Faiyaz hops in and out of his own comfort box to drop hints of what's to come while reminding you of what makes him who he is.
Clocking in at less than 30 minutes, Faiyaz had a clear objective for Fuck the World: experiment with new sounds while displaying what he does best.
The project reaches otherworldly heights when he pursues that objective of combining experimental sounds with his proven lyricism and natural vocal talent. Sadly, a handful of tracks snatch you back to earth when Faiyaz decides to go back to relying strictly on his noted strengths.
There's an intense scene in the first Bad Boys movie where Mike is in the passenger seat while Marcus tries to outrace the movie's bad guy, and after Marcus successfully drives like Mike has begged him to throughout the film, Mike looks and screams, "Now that's how you supposed to drive! From now on, that's how you drive!"
Replace the word "drive" with "sing" and you have my exact reaction to Brent Faiyaz during the highpoints of Fuck the World.
Songs like "Clouded", "Been Away", "F**k the World(Summer in London) and "Lost Kids Get Money" are the evolution of Brent Faiyaz from a smooth-voiced singer with relatable toxic lyrics that you play for one specific vibe to a smooth-voiced singer with relatable toxic lyrics that you play no matter the circumstance.
For example, on "Clouded" Faiyaz gives his fans all the harmonic yet hard-hitting lines that they fell in love with through bars like, "Her niggas wanna be me, but they don't know I'm fighting demons/I feel like I'm dyin' every season/I've been swimming in the deep end". He then drills home his unapologetically real subject matter with another jab to the gut to make sure you feel him, singing "All my bitches know I'm leavin' at some point/Whether there's a reason or not/Don't try givin' me reasons to stop".
Throughout the project, Faiyaz shows constant flashes of someone who could become the voice of male R&B, but occasionally he resorts back to his comfort zone of his voice and lyrics over a stripped production.
The best example of this comes on "Rehab (Winter in Paris)". From the opening lines of "I got too many hoes, but they ain't you", it's clear Faiyaz has a hit on his hands. He addresses a common theme of being unable to prioritize love over other interests, and he even throws in a line that half the world can run with online, "If you ain't nasty, don't at me".
Brent delivers both through his pen and his voice, but as great as the song is, the production fumbles the song of its hit status as it will likely not receive the recognition it deserves.
It's the same lone complaint I had with Jorja Smith's debut album Lost & Found; the singing and songwriting are too good for the production to serve as nothing more than background noise.
Music that should be heard by the masses will be cast aside because a simplified beat can't keep the listener's attention.
It's a nonissue if the goal of Brent Faiyaz is to only have his cult following, but his experimentation on the majority of the project suggests he wants more. And considering how well the product was on the songs he did step out of his box, Faiyaz's cult following may only have a few more months until they lose their favorite to R&B superstardom.
Final Score: Giannis Antetokounmpo Jump Shot/10
Liked the article? Leave a like, share or join the team and subscribe to SoundSports. A comparative column complimenting this review will drop this Thursday.
Comments