Future Proof EP - Erick The Architect: Review
Erick The Architect
is a member of acclaimed hip hop trio Flatbush Zombies. He's served as producer for much of their material but his solo material since breaking out has been reserved to beat tapes. Coming off a pair of acclaimed singles last year Erick saw fit to drop his first collection of fully fleshed out songs on this 5 track EP.
Review By Lav:
Even though the Zombies studio material hasn't completely knocked me off my feet like some of their early mixtapes did the trio have consistently released plenty of quality tracks nearly every time they drop anything, which included a solid EP and pretty great single last year with James Blake on production. Erick has always been a prominent voice in their music as a rapper and as a producer so I was excited to hear what he had to offer as a solo artist especially after enjoying his singles last year. While nothing on the EP totally blew me away it is a solid set of tracks that manage to cover a variety of thematic topics with pinpoint consistency.
We got the first taste of this EP last year with a pair of tracks released as singles and I enjoyed them both. WTF is a politically sharp song with a pessimistic approach. Erick does a pretty good job at explaining why he feels that way however by addressing social and economic inequalities that certainly elicit the songs title on a regular basis. It does all this without falling into cliches and the result is pretty fantastic. Let It Go is one of the most mature rap songs I've ever heard Erick on as he and Loyle Carner address their place in the world with Erick focusing on family and Loyle musing on fame. The song has some poignant observations lyrically that make up for the beat being a bit on the plain side. While the hook is well performed I don't find it all that memorable, despite that the clear highlight is meant to be the verses and they deliver.
The other three track here are similarly solid with some minor flaws but it all adds up to a pretty good listen. I Can't Lose is a good opener with Erick spitting confidently optimistic bars about his future as a rapper with a fittingly upbeat instrumental alongside. The bars and the performance are impressive and the EP wastes no time with this good start. Die 4 U is a genuinely charming love song that embodies its evocative title completely. Erick feels genuine in his lyricism and affection and the hook matches perfectly. The song is pretty reserved sonically but it doesn't make it any less memorable for me. Finally the closing track Selfish is the closing track and it reminds me a ton of 2000's era conscious hip hop. With a piano led instrumental and R&B style hook I could imagine Common hoping on this track easily. While that style certainly ran its course Erick does a good job embodying it with more lyricim that focuses on the influences and guiding principles that lead him to making the music he makes. It's a compelling closer from a lyrical standpoint and a pretty enjoyable closer.
Future Proof is a really enjoyable collection of songs. While Erick doesn't do anything here we've never heard from him before he executes well across the entire project and recruits a number of pretty good guests. I would love to hear a full project from him at some point in the future but on this EP he proved he can effectively hold his own as a solo artist and added a few great tracks to his ever growing discography. 7.5/10
Album Cover Review By Tyler Judson:
