This extended play was released on April 26th this year. I really don’t know how I’m gonna feel about this project. I’ve never really been a fan of Iamsu! in the past. I listened to his very first album, which wasn’t bad. I didn’t like the project as a whole, but there were a handful of songs I really enjoyed. I should probably listen to his second album at some point. He has a shit ton of mixtapes, which I’ll probably never get to. I’ve heard some of them, but I don’t really remember how I felt about them. Anyway, I originally wasn’t even gonna bother listening to this project, but I watched Su’s interview with EricTheYoungGawd, which made me wanna give it a shot. Apparently Su really focused on his actual rapping, and wanted to prove that he was a legitimately talented MC. I really hope he pulled it off because I wanna be impressed with this project. I’m keeping my expectations in check though. I’m pretty sure the entire project is self produced, which is impressive. Unless the beats are trash. If that ends up being the case, it’s not that impressive.

1. Hot As Africa

The beat on this track is actually pretty cool. I’m generally not into that generic Bay Area sound that members of the HBK Gang and people like E-40 have, but there are some exceptions. The sung hook on this track is nothing special, but it’s passable. The first verse is cool. It’s not amazing or anything, but I definitely enjoyed it to some extent. Hmm… This autotuned hook just sounds really generic to me. The more I listen to it the less I like it. The beat also gets old really quickly. The second verse was cool. This isn’t a bad song, but there’s pretty much zero replay value in it for me. It’s just kinda stale. The production doesn’t stand out much, and the hook isn’t very good either. The verses were cool though. It’s an okay track, but I won’t be returning to it.

2. Every Girl Type

This beat is cool. The hook is nothing special. It’s inoffensive though. The first verse wasn’t very good. It wasn’t particularly bad. It was just really generic. The content, flow, lyrics… It just doesn’t stand out at all. The second verse was a lot better. It was pretty solid. I guess this track is better than the previous one. Actually, they’re about equal to be honest. The rapping on the previous track was more consistent, but the production and hook were more boring. This one is slightly better sonically, but the rapping is less impressive. I’m not sure which one I prefer. I’d have to think about it. I don’t like this one though. It’s an okay song, but, just like with the previous track, I won’t be coming back to it.

3. Real Nice

Uhhhhh… I really do not like this sound. It’s just so boring to me. The production is so generic and vapid. Su’s singing on the hook is eye roll inducing too. This is definitely the worst song so far. I don’t like his melodic, autotuned delivery on the first verse at all. The lyrics are painfully uninteresting and trite. The second verse was better even though it was only 8 bars. This song is uh… bad. I don’t like it at all. Everything about it is absolutely banal. I think this shit is wack.

4. Pressure

The beat on this track dope. The hook is super lazy, but I guess I don’t mind it too much. There’s this weird sound that cuts into the beat every now and then. It’s like what you hear when you dunk your head underwater. It actually sounds really cool. Su’s flow on the first verse is cool. The verse was pretty good. That’s probably the best verse on the project so far. That’s not really saying much to be honest, but I enjoyed it. This is easily the best song so far. The second verse was good. The hook is the worst aspect of the song, and it’s not even that bad. It just doesn’t really add anything to the track. The production and verses are pretty good though. I enjoyed this track. I think it’s good.

5. Shea Drive

The beat on this track is actually kinda cool too. It is a little generic though. I feel like all of Iamsu!’s beats sound really similar. They all build up the same way. I actually like the way his melodic delivery sounds on the first verse. The melody is actually nice. I kinda wish he would’ve spit normally on at least one of the verses on this song. I like it overall though. The first verse was pretty good. His sung raps got pretty old by the second verse, but it wasn’t too bad. This is definitely a flawed track, but I enjoyed it. The beat’s cool, and I liked his flow on the verses. The delivery got old after a while, but overall I enjoyed the song. I think it’s pretty good.

6. Gone with the Wind

This hook sucks. The beat’s solid though. I like the way he’s rapping on the first verse too. Oh. There’s only one verse. I just listened to the whole song. Yeah, this one’s a “no” from me. Again, the beat was decent, and the verse was cool. It’s not enough to make me want to come back to the song though. I really disliked the hook. The song is decent overall though. It’s just another average track with little to no replay value for me. I’d never wanna come back to this. It’s an okay track though.

7. Pure Love

The beat on this track is solid. Iamsu!’s singing on the hook of this track is actually not too bad. He’s singing in a higher register than he usually does, and it sounds pretty okay. There’s only one verse on this track, and it’s not great. It’s fine though. Hmm… I kinda like this. Would I come back to it? Uhhhhh… I guess so. Yeah. I think this is one of the better songs. The production was cool, and I liked the hook. The verse could’ve been better, but it was only like 8 bars, so it doesn’t take up too much of the song and ruin it. I think this is pretty good.

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This EP is okay. It’s pretty much exactly what I was expecting. I gotta say, if this is Iamsu! focusing on his actual rapping, I’d hate to hear what it sounds like when he’s phoning it in. His rapping really didn’t impress me very much at all. I enjoyed some of the verses, but they were “good” at best. He’s not gonna blow anyone away. If you’ve hated all his music in the past, chances are you’re gonna hate this one as well. To me it just sounds like he’s doing what he always does. It’s the same production style with the same autotuned hooks. He may be rapping better than he usually does, but it’s not super noticeable. I’m glad I checked it out though. There were a few tracks I enjoyed. There was only one track that I actually thought was legitimately bad too. I wouldn’t say this is a good project, but it’s definitely not wack. I think it’s an okay EP.

Favorite Song: Pressure
Least Favorite Song: Real Nice

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