Two projects in, the 19-year-old Alabama rapper sounds like a budding trap star
An endless amount of memorable freestyled similies paired with hard production and a trademarked flow makes TLE Cinco's sophomore album worth the listen.
Although not on the level of 20Cinco, Self Conscious displays the 19-year-old Alabama rapper settling into his own as a budding trap star capable of making a listener laugh, fear or become energized on a line-by-line basis. This ability matched with his rapid punch-in, freestyle delivery and the project's chosen production makes for a good amount of aux material.
However, the project shines brightest when Cinco strays from his normal sound to deliver a less raw product on tracks like "Touched", "Fastlane", "Pain", "My Thoughts" and "Nov 26th".
The change of pace allows Cinco to switch from his common themes of Percs, flexes and threats to more specific subjects like knowing he had to get rich after watching his grandfather prepare drugs on "Fastlane", why he refuses to settle down on "Nov 26th" and talk about his inner battles on "Pain".
The changes in pace may be the highlights of the project, but make no mistake, the pace still has its must-replay moments.
On his track "Kill Em" from 20Cinco, Cinco raps "straight out the head, think I wrote this," promoting his choice of freestyle recording.
A practice popularized by the likes of Jay-Z and Lil Wayne, it can be both a blessing and a curse, as it creates a noticeable tree of content that can either spark a brand of rap and subjects or grow tired on audiences.
Both occur on "Self Conscious", as the project feels about three songs too long. But when it works, it really works.
Tracks like "Hold On", "Pop S**t", "Recipe", "Fix the Mic" and "Cash Right" display TLE Cinco doing what TLE Cinco does best--bring energy, flow through similies and drop off lines that make you rewind.
Slight humor is the best promotion of his braggadocious bars, as he drops off lines like "bitch, I'm official like three refs" on "Recipe" and "If I ain't rich, then I'm finna be/fuck alphabet, I been a G" on "Vixen".
Whether he sticks to delivering large bundles of aux material or chooses to fully embrace the change of pace he showed on Self Conscious, TLE Cinco is here to stay in the trap rap subgenre.
Final Score: DeAaron Fox/10
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