Roddy Ricch dropped the best hip-hop album of the year
- Hunter McNeeley
- Dec 12, 2019
- 4 min read
Over the past year, I have really moved away from the genre that I have listened to religiously for the past decade. I've made the switch to far superior genres such as country and tribal bluegrass. All jokes aside, I've mainly been listening to dance/synth-heavy music (ie. The Code & MGMT) and R&B (I've always listened to R&B, but not as much as I have this year; ie. PartyNextDoor, Bryson Tiller, Summer Walker, B-side Drake).
With that being said, I discovered Roddy Ricch after Nipsey Hussle died as I was going through his discography. I had Spotify shuffling through Nipsey's past work when "Racks in the Middle" began to play through my speaker and instantly caught my attention. "Who is this on the chorus?", I ignorantly thought to myself. I had heard of Roddy Ricch before, but wrote him off as just another new-school artist I wouldn't take a liking to. The new-wave "sound" just really hasn't done it for me; I think this has partially led to my music taste switching up. This is not to say the music isn't good. It is good, it's just not my cup of tea.
So over the next week or two, I really dove into Roddy's portfolio. Every Season was on repeat from when I woke up until I went to sleep. Ricch Forever? Don't even get me started. I quickly learned Roddy Ricch is head and shoulders above the rest. Needless to say, I was ecstatic when he released Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial .
Criteria
Now before you break my spirit over social media after reading the title of the article, let me explain my thought process behind this. Over the years hip-hop has evolved immensely, which has made me incredibly happy to see the masses finally appreciate this genre the way it should be appreciated. With the ever-growing love for hip-hop from the general population, naturally the amount of artists and sub-genres expand as well. I do not consider Igor a "hip-hop" album; that album is in a category of its own. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib dropped their incredible collaboration project Bandana, which yes, is amazing. But, I wouldn't consider that the new wave sound, so that's out. The competition, for example, would be:
Future - The WIZRD
YNW Melly - We All Shine
Gunna - Drip or Drown 2
Offset - Father of 4
Smokepurpp - Lost Planet 2.0
Future - Save Me
Yung Bans - Misunderstood
Trippie Redd - !
Young Thug - So Much Fun (My favorite Thug Project)
Lil Tecca - We Love You Tecca
DaBaby - Kirk
Lil Mosey - Certified Hitmaker
Yes, I obviously left some albums out that could fit here, but I hope that you can understand the sound I'm looking at when I compare Roddy Ricch's new album. Future and Thug are not "new wave" artists, per say, but they heavily influence this sound. I feel like now you have to separate hip-hop by general sound because of how big the genre has become. It wouldn't make sense to compare YoungBoy Never Broke Again's Al YoungBoy 2 with JPEGMAFIA's All My Heroes Are Cornballs, as they are 100% made for different audiences.
My Case
I will keep this short - I'm always open to having my mind changed, so please shoot me a DM if you disagree and we can discuss. I hate writing, and never have the urge to do it. So, the fact I felt propelled to create an article and write about this album should show you how impressed I am with this project. Front to back, I truly believe this has been the most solid and enjoyable new-wave album released this year. Roddy has his sound; what he can do with his vocals is far beyond what I've seen other artists do. His versatility with his flow is clearly displayed throughout the whole album along with his ability to touch on different subject matters.
Original
That's my biggest argument for this album being the best hip-hop album of the year from the new-wave. Don't get me wrong, Baby on Baby makes a strong argument, as well, but there are some tracks on that album I typically skip. I don't run into this situation when I listen to Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial.
Something else I would like to point out is that for the most part, I usually dislike intro tracks as I find they can be corny or overdone. "Intro" on P.EM.F.B.A happens to be one of my favorite songs on the album, as it transitions you into the next 40 minutes of your listening experience seamlessly while also showing you what to expect from this debut project.
"Big Stepper", a lead single from the project, has yet to get old for me, as I find myself listening to it almost daily.
"Perfect Time" is one of the most unique tracks on the project. Roddy discusses his rise to fame and the trials and tribulations that came with it. This topic is nothing new, but Ricch puts his own spin on it. The high-pitched vocals in the chorus along with his delivery and cadence make this song a standout.
"Start Wit Me" is a banger, no way around it. Aux certified. One of the best Gunna features I've heard. One of my favorite bars from the album appears on this song; "Clip got 33, Scottie Pippen".
Speaking of features, this album has exactly the right amount of features. Not too many where every song has a guest vocalist, but also just enough to break the album up. This was strategized perfectly. Every single feature delivered.
The features include : Gunna, Lil Durk, Meek Mill, Mustard, Ty Dolla $ign, and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie
The production on this album is incredibly well-done. It fits perfectly with Roddy's style; nothing seems out of place. I can't really say too much in the production department due to how well it was executed - listen for yourself.
I could honestly write a great review for every single track on this project, but you need to listen to the album yourself to truly understand how well put together this album is. So do that.
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