Sean Sharp's Diary

Listen 1: My first Freddie Gibbs project. Only other time I've heard him was on that Injury Reserve track. I can see why The Alchemist's beats are considered so "rare". Can't really find anything like that in modern rap. Off first impressions, they may not just be for me but it might grow on me as well. 1 Week Later: Unfortunately this was just not for me. I get the appeal but Freddie on Alchemist's beats just reminds me of an older time of rap. I think that a lot of the classics that sound like this are a sign of the times and their projects together are just a refreshing wave for the people that love that sound. While I don't hate the style, I don't feel like this outdoes a lot of the older rap it mirrors.

A bumpy musical ride. Had a hard time finding anything that really stood out to me here. This is interesting to listen to because it's not something you hear when you turn on the radio or find even within it's genre but it serves just as that in my eyes. I feel like, okay cool I've heard this, now time to move on with life.

Back in 2019 I went and saw Childish Gambino at Lollapalooza in Chicago. The park was packing to the brim and all the way on the opposite side of the park was Tame Impala. In between some songs, you could briefly hear Kevin's hits as Gambino got ready for his next song. This summarizes my experience with Tame Impala. I have never been able to fully immerse myself in his style fully and this album is just further away from what I could fully enjoy. I hear his stuff around, and people seem to like it and sometimes I like a certain song or part but overall I find it almost disorienting to listen to. This album capitalizes on that. Lots of drawn out instrumentals, which is common for him, but I find a portion of them here rather annoying unfortunately. Hopefully this is just a stumble and not a sign of his future.

By far his weakest album. "Issa Album" had some lows, but this thing is pretty consistently subpar besides a few key moments and "GANG OVER EVERYTHING". Coincidentally, Metro Boomin features on this, and he does bring a lot to the table in terms of quality. A lot of the production on this tries to feel like "a lot" but doesn't deliver in the same way. Don't get me started on 21's lyrics on this. Practically every song, he is dropping some ridiculous line like asking a girl not to suck the tip of his dick because it tickles. He's known for some crazy bars, but some of his most head-scratching are scattered across this thing.