Don’t sleep on this latest album from T H R O N E. It was released on June 13th this year. T H R O N E are an indigenous duo comprised of rapper Hayatheus and rapper/singer YVHIKV. I don’t know much about this group, but I first discovered them at the beginning of 2022 around the time they dropped their debut album, Lionfish. That album didn’t leave much of an impression on me honestly, but it was clear that they both had a lot of talent. I think the production just didn’t grip me that much, and the song structures felt a little predictable. However, this latest album is such a leap in quality that I had to tell y’all about it.

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I’m just gonna be writing about a handful of highlights since this isn’t really a full album review. However, it should be noted that there’s not a single track on this album that I don’t like. The first track I wanna talk about is called Western Illusions of Choice, and it features an artist named DEADPAN with whom I was previously unfamiliar. I think the preceding intro transitions into this track really well. That’s definitely one thing I appreciate about this project. None of the interludes feel like filler or a waste of time. Anyway, this track is produced by Protagonist, and the beat feels really heavenly and kind of euphoric. It sounds like floating on a cloud. I think Hayatheus has got a pretty nice voice for rapping, and his flow is nice. I was really impressed by DEADPAN’s performance as well. I think that’s DEADPAN on the second verse. I could be wrong. I don’t think I’ve learned Hayatheus’ voice enough to differentiate when he’s rapping or not. Anyway, whoever that was on the second verse killed it.

Exhumin' a troop of the wound that a ruse isn't void
Question the depth of the ploy if it's steps are abusin' your boys
Expressionistic doom in it's western illusion of choice
Better bloom in a sandwich that left the wreckage of humans destroyed

I think I definitely misquoted a few of those lines, but, as you can see, the rhymes and word choices are really cool. The final verse from YVHIKV is nice too. She’s got a very nice voice. The song is really dope to me overall, and definitely one of my favorites on the album. The next highlight is called The Toxic Jungle Spreads, and I believe it’s produced by Chasay. It also features New Villain, as well as Gullyspit, who also co-produced the song. The beat here is pretty goddamn awesome. It kinda gives me the same feeling that Sleep Sinatra‘s Widow’s Peak gave me. It sounds like a jungle in the form of music. It’s definitely one of my favorite beats on the album. Everybody here sounds great over it too. I believe that’s New Villain on the second verse. Their vocal delivery reminds me of Meechy Darko, which is cool. The way the production evolves as this song progresses is really cool too. The final verse is probably my favorite part of the song.

Lock the people in cages
If you can't lock their mind, stop the power in stages
Turn the masses into dummies, watch them do it in phases
Power in the people where the hells are courageous

This is another really dope track. The following song is called Gotham Falls, Villainy Rises. I really love the smooth, kind of jazzy production on this track, and Hayatheus killed the first verse.

I need coffins for the capers and for the plays
Your lives are like paintings, but we drop frames
Dancin' around the cops and over opps' graves
Movin' through the locked gates, retreat to the haven and pay
Four thousand rounds of top grade

Again, I think I misquoted those lines, but I tried my best to transcribe them accurately. The background vocals from YVHIKV, and her actual verse on the second half of the track is great. Her vocals sound really good, and her flow is nice too. The song’s great. Track 8 is called Rebuild // Destroy ??, and it’s got another really great instrumental. I get the coveted involuntary head nod every time the percussion comes in after about 41 seconds. This song features an artist named Snick Foley, who I feel like I’ve heard of before, but I might be trippin’. He killed this shit though.

Some even buyin' listens when nobody buyin' merch
How you claim you movin' weight? You not even movin' shirts
Half their numbers big fish, small pond, stuck in a dream
That you finna stay afloat in this water followin' streams
When it's shark infested, all dejected, that part's affected
Just make sure when you move that your heart's protected
We know this game is dirty, and no winnin' playin' clean
Don't get lost chasin' sauce, fakin' boss, know what I mean?

That’s so fire. The theme he had going about navigating shark infested waters as a metaphor for the music industry is really cool. I love it. This song’s great. Track 10 is called Cap2survive, and it’s produced by Kami. This song has another one of my favorite instrumentals on the album. It’s really smooth. I love it. The way it kinda switches up for the actual verse is really cool. The song’s less than two minutes long, so there’s only time for one verse, but it’s very good. I really fuck with this track. The next highlight I wanna mention is called Deadescape, and it has yet another one of my favorite instrumentals on the album from Drodozer. This might be the best beat on the album. It’s pretty amazing. Hayatheus’ lyricism on this track is kinda crazy too.

My immunity to human weapons renders me a demigod
I desire more, but no longer become stronger with fire forged
I need to acquire force, sacrificial pitch dove from drenched floors
I desire more, move through walls faster than a lion's roar

This song grew on me even more with repeated listens. I definitely think it’s one of the best songs on the album. The way they kind of played with the pitch of Hayatheus’ vocals throughout his verse was cool. I usually don’t really care for shit like that, but I think they pulled it off well here. The song’s dope as hell. Track 14 is called The Show Goes On, and it features an artist named Willyynova. I love the production from King Quad, and the verse from Willyynova is really great.

Machinations from the past frustration
Doubled down, couple rounds spray the hubble bound, love the sound
Always needed a ride or die
Emblems combinin', it left me to write or die

YVHIKV’s vocals in the background sound really nice too. I also really like Hayatheus’ flow on the final verse. The song’s really great. Track 18 is called Alternity, and, once again, the production from Infatuation really stands out a lot to me. I could actually see someone like billy woods or Earl Sweatshirt fitting over this instrumental well. It’s kind of a low-key, almost ambient-sounding instrumental. It kinda reminds me of Clams Casino. I love it. I also like how Hayatheus’ flow develops throughout the runtime of the track. This is probably the most mellow track on the album. I really fuck with it. Track 20 is called If I Were (You) in Your Shoes, and it’s got a really nice, melodic beat from Ridgy. The lyrical theme of empathy had me hooked. I also love these lines…

I am me, and I can see that I'd probably be a prodigy if I had started 10 years back
My delivery would be like Amazon in fact
And my flow reliable like women
Gone would be my issues of relatability replaced by a struggling vocabulary
Probably wouldn't be as travelled or thought as deeply so overall I'd still keep the present me

The vocals from YVHIKV at the end of the song were a nice touch as well. The song’s really dope. It’s followed by my favorite song on the album, Fear As Food (One Take One Life). YVHIKV’s vocals in the background sound glorious, and Hayatheus killed this shit.

Movin' in and out of cadence, I feel my patience stretch
Is it more or less, born moral-less
Can't even memorize my address
Keep movin' pressed by a soul that's not impressed by much
So I seek works both ancient and contemporary to temporarily astound me
Inform me, confound me, contort me, shapeshift and reform me
Renaissance past, future, present
I cast my putrid essence into the sea of saviors
Pray my presence catch some play to spread my lessons

There’s not a single aspect of this song that I don’t really like. Hayatheus killed it, and I love the instrumental. This shit is dope as hell. Track 24 is called Please… Stay with Me. I absolutely love the melodic, somber production from In2une. I love Hayatheus’ lyricism on this track too.

This a long life to live
Full of love and fighting, the take and the give
Trust the process, grow inside and don't sweat no objects
Many people will try to fuck you up
Many people will love you more than enough
Pay attention, live while here, don't ponder then
You'll find out, we all find out, you'll find out about death

This track sounds like him trying to convince the listener to stay alive. This shit really grew on me. It’s another one of my favorites on the album. The vocals from YVHIKV on the second half of the song are stellar. I think that’s my favorite performance from her on the whole album. The way the song kinda switches up for the final third of the track is really cool too. This shit is dope as hell. I love it. The penultimate track is an interlude called The Jungle Wins, We Must Leave! Another Life’s Chance. I wanted to make sure I highlighted this track because it’s my favorite interlude on the album. The instrumental here is just really fantastic. It sounds like it was performed by a full fuckin’ orchestra. I love it. It transitions into the closing track, De/Parting T/He/O Se/A/E, really well. The instrumental here is really bouncy—I could actually see someone like Kenny Mason spitting over this. This track has Hayatheus’ catchiest flow on the whole album. It’s hard to listen to this track without getting the aforementioned involuntary head nod. I really like the hook too. That line where he says, “I found my peace inside of the booth” is dope. I think this was a great way to close the album. I fuck with it.

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^{This is a really good album. Again, I’m kind of blown away by how much of an improvement this is from their first album. This is technically their third album I think, so I guess it makes sense that they got a lot better. I love to see it. Like I said in the body of this review, there aren’t any tracks here that I don’t like. Even the interludes are worth returning to for me. This entire album just feels really cohesive. It’s actually kinda crazy how well this shit turned out considering how many different tracks and collaborators there are here. You would think that there were too many cooks in the kitchen, but that’s not the case at all. There’s not a single beat or verse that I feel like should’ve been left off. I don’t even really have any consistent gripes with this album. I’m really glad I gave this a listen because it really surpassed my expectations. Not that I was expecting it to be bad or anything. Anyway, check this album out and let me know what you think in the comments below. I think it’s dope, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it grew on me even more with repeated listens in the future.}

Favorite Song: Fear As Food (One Take One Life)
Least Favorite Song: A Soul, a Way from Emptiness

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