Just Until.... EP - Cordae: Review
Cordae
is a Maryland based rapper who has emerged in the last few years as one of the most lyrically gifted young MCs in hip hop. He was originally one third of the YBN trio but since scoring a XXL freshman slot and releasing a highly acclaimed debut album he has dropped the YBN from his name and started to release solo material. Just Until is a 4 track EP meant to tide fans over until the release of Cordae's second album later this year.
Review By Lav:
I really enjoyed Cordae's debut album in 2019 and he's been on my singles of the year list for three years straight with his J Cole response track, Bad Idea and last years The Parables. He has displayed a strong talent for cohesive tracks with excellent narrative focus and witty lyricism but is no slouch when it comes to making hard-hitting and fun tracks as well. This versatility and high level of execution has made him one of the most exciting artists out right now in any genre and Just Until builds even further upon both his hype and his versatility.
The four track EP kicks off with More Life a eerie, spacey old school rap cut with a Q-Tip hook that fits perfectly. While his reserved delivery was a bit of a head scratcher at first compared to the forward performance Cordae gives one the verses, it grew on me with consecutive listens. Cordae is his normally excellent self over the verses spitting some great bars about Kyrie and Naomi with an ultra reliable flow. Dream In Color has a bit of a sweeter instrumental with some gorgeous vocal samples. Speaking of gorgeous Cordae is singing the hook himself and I mean SINGING. I had no idea he had these kind of vocals in him and he quite literally puts half the current R&B singers to shame with one hook. While the verses don't necessarily blow me away they're certainly solid and the hook is more than enough for me to totally fall in love with it all.
Wassup is the EP's banger and it certainly bangs. Cordae teams up with Young Thug to trade off portions of a slick hook and a pair of cutthroat verses. Thugger ditches his normal auto-tune soaked sound to match Cordae with confident, hard-hitting flows. The only real issue I have with the track is the disparity of lyrical performances as Thugger is confidently spitting some poop bars on the song, but aside from that I'm digging it. Thornton Street is the last track here and it may be my favorite of the bunch. It brings a gospel inspired instrumental that would have totally fit in on his debut album. It also brings a great lyrical narrative all about Cordae's mother. He reflect on his upbringing and how much she sacrificed for him. While he is far from the first rapper to do this he brings his own introspection and great performance that helps it stand out in the absolute best way.
Just Until delivers 4 great tracks that thrive with Cordae's versatility at their core. In just four tracks he delivers an old school slick hip hop cut, a contemporary trap banger, an R&B crossover and a narratively impressive finale, each of which is as good as the last. This EP on its own is enough to show why Cordae is a once in a generation talent and drum up plenty of hype for his new record, but even if these tracks don't make the cut they are well worth exploring on their own and are a part of one of modern hip hop's most impressive young discographies. 8.5/10
For more Cordae check out my review of his debut album here
