This Week In Music
Welcome back to Sound Bite! This week I’ll be covering three major album releases that I think everyone should listen to. Musically this has been one of my favorite weeks so far, so I can’t wait to jump into what could possibly be the most stacked Sound Bite yet.
First we have a huge release in the modern Metal and Rock scene with Linkin Park releasing their first project since 2017 after their lead singer, Chester Bennington, tragically passed away. The album, entitled “From Zero,” is a testament to the band’s lasting legacy and staying power even after all the recent controversy surrounding their new lead singer.
It’s a strong entry in their catalog and I am honestly very impressed. So much of what I would consider the Linkin Park sound came from Chester, and when he passed away I wasn’t sure they would ever be able to recapture that. What I think they are doing here is very smart, they’re not recapturing anything. Instead, they are moving forward. It’s a solid album and if you have any interest I would highly recommend checking it out.
Denzel Curry is a name you wont hear me shut up about. I believe him to be one of the most consistently impressive and talented artists of the modern rap era, and he has been for quite some time. I wouldn’t call him an up and comer or the future of rap, but I would definitely say he deserves his flowers. His latest project, “KING OF THE MISCHIEVOUS SOUTH,” just proves that.
It’s essentially an expansion of his previous mixtape that he released this summer, but it’s improved in almost every way. It’s loud, it’s aggressive and it’s got some of the best features I’ve heard on any rap album this past year. Curry takes some bold creative choices on this album, and every last one of them work. It’s a throwback and look into the future. If you have the time I could not recommend it more.
Cordae also just released a highly anticipated album that he’s been in the process of rolling out for quite some time. “The Crossroads” is a powerful testament to the growth Cordae has gone through in the past couple years. From his charismatic flows to his layered lyricism Cordae has carved himself out a solid place in the rap scene. On top of this, the album boasts fantastic features from the likes of Lil Wayne, Anderson. Paak, Ty Dolla $ign and many more.
I’d like to highlight a few tracks off the album in particular since I think there are a few standouts. Starting with “Saturday Mornings (feat. Lil Wayne),” a track that not only highlights Cordae’s lyricism but his ability to expertly weave features into his songs. A Lot of times in rap you’ll hear something about a feature “stealing a song.” With Cordae, and a select few other artists, it’s different. They are masters at weaving features into their songs and making it all flow smoothly. Another track that really stood out to me was “06 dreamin.” Something about the production combined with the song’s tone really stood out to me, so if you’re looking for a place to dive into the album I don’t think there’s any better spot.
