All of a sudden there's quite a few EPs to be covered and we're pretty light on new records this week. So let's handle some recent short-form projects from the world of hip hop.
RED & WHITE EP - Lil Uzi Vert
It's no secret that I've been a pretty big critic of some of Uzi's music in the past but at the very least I can say that one of their most enjoyable projects to date was technically the most recent one not counting his collaboration with Future. Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World 2 remedied many of the big problems I had with Eternal Atake, namely much stickier hooks and many features that helped make up for some of Uzi's shortcomings as both a rapper and singer. So I was a little suspicious going into this nearly 30 minute EP once I saw that Uzi is handling the entirety of vocal duties by themself. Thankfully both the production and songwriting here are better than on EA and while I think there is still some distance between Uzi and their biggest contemporaries in hip hop right now, I could get used to this improved quality standard. Saying that this style of melodic trap follows a "formula" is almost a cliché in itself at this point but these songs do start to unfold in a very familiar way as they go on though Uzi does manage an appealing mix of genuinely funny and kind of ridiculous lyrics throughout, often accompanied by silly vocal inflections. Strangely I find that this project is the opposite of many previous Uzi albums where I like the spacier songs much more than the bangers, almost all of which is due to the production which really has taken a step forward with a solid roster of producers in tow. Just in case you thought this was a different artist entirely reading the description I gave of the project, there are still plenty of terrible goofy hooks and awful sexual bars, many of which come up on Cigarette and in between funnier and better lines on Glock In My Purse. There aren't many songs that I absolutely LOVE in the tracklist, but there also aren't that many huge duds either and honestly compared to most of Uzi's records, I'll take it. 6/10
Doechii is a name I first saw floating around a few times but never really paid that close attention to until she was picked as a XXL Freshman earlier this year and impressed throughout. She was one of a few artists I decided I would keep my eyes on for their next project, so here we go. This new EP which comes out via Top Dawg Entertainment features two singles released earlier this year that I already liked going into the project. What I wasn't prepared for was Swamp Bitches. the insane, multi-faceted, grimy and futuristic banger that kicks this whole EP off and features killer performances from both Doechii and Rico Nasty. It's SUCH a good start to the EP that she could really coast the rest of the way and still have a solid collection of tracks but she certainly isn't content to do that. One of the things that surprised me about the rest of the songs here is how generally reserved they are, even occasionally lustful and romantic but Doechii makes the transition pretty smoothly. The production across the board doesn't really impress me as much as it does on the opening track but boy her performances sure do. Particularly on the underrated This Bitch Matters which sees her dialing back the intensity a lot but still maintaining tight control of the song. Also obviously worth mentioning is the SZA feature given that she turns heads wherever she turns up. Thankfully she isn't here to take over the song but mostly just to provide a very fluid compliment to its silky R&B style. I like this EP a lot and it has me really excited for Doechii's eventual debut album because if she can pull off this level of versatility and quality on an album-length project it has the chance to be something really special. 8/10
Hip Hop 50. Vol. 1 - DJ Premier
This is the first in a series of EP's executive produced by Nas to celebrate the history of hip hop and it's various styles through the lens of some of the genre's most talented producers. Premier's collection of songs serves up a throwback style of conscious hip hop but one that still maintains a hard-hitting demeanor, brought in spades by the various features that pop up along the way. JoeyBada$$ kicks the whole project off with a confrontational and swagger-filled feature full of classic hip-hop references that serve as an excellent beginning for the EP and the whole series as a whole really. The second track features Rapsody who I have been DYING to hear more from for a while and she delivers even if I think the bass in the beat is a bit distracting from both her and Remy Ma's vocal performances. Of course Nas himself shows up here on a break fest right in the middle of the project that certainly goes hard and probably could have been snuck into one of the Kings Disease records without standing out too bad. Even if I'm not crazy about El-P's performance on the track sporting an RTJ feature but it's more than made up for by the standout performances from both Slick Rick and Lil Wayne on the EP's excellent closing track. This is a great start to this project and while it would be hard for each consecutive EP to be able to maintain the level of talent involved it's a good sign that the series is in good hands with Nas and the dozens of creative musicians willing to collaborate with him. 8/10
Bodboy EP - Bobby Shmurda
If you don't know the story of Bobby Shmurda I am certainly not the best girl to fill you in but it's safe to say that even as a middle schooler it was impossible to escape his virality as an artist during his peak. While the hype maintained itself for a surprisingly long time once he was released from prison this first full project comes months later where it seems like a lot fewer listeners are interesting in what Bobby is doing. Some of that might have something to do with the very inconsistent quality of some of the singles released in the lead up to this and those issues certainly carry onto the EP proper. These songs are STIFF with refrains that get beaten absolutely to death and more fractions of pieces than actual structure that results in complete songs. The best songs here are the bangers, and I mean the real bangers because pretty much every song here attempts to hit hard but it's often fumbled with weird refrains or obnoxious beats. If this very VERY specific style of music is your kind of thing I could see you enjoying some of the tracks here but it's a pretty inconsistent bunch. 4.5/10
