Rapper ‘Roddy Ricch’ dropped his debut album “Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial”, this past Friday. He created hype around the album by including mystery features on the tracklist. As the first Roddy Ricch album, and my 3rd time listening to his music, I made sure to be very analytical. Not only of his music but the structure of it as well. There were a handful of positives as well as negatives. The question is: how good was the album overall?
Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial
The album contained 16 simple songs. The songs followed the same formula. There were some strays on the album, (PETA, Tip Toe, and a couple more) but for the most part, they all sound like a “Roddy Ricch song.” The album starts off very strong with hit after hit. There is a peak at song #9 and from there returns to an average album. A lot of the beat selection, vocals, and lyrical themes remain the same throughout the album. It becomes draining for the listener after hearing the same thing over and over again. Rappers who tend to rap about the same topic, cover up the issue with great beats. It’s clear Roddy has found his niche and stuck to it with the beats he chooses to rap on. With that being said, the beats are not BAD, just predictable.
The songs in which Roddy attempted to stray away from his usual formula, are fantastic! They are all songs with features on them. Roddy works GREAT with other artists. How T-Pain does or how Rick Ross did when he first became extremely popular. You could throw Roddy on most songs and he wouldn’t do anything but make it better. His song “Start wit Me” featuring Gunna, is so effortlessly done. You can barely notice the transition between Roddy and Gunna in the song unless focusing on their vernacular. His ability to flow with almost any artist makes him versatile and will overall increase his longevity in the rap game.
Roddy Ricch’s “Pain Music” is what really draws my attention. It seems to be a trend for rappers to express pain to their listeners. It shows the hardships they’ve gone through to make it to that point. Artists like Rod Wave, NBA Youngboy, and others have made a name for themselves by opening up and venting about how difficult life has been. Roddy does that and speaks directly to those who have struggled and found a way out. Songs like “Prayer to the Trap God” and “War Baby”, avidly express his pain in the last few years.
Too Similar
To conclude, the album was good but most of the songs seem to be forgettable. They’re too similar. I think Roddy is a great and talented artist, however, he needs to try to switch it up a bit. He clearly has areas where he thrives and areas where he doesn’t. It’s an artist’s job to balance those things out and come up with the best possible form of themselves.
