Smino and the Creation of Scat Rap: Blkswn (Album Review)

Blkswn itself caught me off guard. Each song on the album sounds completely different from the last. Wild Irish Roses is a sleepy, chilled song with Smino riding the track and occasionally bouncing over the beat like a trumpet. Maraca reminds me of OutKast/Dungeon family track with endless allusions to other popular culture icons and witty metaphors with chopped verses with onomatopoeias like an audio comic book.

My recent favorite song has been Glass Flows were Smino teams with singer Ravyn Lenae and its an amazing duet. The beat is hypnotic with Smino singing a soothing falsetto and Ravyn’s soprano is graceful and gentle even about a song about a break-up. Flea Flicka brings in Smino’s first rapping cameo from Bari, which sounds like they just had fun freestyling with each other on a catchy, bouncy, and fun beat. Spitshine is an amusing tribute to fellatio with as many ridiculous analogies for oral sex I ever heard. It’s super lighthearted and Smino’s background vocals are pretty great.

Netflix & Dusse seems like the perfect song to have Chance return to his Acid Rap rhyme scheme days with Smino repurposing his lost Living Single verse with an amazing breakdown/harmonies towards the end. He also has a phone conversation with his “PawPaw” that is very humanizing. Anita is another fun, bouncy beat with a touchtone phone building the instrumental. It’s a great sunny instrumental and declaration to a female friend.

Lobby Kall is definitely another musically excellent song that sounds like everyone playing around in the studio while trying to pick a girl up. Smino just sounds like he’s having a great time the entire album. Edgar Allen Poe’d Up is a drunken night out with friends as Smino talks about the cycle of drinking, smoking, and sex even though he wants to stop that lifestyle. theMIND has an interesting verse about being emotionally unavailable all while singing/rapping with drunken hiccups. Father Son Holy Smoke is a supremely jazzy song with the layers and bass that are employed here. Smino also double times his rhyming creating a great lyrical pocket to enjoy.

B Role is an amazing showcase of Smino’s talents as he approaches a little to try to get her and her ladies friends to come hang. You can hear the OutKast vibe and feel the trunk rattling during his braggadocios verse. Blkoscars ft. Jay 2 is a good lyrical exercise between the two emcees no matter how questionable Jay 2’s name is. It’s not my favorite track but is fine.

Blkswn slows down the tempo, sings, raps, and brags about how he’s grown and his successes extrapolating his name into various ridiculous names that gave me a chuckle. Long Run ft. Via Rose was a track that blew my mind as he reflects about the pain from growing up in St. Louis. It is reminiscent of early Lupe/Kanye with gorgeous vocals for Via saying that we were supposed to be there for the long run. It’s a great contrast but heartbreaking hearing the pain in his voice towards the end of the song saying this country isn’t for us.

Innamission is a short track sounding like a GoldLink cameo would be perfect and a quick bouncy song to perform live. Silk Pillows ft. Akenya is another sex jam, talking about sipping E&J and having Silk Pillows to keep their hair nice. Akenya comes into the track with a nice jazz sing/rap voice that is warm and full of grace that I appreciated. Ricky Millions ft. Drea Smith is a slight extrapolation of My Boo that fits nicely right before Amphetamine finishes the album perfectly.

Amphetamine is a sleepy track that equal parts contemplative as it is train of thought. It’s an amazing song that secretly changes into a song called Krash Kourse ft. Bari, Jean Deaux, and my personal female MVP Noname. Noname completely steals the show talking about how her life has changed so much with her opening for Lauryn Hill and all the blessings she’s received. She closes the album thanking Jesus and a silky smooth outro.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with Smino’s album. I didn’t come in with high hopes or any expectations but was completely blown away. The musicality, the vocals, the features (personally I liked the ladies most), the mood, and cohesiveness of the album has made this easily one of my top five albums of 2017. I am super excited by Smino’s pure talent and want to hear more Scat Rap take over the airways. It’s light-hearted, interesting, and compelling music. Blkswn feels like preparing for a night out on the town with friends that ends up being a blast. Sometimes those are the best nights; the spontaneous nights that remind you why you are friends in the first place. Sometimes it’s the people, sometimes it’s the events, and sometimes everything just falls into place.

Turn Your Music Up!

#BeMagnificent🔆