NOTE: This review was originally written before the addition of two tracks produced by TrapKitty; I added my thoughts on these songs two days after writing the review for the initial three-song version of the EP.

This extended play was released on January 11th this year. T.R.3 is an artist who I’ve just become familiar with in like the past week or so. I checked out his album from 2016, I’m Awesome, I’m a God, I’m a God Fearing Man, and I thought it was pretty great. He dropped an album last year if I’m not mistaken, which I still haven’t gotten around to listening to yet. Anyway, I’ve seen this new EP in particular referred to as a “secret EP” so I guess it’s probably not gonna be put on streaming platforms aside from Soundcloud. It’s available to download though, so that’s cool. I don’t really have any expectations for this project. I really enjoyed his 2016 album, but that was four years ago, and it was a full length release. This is probably gonna be pretty different. Hopefully I enjoy it.

1. Simon Says produced by Lito

This track is a lot harder and more street-oriented than I was expecting. This is really different from his 2016 album. The lyrics are way more gangsta than anything from that project, and his delivery is pretty aggressive. The simplistic Trap inspired production is actually pretty dope. The hook is probably my favorite aspect of the song. The verses are pretty cool, although his flow does sound a little shaky at certain points. This is pretty good though. I fuck with it.

4. 2 EA$Y (PRETTY HARD) produced by Qyung Beats

This is my favorite track on the project. The beat is dope as hell. It’s still Trap production, but it has a pleasant and affable sounding piano loop, which kinda provides a funny contrast to the loud bass. The hook is dope too. The ad-libs at the beginning of the track kinda reminded me of XXXTENTACION, but not necessarily in a bad way. I don’t really think this song is that unique or original sounding, but I was definitely entertained by it. His flow seems pretty conventional, but I still got that involuntary head nod while listening to this. It’s a dope song.

5. Teen Titans (12.1.12) produced by KiingR

I don’t really care for this song personally. It’s kinda frustrating though because there are aspects of it that I like. I think his energetic flow on this track is much more entertaining than that of the preceding material. I also think this might have the best beat on the whole project. I think my main issue is just the mixing. Something about the song just sounds very DIY. The hook is decent I guess, but I just think I’d like the song more if it sounded more polished. I don’t think this track is really bad, but I don’t see myself returning to it in the future. It’s decent though.

2. Tay K produced by TrapKitty

Again, I didn’t listen to this track until two days after hearing the original version of the EP. Anyway, I really love the lowkey, mellow instrumental from TrapKitty. I could see someone like Lucki rapping over this. However, unlike Lucki, T.R.3 thankfully doesn’t sound like he’s borderline unconscious, so his rapping is actually somewhat enjoyable. I don’t think his verse here is super impressive, but it’s sufficient. It certainly wasn’t really bad. His flow was solid, and I think he fit over this beat pretty well. The song’s dope.

3. Facts (Right Now) produced by TrapKitty

Once again, I really love the production from TrapKitty. It sounds kind of dramatic and emotional, but not so much so that it’s hard to take seriously. I’m kinda torn on the sung hook honestly. I think the melody itself is pretty cool, but the actual vocals aren’t that great. However, at the same time, they’re not really that bad either. They definitely don’t ruin the song. They just get the job done. I think it’d really help if there was a featured vocalist who had a more polished singing voice, but at the same time some people might appreciate the more raw sounding performance from T.R.3. Unfortunately, the actual verse from T.R.3 didn’t do much for me. It was pretty average in my opinion. Nothing about it really stood out. The hook really grew on me as the song progressed, but it’s not really enough to make the song worth returning to for me. It’s definitely a decent track though.

I enjoyed this project. I think it’s pretty cool, although I don’t think this would be the best first impression. Nothing about it really seems very unique or original. Since it was labeled as a “secret EP” I’m sure this was just meant to satisfy the fans while they wait for a more substantial release. It’s gonna get lost in the sea of other projects on Soundcloud that are just like it for anyone who’s not already familiar with T.R.3. I wasn’t expecting him to go in this Soundcloud Trap direction. I definitely prefer the style he had on his 2016 album, but, as I said earlier, I do like this project to an extent. I haven’t heard his 2019 album, so maybe if I listened to that one first I wouldn’t have been as caught off guard by this one. I don’t know. I’m hoping his next release sounds more polished than this. None of the songs here are bad, but, at the same time, there aren’t any tracks that I really love. It’s just a solid EP. It’s not a must-listen project by any means, but I enjoyed it. It’s dope.

Favorite Song: Tay K
Least Favorite Song: Teen Titans

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