Review Summary: A great rapper returning to form. Nothing more, nothing less.
Local Atlanta rapper/producer Khirey Akeem has been gone for a long 3 years and he was almost forgotten about in the indie sphere of the internet’s rap scene. He dropped singles here and there periodically throughout 2017 & 2018 but nothing less than terrible quality unfit demo sounding recordings. Nothing was sticking and it seemed as though our hero of the hidden gems of internet rap had finally met his match. That was until he dropped his Long awaited new EP, “The Youth is In You”. Absolutely nothing was promoted with this project, except for a post on his Instagram stating he’d be dropping the project on Black Friday. No singles, no promotions, no anything. Would he be successful in his endeavors with a surprise Extended Play?
The short answer is yes. With this project running at Nineteen minutes and four seconds long it’s obvious Khirey has mastered the art of not overstating his welcome when releasing music. The project isn’t innovative by any means but it’s just a rapper returning to form. With those awful songs being released that I mentioned prior, it was a pleasant surprise that the rapper hasn’t lost his form. Opening with the incredibly raw intro “Operation Overkill” Khirey shoots off incredible energy and flow patterns that are similar to that of a pre ready to die Biggie Smalls, which isn’t a bad thing by any means. The third verse is masterful and shows the amazing penmanship that this MC posses and has always had. What a sensational start to this comeback project. Next proceeds the second track, “Norfolk Southern” which has Khirey daunting off a fiery blaze of ferocious rhymes that envision that of a serial killer. Nothing in the manner of Eminem’s 2009 release “Relapse” but it’s amazing to hear the conviction in his bravado and bass driven voice. Lines like, “Nuggets on my fingers so I’m licking up the crumbs.” is an instant laugh out loud moment (which is great because Khirey lacked a comedy factor in his older raps). As the first two tracks soar through, Khirey is in the best form we’ve heard in a while.
As track three, “ACM” comes through with a European flute, and haunting piano chords in the background, Khirey sounds the best on this track and it’s by far a sheer standout on this short lived project. His vocal inflictions sound so confident and in control. Every line is delivered with structure and patterns to rival the lines before it to make you anticipate what would be said next. The feature verse is amazing as well. A rapper by the name of FlyytheGod comes in with an uncanny but original flow that picks up the pace to end the song on such a high note leading into the next track. There’s also an oh my god moment in the chorus which mentions R. Kelly so I’ll
Leave you guys to decipher how you feel about that. “DEEPRESSION’s” title is some what if a reach but once you hear the verses of Khirey, Archie Irving & FlyytheGod (who stole the show on this verse), you’d understand why it’s titled that. Khirey makes mentioning of losing his first child unbeknownst to us how but still such a tragic lyric put forth in the open. He’s quite good at being vulnerable which seemed to be a factor missing throughout this project up until this point. Also FlyytheGod poetically unites the track with an tremendous verse sounding somewhat similar in tone to that of Legendary southern rapper Andre 3000. Eddy verse on this song connects a different view of troubling times but it isn’t inconsistent. Those verses tie the track together so well it just feels as if they actually collaborated instead of making a song together.
At this point the standard edition of the project is over but we have two bonus tracks to complete the chaotic mind of Khirey. “True Love” is beautifully layered and Khirey spits his fastest flow on this track. It’s a short verse which is only limited to exactly 32 seconds but it’s a well worth it 32 seconds. The song itself is not 32 seconds but it’s till the shortest song on this project clocking in at one minute and fifty five seconds. It was released as a demo prior to being released on this project but the demo is a thousand times worse than the actual released version although the vocals are very low and timid on the mix. It’s still a great song nonetheless. Then finally comes the “No Applause Freestyle” featuring FlyytheGod and both rappers have nice flows but Khirey devours this tracks whole without taking a bite. It’s reflective of the old “jackass.” days of Khirey Akeem where he would hop on any track and spazz out religiously. Not to say he hasn’t been on this project, it’s just this project has more dimensions than “jackass.” and choruses. His intro line is so hardcore and gritty where he calmly states, “You the type of n***a to act like a blood, then be a p****y, when you see blood.” Such a profound lyric. Though the vocals on this mix sound robotic Khirey’s best mixing is on this project by far.
To summarize this project, I’d need a fe short words. A return to form, because that’s literally what it is. Khirey has been gone a while and yes he was missed but projects like this remind us that he’s still got it. He’s only 24 at the release of this review. Which means the sky is the limit for him. Is this another “jackass.”? No, and it’s certainly not another “asshole.” but it’s Khirey making the effort to come back to rap ready to play his role. If this were basketball Khirey would be the Kyrie Irving (no pun intended) of the league. One who will put up the numbers you need but is he ready to be a leader of the pack or in this case a leader of rap? That leaves us to wonder, I’m just glad he’s back in shape. Hopefully he doesn’t turn to Carmelo Anthony in the meantime as we wait for his next output.
