energy with genuine heart, the experience feels secondhand, and is missing the pronounced, acid-tongued core that made OxyMoron and Blank Face LP so compelling.
There are a plethora of collaborations on the release, but a great many of these feel like vehicles built around the featured artist- a number of which actively constrict Q's style.Travis Scott feature 'CHopstix' is a disaster; an irritating autotuned chorus and hook, an underwritten beat and a generally awkward feel pummel the track into oblivion before it has even hit the quarter-way mark. Ty Dolla $ign and YG collab 'Lies' is also a mess, full of unengaging vocal lines and a prominent R&B flavour to its slow pace. On the other side of the coin, though, is 'Drunk', which features 6LACK. Listless hook aside, a mellow piano melody and a syncopated drum loop paint a fine, strung-out hip-hop composition. It vaguely echoes tracks such as 'Studio' (OxyMoron), which overrides flows and lyrics in favour of outright vibes, and it works well in this respect. In the latter stages of the album 'Floating' has the sinister energy of 'What They Want' (OxyMoron), albeit with slightly more subdued energy. Additionally, the 21 Savage collab here, 'Floating', is heady and has a head-nodding rhythm, in spite of its boring chorus.
Despite the various shortcomings of CrasH Talk, there is definitely enjoyment to be found. Tracks like opener 'Gang Gang', 'Numb Numb Juice' and closer 'Attention' exhibit the quintessential ScHoolboy spark in spades, with 'Attention' being especially deserving of praise. A simple beat and a vibrating bassline with a considered pace lay the groundwork, but it pulses with life nonetheless, Q's bars delivered with genuine verve and ardour. Similarly, 'CrasH', with the classic aesthetic of its stuttering rhythm and breakneck flow are indicative of Q in his prime. It exudes vitality and inspiration, and feels like an occasion where the album genuinely captures a premium rapper honing his craft. 'Die Wit Em' is reminiscent of 'Groovy Tony''s (Blank Face LP) unrelenting venom, but again, this is far more subdued than its spiritual predecessor. Regardless, this is one of only a few moments on CrasH Talk that feels entirely composed of ScHoolboy Q's energy- it grooves, it snarls, and it booms with that west coast flavour. The best collaborative track on the release is undoubtedly 'Water', which features Lil Baby. The simplicity of the beat undercuts the vitriol of the lyrical content and the bars from all involved here are delivered through shifting, attention-grabbing flows.
Given the hard-hitting yet still intensely likeable nature of ScHoolboy Q's backcatalogue, a tumble in quality was sure to be expected at some point. It's incredibly bizarre, however, that the lapse manifested as something quite so nondescript and underwhelming as CrasH Talk. The album is okay. That's about the neatest way to summarise the 40 minute effort. It doesn't offend, experiment or expand in any real way, and that would be fine if the rapper's established style was presented here in full effect. What we're actually left with is an incredibly watered down rendition of ScHoolboy Q. It's squash with way too much water. It's a black and white photocopy of a colour original. It's a meal prepared from whatever can be found in the kitchen before the shopping's been done. It's a spectacularly bland assortment of promising features and half-baked hip-hop conventions, and even though there are moments when that yearned-for energy shines through the miasma of dreck, it's not nearly as omnipresent as it needs to be. Moreover, these sporadic flashes hurt the album more because these presentations of quality feel like teasing snapshots of what listeners could have had, and, more to the point, what they wanted. It's by no means dreadful, but it is extremely uninspired and weak in both lyricism and content, but perhaps worst of all, it's quite tedious.
