#willie styles

::: LANA SEZ SUBMISSION :::

In the last few years it's not a secret that internet rap seems to have been given a genre of it's own. The internet has given a flavor to Hip Hop music born in gifs, memes and other markers of the platforms that youth are using these days.

Willie Starks' The SMOKE EP begins with a song called 'Blind' which was probably the most memorable of the 4 tracks. The song begins with a street prophet proclaiming that our "generation is blind." The song then slowly moves into a jazzy and airy melody that makes you feel like a city kid smoking blunts in the ride with the windows up. The rap style gives a likeness to the classic New York style and a resemblance to the punch-kick staccato style of up-and-comers like Joey Bada$$. The songs chorus is a self-aware shoutout to the new school, "I said see me in the streets and you see me online, sit on twitter all day talking about my third eye."

The tape gives reverence to the New York style with the Styles' ferocious rap style as well as weightless production by Tfye that almost makes me reminiscent of a Kush & OJ era Wiz Khalifa, with Styles' drug content it doesn't seem like too big of a stretch.

The third song of the EP "RJ Reynolds" starts with a quote from a tobacco representative about how they reserve smoking to the poor/black etc. Styles' rhymes hit hard with a sense of self-deprecation and the self-destruction of the weed-head lifestyle. The song's second verse ends with a listing of famous people (Barack Obama, Jay-Z, Michael Phelps, Steve Jobs) attributing their success to their affinity for marijuana. What could have been a powerful referential comes off as juvenile, kind of like getting caught smoking weed by your parents and trying to cover your ass.

Fallen Angel is an honest and vulnerable look into the struggles of the lower class, and one of Styles' best tracks. There's something about it that feels sincere, and makes me think that Willie Styles could jump use this platform to find his own lane.

All in all, the EP is a solid collection of weed smoking songs for the Tumblr era. I would suggest Willie Style's use this solid platform to branch out his style and separate himself from people like Joey Bada$$, don't crowd the lane.

Score: 7