Disclaimer: This article is not a review; its sole purpose is to serve as a time-saving element to anyone who is curious about the latest DJ Khaled album. If you're anything like me, you aren't trying to listen to a Khaled album from beginning to end. With that in mind, in an attempt to fulfill my journalistic responsibility of being a public servant, I compiled a track-by-track synopsis of all 15 songs accompanied by a grouping of either play, skip or save.
Track 1: Holy Mountain(ft.Buju Banton, Sizzla, Mavado & 070 Shake)
Like a person making sure the 45's slam as loud as possible against each other in the gym before their set, the opening track of the album is less of a song and more of a tone-setter. With the combination of Jamaican artists and 2018 breakout star 070 Shake, 'Holy Mountain' is a song you visit for the feeling it provides rather than the lyrical content it contains. The most shining aspect of the song is the Bill Boyo 'One Spliff a Day' sample, but SiR's 2018 track 'D'Evils' did the sample too much justice for this song to shine to anyone who has heard that version.
Category: Play
Track 2: Wish Wish(ft. Cardi B & 21 Savage)
Tay Keith production is always worth noting. This track has playlist potential, which I assume is the goal of every track on this album. Cardi B growls and flows her way through a hook that only she can pull off and somehow turns a forgettable verse into a head-nodding one through her eccentric delivery. 21 Savage hilariously starts his verse off by doing a 180 on the rap community's message on buying property then goes on to check all the boxes of a 21 Savage verse. Gang shoutout. Gun personification. Unique threats that make you think he has someone in mind.
Category: Play
Track 3: Jealous(ft.Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, Big Sean)
This is the one. Not the one as in the best song on the album but the one as in the 'I'm the One' record of the album. Thanks to the lively production, Chris Brown vocals and a simple performance Lil Wayne, 'Jealous' is the song that every radio station will abuse throughout the summer. Big Sean's verse goes a little too hard for the purpose of this song and serves as a glimmer of hope for any fans of the Detroit native. Nevertheless, 'Jealous' is the radio fluff record that everyone will have unintentionally memorized come fall.
Hint for any DJ Khaled song: The longer he talks the more successful he thinks the song will become.
Category: Skip, the radio will play it enough.
Track 4: Just Us(ft.SZA)
Since the release of her classic debut album, CTRL, 'Just Us' is SZA's first song as the lone artist. As the title suggests, 'Just Us' is a classic "us against the world story" but with an SZA twist, meaning sex and complications come into play. On paper that sounds like a basis of great content, but the mood SZA sets are lost with each Khaled adlib. Overall, unless you're a major SZA fan, this song isn't much to like twice at.
Category: Skip, unless you really missed SZA.
Track 5: You Stay(ft. Meek Mill, J Balvin, Lil Baby & Jeremih)
I imagine DJ Khaled lowering the music and letting everyone know, "this one's for the all the ladies in the building." The sampling of the powerful Spanish record 'No me Conviene' by India sets the tone of the track from the beginning, as the song details a woman who has to come to grips that she has been cheated on and now has to move away from him. J Calvin, Jeremih, Lil Baby and Meek Mill then fuse their verses to finish the deal, saying everything a woman needs to hear to breakup with their man.
"I think you do too much for someone who don't do shit for you"
"This ain't the way love supposed to feel"
"Baby you can shake that/Hit the gym and get your shape back"
'You Stay' is a woman's leave your man record, but Khaled wants her to dance her way out the door.
Category: Save
Track 6: Celebrate(ft. Travis Scott & Post Malone)
I have been spearheading the "give Travis Scott a break" movement, as he has become the Stephen A. Smith of features, but Travis isn't half-asleep on this track. Scott gives an energetic hook and, albeit an eight-line verse, displays some of his more impressive rap wordplay of recent. The double entendre of the line, "Outgrew my faded T, I guess we made it out Atlanta" references Scott's past relationship with Atlanta rapper TI and is a look back at how far he has come. The song in its entirety follows the theme of patting yourself on the back and flipping off anyone who didn't believe in you.
Category: Play
Track 7: Higher(ft. Nipsey Hussle and John Legend)
This is literally the one, the song on the album that will play and spark heartfelt emotions for generations to come. Whether you know of Nipsey Hussle or not, the profound nature of his ability to tell a story and make a listener feel said story will push this song and his legacy for years to come. Pairing the hardness of Nipsey Hussle with John Legend's angelic approach and choir background vocals easily make 'Higher' one of the most powerful songs of the last few years.
Category: Save, a legitimate contender for song of the year.
Track 8: Won't Take My Soul(ft. Nas & CeeLo Green)
Per usual, CeeLo Green makes for a great feature, as he effortlessly sings his way through the soulful hook. However, as DJ Khaled's one adlib on the track suggests, 'Won't Take My Soul' isn't much more than a filler track with a legendary cast. Nas lackadasically coasts his way through his first verse, lightly scratching the surface love, pain and fatherhood. The second verse gives far more substance, as Nas wishes he had a business partner in his prime like some of his legendary peers.
Category: Skip
Track 9: Weather the Storm(ft. Meek Mill & Lil Baby)
Based solely off the artists featured on the song, the category of 'Weather the Storm' can be predicted. Meek Mill and Lil Baby live up to their names, as they go bar-for-bar on the subject of the prison system. Tracks like this are why producer albums should get any true fan of music excited. Some of the music industry's top artists get paired on the same beat, and the end result of that subconscious competition is motivated verses. Both Meek Mill and Lil Baby prove to be fully motivated, making up one of the surefire best songs on the album.
Category: Save
Track 10: Big Boy talk(ft. Jeezy & Rick Ross)
This song is, in fact, all 'Big Boy Talk'. There isn't much to breakdown here. Regardless of whoever you may be, Jeezy and Rick Ross are richer and have been in the streets longer than you.
Category: Play
Track 11: Freak N You(ft. Lil Wayne & Gunna)
The Jodeci sample alone automatically garners a play, but, if not, the interest of what a Lil Wayne and Gunna pairing can do over it should push you to press play. Despite his verse being primarily lighthearted, Wayne bodies Gunna on this song. Lyrically, Gunna shows up, but delivery wise his verse is too slow and throws off the feel of the song. Lil Durk would have been the perfect substitution for Gunna on this song. Khaled let me A&R next summer's album. Nevertheless, the sample and great playful verse from Lil Wayne is enough to make up for Gunna's weak appearance.
Category: Play
Track 12: Top Off(ft. Jay-Z, Future & Beyonce)
No.
Category: Skip
Track 13: No Brainer(ft. Justin Beiber, Chance the Rapper & Quavo)
Touché DJ Khaled, by placing them back-to-back, I now have to address both of these songs. Putting 'Top Off' and 'No Brainer', two songs that released over a year ago, on the album is essentially a sales security blanket for DJ Khaled, seeing as how both performed well in 2018. Based on the strength of those songs alone there is no way Father of Asahd could flop. Think Drake including 'Hotline Bling', a throwaway track turned iconic, at the end of Views, or Travis Scott putting 'Butterfly Effect' on the backend of Astroworld. Even the biggest artists in the world sacrifice the overall content of their album for the appearance of large sale numbers.
Category: Skip
Track 14: Thank You(ft. Big Sean)
Everyone should be intrigued by the return of Big Sean. After two mediocre albums, a lost beef, the end of a relationship, a noted battle with mental health and a two-year hiatus, Big Sean has all the ammunition to have the biggest comeback of 2019 and replace his name next to some of rap's biggest names. 'Thank You' should further that intrigue, as Big Sean puts his best quality on full display as he smoothly transitions through flows and deliveries.
Category: Save
Track 15: Holy Ground(ft. Buju Banton)
The album ends with the same Jamaican feel it started with. Buju Banton caps the album off well, rapping about oppression and the hopes of a better future. Banton raps pleading lines like, "Let not another generation face this evil oppression," that leaves a lasting impression. This song may not be for everyone, but the touching verse from Banton makes the song worth a listen.
Category: Play