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Cordae - The Crossroads: REVIEW

 




What up y'all? It's ya boy Yxng Dxnzl wit' anotha of the dopest album reviews on the planet. Word is bond, we back in the spot, and today we dissectin' this new mainstream tape by this kid callin' hisself Cordae. This thing jus' released an' already everybody bumpin' son. But now we actually gonna play this tape n' see if he's cool like dat. Let’s break this tape down, track by track, y'all know how we do it here!







Intro


Aight, we kickin' things off with a hypnotic beat that got a lil’ mystique to it. Solid opener, producer settin' the vibe right.


---


06 Dreamin’


This joint startin' off kinda nice. Son. What's this beat tho? This beat's soft like a pillow fight, word. I ain't even know what son be doin' on that chorus, right off the bat this chorus on summa that marshmallow Hello Kitty tip. Lyrics kinda cohesive, yeah, but this monosyballic rhyme scheme ain’t hittin’. Son’s rappin’ about his grind comin’ up mainly, an' how his moms failed on American Idol. It’s cool, but nothin’ to call home about. We got this line "Explicit bars, but I swore I wrote the cleanest verse". Nah, that's a lame bar yo. I ain't even gonna front 'bout that one.


Beats: 3/10

Lyrics: 6/10


9/20


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Back on the Road ft. Lil Wayne

Okay, the beat finally woke up. Cordae droppin’ bars about the industry, callin’ it out an' sayin' stuff like "this music industry be fuckin' niggas like a damn prostitute". Kinda aight, but when you in the top 25 for the USA pop charts weekly, an' ya got 6.1 million subscribers on ya Spotify list, I ain't buyin' this mess, nahmean?


Son was doin' good tho', ain't gonna lie 'bout that, but then Wayne showed up soundin’ like he gaspin’ for air on the beat. Ayo, this rhyme scheme soundin' like Wayne done gone an' jacked it off rhymezone.com. I mean, we up in here soundin' like Darth Vader rappin'. We got:

"If he nosy, I'ma knock his nose off HUGGGHGHGGHHHH
If he holy, I'ma send his soul off HUGGHGGGHHHH
Trespass, then I'ma --"
AIGHT!! Enough of this, somebody, run n' get Wheezy his oxygen tank!!

All in all, Cordae's part on this track's aight, I ain't mad at it, but I'd pay Wayne money to not rap that way again, word.


Beats: 7/10

Lyrics: 5/10


12/20


---


Summer Drop ft. Anderson .Paak


This one's a kinda light beat with a sweet sample loopin’. Your boy once made a beat like this, witta vocal sample loopin' in the background. But the bass kicked a heckuva lot harder, ain't probably neva gonna release that thing tho'. Aight, 'nuff 'bout me. movin' on!!


Paak did his thing with a nice verse that paints a picture. Got me imagining his life when he was a kid n stuff. Cordae showin’ up light, but his verse works. This ain't too bad.


Beats: 6/10

Lyrics: 6/10


12/20


---


Nothing’s Promised


This one got a long intro that's a whole snoozefest. I don't be knowin' why the intro's so dang long, maybe son's DJ fell asleep at the controls playin' this n' Cordae had to run ova an' shake him awake "YO BRO, IT'S ALBUM TIME BRO!! WAKE YASELF UP BRO!! WHATCHA DOIN?!" You know, sum scene kinda like that. But I digress.


The beat on this joint feelin' like the same beat on the last few joints y'all. Then this wack bar steps up "Too many snakes in the grass, I'mma need fertiliser" Ayo, stop right there for a sec, b. You even be thinkin' 'bout a bar 'fore you puts that thing on wax son?? The lawn's got sum snakes, right son? Why you out here tryin' to enhance their habitat, b?! Ayo, check this out, this mess is kinda like Cordae hangin' wit' his homies sayin' stuff like "What up my boy, too many thugs 'round heah my boy, we finna staht a gun raffah in the hood boy". Ya even hearin' yaself, b?!


As for the quote, that ain't me, I just be imagining Cordae be soundin' like that when son talks. All them Maryland kids be soundin' like that, word.


Whateva this beat is son chose, it be soundin' like choirboy-made music. I ain't like this beat. Feels like sum DJ popped a perc an' tried samplin' country music, rap, an' some hymnals all in one. That sangin' stuff son did on the hook's mad misplaced. The lines 'bout helpin' out for Thanksgivin' also be comin' out mad irrelevant to me too, b. Endin's kinda soft, son's crooning "Don't you fly away, fly away, oh oh". Ugh. Why don't YOU fly away?!


Beats: 4/10

Lyrics: 4/10


8/20


---


Mad as Fuck


Witta a name like that, this joint better be bringin' the meat to the table. Ayo, guess what? It kinda does. Beat ain’t crazy, but it’s got life. That dumb bar on the hook tho'... "Say you love me? Well where my name? Get me tatted up". I ain't feelin' that bar, but otha than that, this hits pretty good. The flow son hopped on in part of the first verse was MAD smooth.


Aight. Part of this second verse here be feelin' like a sneak diss at Drake. Lemme write the lyrics here for y'all:


My young niggas stay with the motherfucking Drac' just like Adonis!

(Gunshot)

I don't fuck with these rap niggas, I think all of y'all some hoes

Feel like crashin' out like K-Dot if a nigga impose

Tryna steal all the sauce, nigga tryna take a young nigga flows

Why you mad? I don't fuckin' know"


Very interesting son. We sneak dissin' or what here? I ain't knowin' any problems Drake n' Cordae be havin', but that's kinda interestin', nahmean?


Beats: 7/10

Lyrics: 7/10


14/20


---


All Alone

Samplin' kinda awkward here. The beat's jus' summa that chaos, Cordae’s flow is scrambled eggs, and the message feels jumbled. I kinda get sum of what son's tryna tell me but it's mad scrambled. Maybe son meant it that way, who knows.


Beats: 3/10

Lyrics: 6/10


9/20


---


Never See It ft. Juicy J


Juicy came correct on the hook, but Cordae’s verse is kinda meh. This song a dry cracker, b. Ain't really nothin' to say here. Outro was cool, though.


Beats: 6/10

Lyrics: 5/10


11/20


---


Pray ft. Ty Dolla Sign


Ayo, is this mess house, b?! Ty Dolla be comin' in here soundin' like his usual croonin' wannabe Weeknd self, but yo fool, this beat soundin' STRAIGHT UP RIDICULOUS! The drums here's all wrong. Then we got "You can see the snakes when the grass low". Not a bad bar or anythin', but yo son, ya already got yours truly mad atcha afta the last snake in the grass bar. Why you wanna be rewindin' that shit, b?!


Aight, son be comin' wit summa these mad basic rhymin' schemes, an' can't figure out if he wanna rap or he wanna sing. Oh then we got this shoved-in bar:


"I can still see that ass from a mile away

Hate the way your sister act. Oh happy day!!"


I think son jus' threw that mess in cause he couldn't find any rhymes that actually be makin' some kinda sense there. Skip.


Beats: 4/10

Lyrics: 5/10


9/20


---


Don’t Walk Away ft. Jordan Ward, Ravyn Lenae


This thing already startin' out wrong. These unknown backseat rappers are croonin' an' whinin' over the beat like they summa the last members of the Little Lost Lamb tribe or sumthin' like that. An' then the rappin' is straight average. Cordae be soundin' like he's tryin' to audition as the Diet version of Opio from Souls of Mischief or sumthin'. This the type of song feelin' like the mess I'd be findin' in a schoolgirl's playlist. Or maybe it's background noise for them guys from California who be sippin' oat milk an' wearin' crochet hats, puttin' lil' ladybug gewgaws on their Crocs an' all. Whateva!


Beats: 2/10

Lyrics: 4/10


6/20


---


Saturday Mornings ft. Lil Wayne


Aight...I'm vibin' wit' the start of this. The samplin's great...the lyrics......ehhhhhh not so much. We got "Rap niggas lying through their teeth though, these are not veneers". I don't know what you was aimin' for son, but boy...you done missed.


Then Cordae comes out wit' the lamest, prissiest, sissiest bar I done heard the whole Hello Kitty dedication tape:


"Skipping through the airport but soon will hop on Lears"


Word is bond y'all, when son came out wit' that, I was imaginin' son gettin' his Roshan Fegan on, skippin' along through the airport like a lil' girl wearin' white leotards. Son wavin' his man-purse around while hummin' Hannah Montana showtunes...THAT AIN'T A GOOD IMAGE B!!


Then Wheezy, excuse me, Weezy, AKA Lil Wayne shambles into the track wit' summa these singsongy noises an' corny lyrics. Now I didn't waste y'alls time breakin' that mess down befo', but if you'll forgive a brotha, I'm fixin' to do it now:


"She give me real love with that fake ass

It fit me like a glove - OJ hands"


Uggggggghhhhhhhhh......I ain't even gonna think 'bout how this possible.


Then we got:


"I get more cameltoe than Arabs"


Wayne...that junk's unnecessary. Them poor Arabs, what the hell y'all.


"You standing on business, I'm a businessman"


Wayne's now the carpet I suppose.


This some serious wack bars up in here, how the mighty have fallen an' all a' that.


So that's the end of the song y'all. An' I just finished that song, an' I just realised, I don't even REMEMBER a single thing Cordae said on his verse. Ain't memorable at all, b. Word.


Beats - 5/10

Lyrics - 3/10


8/20


---


No Bad News ft. Kanye West


Jus' when I was thinkin' this joint couldn't get anymore mid, Kanye West AKA ShutthefuckupKanye and ThefuckswrongwithyouKanye, and FuckouttahereKanye, jumps in the mix. This verse soundin' way different from what son's been doin' recently. This feelin' too goo to be true. Kinda wonderin' if this summa that new AI mess or what.


Cordae then raps 'bout bein' rich. Meh. Kanye's hook soundin' dead. It just be feelin'....wrong. Like I just be feelin' bad vibes hearin' him, like somethin' ain't right here. Maybe the mental issues is comin' into the wax, I dunno. Skip.


Beats: 5/10

Lyrics: 4/10


9/20


---


Shai Afeni


A heartfelt track about his daughter, but it’s flatter than a brick wall. Same ol’ same ol’. Some girly samples on the intro kinda makin' this wack an' unserious.


Beats: 3/10

Lyrics: 7/10


10/20


---


What Really Matters


Aight. We still stuck in girly sample land, but yo, it's kinda brightenin' up. This one feelin' like the last track done all ova again, son. Nice sentiment I guess.


Beats: 5/10

Lyrics: 6/10


11/20


---


Syrup Sandwiches ft. Joey Badass


This track feelin' like a limp reed in the wind y'all. Cordae tryin’ to flex on here, but he don't even be soundin' like he believes what he be sayin' his own dang self an' didn't expect y'all to believe any of it either. Joey came in an' spit some of the illest mess on this album. Solid verse from him yo.


Edit: A full day later, I still remember Joey's verse.


Beats: 2/10

Lyrics: 7/10


9/20


---


Now You Know


Hook is corny, lyrics are decent. That’s it. Meh.


Beats: 3/10

Lyrics: 7/10


10/20


---


Two Tens ft. Anderson .Paak


Truth be told, this one's kinda well-made an' I'm vibin' wit it. Paak n' Cordae's up in here tradin' bars. The more we go on tho', the more I ain't feelin' this. Joint's like Gimme the Loot, Mr. Softie Version. Anderson Paak got the better verses, word. Track kinda feels like it gone nowheres tho'.


Beats: 6/10

Lyrics: 6/10


12/20


---


That was meh. Let's tally it up yo:


159/320

50%


I rounded up for son's benefit y'all. The real number's one of them irrational joints, summa that "0.496875" mess.


Aight. so this joint be feelin' mad average. Like I could tell son's tryin' to rap, but he jus' keeps comin' wit' all of this flowery mess, an' it's either gonna be feelin' like perfume's sprayin' out ya speakers or it's dry crackers, auditory version. An' I ain't talkin' 'bout no saltines neither, I'm talkin' the unsalted mess they give you in the hospital. This tape sum Keebler Club Crackers yo. Buy it if y'all like sumthin' to fall asleep to. Me, I ain't playin' this. I don't even remember what most of this was 'bout, nor what it sounded like a day later while I'm revisin' an' writin' this outro thingy. I'mma guess it sounded like dust n' quilts an' leave y'all wit' that. Peace!

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