Probably one of the more underappreciated albums of the current year, Minus the B******t Life’s Great sees producer Nascent managing to bring together the sounds of various rap and R&B artists in order to create a cohesive and mesmerizing project. Though these different vocalists appear uniquely throughout the record, giving it ever-changing ideas and feelings, the artists featured each are able to contribute in an incredibly effective manner to the instrumentals given and to the project as a whole.
Opener “Got Fired” takes a soulful approach, setting up the listener’s expectations production-wise. On the following track “Bottom Dollar,” a scat-influenced feature from C.S. Armstrong takes place over a likewise jazz-influenced instrumental. With the drums and the piano taking command, this one becomes an easy head-nod and a great vibe. Instrumental tracks pop up every now and then throughout the album, floating in between those backed by vocals. These songs are great not only individually, but also as interlude tracks or prelude tracks. For example, the two-parted “Lover Boy” plays great in sequence with the album and relieves the listeners ears in anticipation of a track including a vocal performance. I perceive this checkered manner of the record’s track listing to be an attractive and engaging quality, providing soothing excursions for producer-focused tracks. Admittedly, however, these are indeed some of the weaker tracks presented, with the audibly uninspired and directionless “I Be Doin Too Much (Interlude)” acting as an invariable skip. The smooth, warming singing of Orion Sun on the track “Forever” plays in beautiful contrast to the trap-focused, cowbell-enlisting production of the song. The most exciting track is the one which introduced me to the project itself, “Lock It Up” featuring DUCKWRTH and Saba. Being a huge fan of Saba’s incredibly introspective and personal 2018 album CARE FOR ME, I’ve followed his releases and features closely in anticipation of his next record. The progressions in production as well as first-rate execution by both DUCKWRTH and Saba on the track creates a recipe for one of my favorite songs to be released all year. Many of the rest of the songs are great chill songs, such as “Straight Forward.” The track “Caught Up” featuring Hamzaa, however, presents perhaps the most admirable and alluring singing throughout the album. Hamzaa’s tone of being unable to steer clear of toxic relationship partners (and feeling helpless as a result) carries weight, effectively serving as a message to listeners that may feel alone in thinking the same things. All in all, this project is excellent in previewing the skills and qualities of many performing artists, most notably of which is Nascent. Here’s to hoping that this project as well as notoriety from producing SZA’s “Good Days” will help Nascent become more recognized in the hip-hop community. Choice tracks from this album include “Lock It Up,” “Caught Up,” and “Forever.”
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AuthorEnrique Cardenas III Archives
November 2021
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