This album was released on July 21st this year. Fatboi Sharif is an artist I’ve been covering ever since he released his collaborative album with Roper Williams, Gandhi Loves Children. I really loved that record, and ever since then he’s been steadily putting out really dope, unique, creative projects. One thing I really appreciate about Fatboi Sharif is that nobody else sounds like him. If somebody tried to do something similar, I feel like they would immediately be called out as a biter. All the Fatboi Sharif projects that I’ve heard sound pretty different, but I still feel like there’s a recognizable level of consistency in his music that is unmistakable. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a line from Sharif that felt like filler or a struggle bar. His lyricism can be very cryptic and difficult to decipher at times, but it’s never uninteresting. I had a feeling that this new album here would be one of his best projects to date, and a lot of it has to do with the fact that it’s fully produced by Steel Tipped Dove. I haven’t really cared for the other projects I’ve heard from Steel Tipped Dove this year, but they weren’t bad by any means. I still consider Steel Tipped Dove to be one of the best and most important artists in the underground right now, so I knew this album would be special.
The opening song is called Phantasm, and it’s fire.
The production from Steel Tipped Dove here is crazy. There’s nothing else that sounds like this out there. This is one of the longest songs on the album, but it doesn’t feel like it overstays its welcome at all. I feel like this beat wouldn’t work as well if they kept the song super short. I like the way this song is structured too. It’s pretty much just one verse with no hook or bridge or anything like that. I think this one works really well as an intro. It kinda prepares you for the chaos that’s about to ensue for the remainder of the record. Fatboi Sharif’s lyricism is as cryptic as ever, and I feel that it lends itself to repeat listens very well. I can tell I’m gonna be listening to this album a lot not only to try and understand what’s being said, but also to understand the actual meaning of the lyrics.
Behold old strife, cold as ice Escape prison cell on that dark long night Raise hell-saving monsters Books resting from a dump truck, underground bunker Surround long grass, deathbed overload abundance Delay passion behind the pine trees Poisonous monsters, Pan's Labyrinth Murdered grand dragon
I definitely misquoted some of those lines, but I still think you can kinda get an idea of Sharif’s writing style from that excerpt. Rhyming “Pan’s Labyrinth” with “grand dragon” is fire. I was really hooked by Sharif’s performance on this track because I was just trying to make sense of all the chaos. I still haven’t figured this album out lyrically. All I know is that I fuck with it. The way the song kinda transitions into that distorted, yet melodic outro is really awesome. I love this shit. I think the song’s dope as hell. The following track, East Hollywood, is even better in my opinion. This is one of my favorite songs of the year. The kind of minimalistic production here is absolutely amazing. I live for this shit. The song’s really short, but it doesn’t feel undercooked at all. I wouldn’t change anything about this track. As always, Sharif’s writing had me hooked.
Sunrise thesis Pardon the apartheid seamstress Hawkeye floating over sky, fungi fetus Stolen whips crashing into the gates Sad clown, twisted laughter and it's vain Petition, give up the goods, pistol brandishing his face Corporate administration, damaged from the 8th Weather change, ski goggles, foggy lens evaporated from the plague Society helped, knee deep, rock smoked, walked water on night terrors Passion of the Christbearer
I know he’s a skilled writer because even though I’m not confident in my interpretations of the lyricism, it’s the type of shit to make me think. I can tell he’s on some really heady shit. Personally, I really dig when I can listen to a poet rap and actually have to do some work to uncover the meaning of what they’re saying. Like I said a little bit earlier, it gives the project more replay value when I’m constantly coming back just to understand what was being said. I’m sure some people may find that approach frustrating because they want that immediate gratification, but personally I love it. At the very least I can enjoy his rhymes, flow and vocal delivery. The instrumental here is kinda dark, but at the same time it sounds really beautiful to me. It’s just a very pleasing beat. I love it. This shit is boiling hot fire. The following track is called Designer Drugs. This one’s a bit more chaotic sonically. The drums aren’t super hard-hitting, but it still managed to give me the coveted involuntary head nod. That bell in the background sounds amazing. I love the lyricism here too.
My brain functionin' funny off this Prada
Medical prescribed it, deposits
The way the beat kinda changes for the last few lines of the verse is really cool. I love how Sharif rhymed “assassination” with “math equation.” The song is fire. It’s followed by a major highlight called Brandon Lee.
This is easily one of the best songs I’ve heard all year. The production is actually really fucking amazing. Like, this is a top 5 beat of the year for me. This is probably my favorite song on the album. I’m not totally sure yet as of October 8th, but it’s definitely a strong contender. The beat is melodic, dark, and oddly haunting. It sounds really beautiful. This song has a really straightforward, yet memorable hook that is easy to rap along to. Sharif’s performance on the first verse is really great, and the second verse is even more entertaining to me just because of the way he kinda switches up his vocal delivery for that part. He gets slightly more energetic. He killed this track. I’m struggling to find the words to express just how much I fuck with this shit.
Grandma grips gold on the soul train
Flatline, carriage ride, expanding both frames
The song is dope as fuck. Track 5 is called Dimethyltryptamine, and it’s got a really dark, trippy instrumental.
I love the drum pattern here. As always, Sharif’s lyricism had me hooked.
Piñata penned page turned passion christ in effect
Pushin' through punishment, several enter illusion, cold grasp of the red death
The bizarre, dark soundscape that Sharif raps over on this track sounds really fucking cool, and he sounds perfect over it. This is a really dark track sonically. I love it personally. I think it’s dope as hell. It’s followed by another highlight called Ash Wednesday. This track gives me the coveted involuntary head nod as soon as the beat drops. The wicked piano keys sound really sinister, and Fatboi floated over the instrumental beautifully. The song kinda follows a similar structure to most of the other tracks. There’s not really a hook. There’s just one verse from Sharif. It’s really awesome though.
Blood drawn through his tested articles
Destroyed evidence treated caterpillar particles
Articulate archangel
Aggravate, detach arrow, dreamed history, analyze that appleseed at all angles
This track is fire, and it segues into the following track, (Interlude), really well. This interlude is another highlight for me. It’s probably the most melodic, accessible song on the whole album. It actually sounds really fun to me. Not that the rest of Sharif’s music isn’t fun; this song just has a really warm, approachable, fuzzy vibe. It’s a sound I don’t really expect to hear on a Sharif record. It fits really well on this album though. I love it. Track 8 is called Prisoner of Jesus, and it’s yet another highlight. The production here is absolutely amazing to me. That screeching guitar loop sounds so cool, and it fits Sharif’s style really well. He sounds awesome here.
Looseleaf world order, mass race
Kept Jesus captive downstairs in a glass case
Sharif’s flow is especially nice on the second verse in my opinion. He killed this track. It’s less than 90 seconds long, but I think the brevity adds to the appeal of the track. I love it. The song’s dope as hell. The following track is called Think Pieces. The instrumental here is a little grating, but the way it develops as the song progresses is really nice. It’s still not one of my favorite instrumentals on the album, but I came to appreciate it more after multiple listens. It’s just very repetitive and loud. Sharif went nuts on this track though. I feel like his rapping stood out even more than usual here, and I think a lot of it has to do with the relatively long song length. This track is a lot longer than most of Sharif’s other songs. It feels a bit more lyrically ambitious as a result. I really fuck with this track. It’s not one of my favorites sonically, but Sharif killed this shit. I think the song’s dope. Track 10 is a highlight called Kingdom. This one really grew on me with repeat listens. I liked it a lot on my first listen of the album, but now I love it even more. The haunting vocal loop and dusty percussion sound really eerie in an awesome way, and Sharif fits over it perfectly.
Triple X sexual appetite
We ate skeletons, free the brothels
In hopes of the children safe
Woodstock 23rd, crafted mind cutting
Babylon baptist, pacifier
Bonfite substance
I would be lying if I said I was even anywhere close to deciphering the lyricism on this track. It sounds cool as fuck though. I love the production too. The song is dope as hell to me. The following track is called Measuring Spoon Techniques. The melodic loop on this track is really dope, and it gets stuck in my head pretty easily. I love the minimalistic percussion, and Sharif sounds fantastic over it too. I really like the hook on this track, but it’s really the actual verses that keep this song interesting to me. Sharif’s flows and vocal delivery sound so good.
Masterminded cerebral, sentence gone
Surround steeple, evil renaissance
Noose through, drastic thrown
Cryogenic retract from home
Powder roses carry a bag of bones
Detach the throne
I think I definitely misquoted those lines, but you can see that he was rhyming his ass off. I really fuck with this track. It’s dope. The following track is another highlight called Green Winged Shoulder Padding.
I absolutely love the production here. The way the percussion finally comes in around the 39-second mark is awesome. It gives me the coveted involuntary head nod every time. Sharif sounds perfect over this beat too. His unorthodox melody during the hook sounds so good on this instrumental. The verses are very lyrically abstract, so I’d be lying if I said I’ve already come up with an interpretation that I’m confident in. This shit sounds awesome though. I love it. Track 13 is called The Christening. The bassline on this track sounds incredible to me. Once the intro kinda ends and Sharif starts rapping this shit gets even better. This track has a really bizarre sense of momentum that I really appreciate. The way Sharif kinda synced his flow up with the rhythm of the bassline was really goddamn cool. The way his vocals were recorded just sounds clean as hell too. Willie Green and Steel Tipped Dove really knocked it outta the park when they were mixing and mastering this project. The production here is super unorthodox, but it still sounds pristine at the same time. This track honestly grew on me a lot after repeat listens. The more I hear it the more I like it. I think it’s dope as hell. It’s followed by one of my favorite songs of the year, The 6th Floor. The beat here is fucking incredible. Steel Tipped Dove went crazy on this one, and Sharif fits over it like a glove.
Quiet whispers, murder was the scheme
Slow fall of the leaves, mental illness takes over
As he taught his daughter the birds and the bees
Unveil sickness, the pen transmissions
Stomach cancer spread its wings
Bedridden in addiction
Blood, sweat, and fears
Lyrically, this is easily one of my favorite songs on the album. “Blood, sweat, and fears” is just such a cool thing to say. I love it. This song is dope as fuck. It’s followed by yet another highlight called Scarhead. Once again, the production is stunning. The slow, creeping percussion on this song gives me the aforementioned involuntary head nod. Sharif has a bunch of cool lines about setting shadows on fire and not being able to see the scars on his face. This is definitely another one of my favorite songs on the album. I think it’s dope as hell. The penultimate track is another highlight called Boogie Monster. The production actually kinda reminds me of a less conventional version of something that could’ve appeared on Mick Jenkins‘ The Water[s]. I’m probably the only person on the planet who would make that comparison, but that’s what it made me think of. It makes me think of the color blue. Sharif killed shit. I’m pretty sure he said something about Poseidon, so that might’ve also contributed to my thought of The Water[s]. This track really stood out on my first listen of the album. I wouldn’t really say it’s a contender for my favorite track anymore, but I still consider it a highlight. I’d say it’s probably one of the more accessible songs on the album because it has a somewhat traditional structure. I love this track. The closing song is one last highlight called The Farewell Outfit. This song has one of my favorite instrumentals on the album, which is saying a lot. This is one of my favorite songs of the year. It actually grew on me a lot with repeat listens. I loved it when I first heard it, but now I love it even more. The very first words Sharif says on this track are, “Mama, stop cryin’,” unless I’m mishearing him. That’s cool as fuck. The first verse is fire, and I really love how Sharif comes in for a second verse. That definitely helped elevate the track for me. I don’t think this track would hit the same without that second verse because not only is it very interesting lyrically, but Sharif’s energetic vocal delivery really helps to sell it.
Fly by spiral masking me
Saddest pleas, wrote letter to the faculty
Tragically, I had no other choice
Please don't be mad at me
The performance from Sharif on this track had me hooked, as did the production. Again, this one really grew on me. I think this shit is exceptional.
This is Fatboi Sharif’s best album to date in my opinion. The production from Steel Tipped Dove is amazing across the board, and Sharif is really in his element here. I wouldn’t mind hearing another project from these two in the future because they mesh like peanut butter and jelly. These beats are incredible, and Sharif’s mysterious lyricism is really easy to get lost in. Some listeners may find the difficulty of deciphering the lyricism to be frustrating, but personally I find that it increases the replay value of the project when I’m trying to make sense of everything. This album is incredible, and it’s easily one of my favorite records of the year. They knocked this shit outta the park. There’s not a single track here that I would say is just “good.” Everything ranges from great to mind-blowing. Do not sleep on this project, especially if you’re generally a fan of off-kilter, abstract Hip Hop. Also, stay tuned for my review of Sharif’s latest project with Bigg Jus, Insomniac Missile Launcher, which will be published tomorrow.
Favorite Song: Brandon Lee
Least Favorite Song: Think Pieces
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What do you think?