Album: 2 Alivë (Geëk Pack) Artist: Yeat Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap Sub-Genres: #MelodicRap #RageRap #WestCoastRap Label: Twizzy Rich
Non-Airable Tracks: The entire album is explicit, but a clean version of the album is available on all streaming platforms.
“Every time I didn’t give a shit, I still went number one” -Yeat, in ‘Rollin’
Earlier this month, Portland rapper Noah Smith, known famously by his stage-name, Yeat, released ‘2 Alivë (Geëk Pack),’ the deluxe-version of his album ‘2 Alivë,’ which was released in February. The April Fools release date matches up with what Yeat is known best for; the artist makes it known that he doesn’t take anything too seriously. One of his more well-known songs from the album, ‘On tha linë,’ starts with the lyric “how does he does it?” Initially, I found this lyric to be funny but after continuing to listen to music, I realized this lyric emphasizes just how self-aware he is. Despite flexing his seemingly-effortless style, his newest album stood at #1 worldwide immediately after dropping. Additionally, ‘2 Alivë (Geëk Pack)’ featured many major artists in the industry, including Young Thug, Gunna and Lil Uzi Vert. After listening to the entire album, the aspect that once made me laugh ended up becoming the reason I am so drawn to his sound. His “effortless” style is hard not to love.
The album begins with ‘Poppin,’ a track that truly embodies “rage rap.” The background reminds me of what might be a villain soundtrack in a cartoon or game complete with chunky bass sounds and low-energy vocals. This song sets up the album perfectly, providing listeners with a glimpse of what his sound is all about. It is clear that this unconventional combination of sound effects and styles is all intentional. Outsidë (with Young Thug) is the next track on the album. While Poppin is aggressive, Outsidë is much slower. The beat in this track feels full of nostalgia. Though the transition between the massively-different tracks seems difficult to execute, the shift from song to song feels well-calculated rather than choppy. After hearing just the first two tracks, it is clear to the listener that Yeat is extremely versatile in terms of his ability to utilize different styles.
Throughout the album, Yeat does a great job of creating his own new style, with the usage of his own lingo, his signature bell sound effects and more. Despite taking many musical risks, the artist leads with confidence and makes it seem like he’s been in the industry for ages. I found this to be particularly evident in ‘Rackz got më.’ The song featured Gunna, an artist who has been a major name in the rap scene for years. The song begins with a repeated bell sound effect, which is classic in Yeat’s music. I found it extremely interesting how seamlessly Gunna was included in the song. Typically, I feel that Gunna is able to overpower songs when he is featured but Yeat made it clear that this was his own song. Throughout the track, Gunna speaks in a hushed tone and imitates Yeat’s signature, low-energy vocals. I was impressed by the fact that Yeat was able to not only work alongside Gunna, an artist with such a large influence, but also incorporate him so well into his own unique style.
Overall, I highly recommend this album to anyone who listens to Ken Car$on, Playboi Carti, Future or any of the other artists featured on the album. The album has a really rare affect that is hard to identify. After the first listen, I didn’t understand why the album had gotten so much positive attention. However, as it got further from the first time I listened, I started to crave it and became more curious about it. Since then, I have been listening to 2 Alivë on repeat and the album has become one of my favorites this year.
Sounds Like: 1. Ken Car$on
2. Playboi Carti
3. Future
Recommended Tracks
Poppin
Luv möney (with Lancey Foux)
Nvr again
Gëek high (with Ken Car$on)
Reviewer’s Name: Grayson Lord
Date of Review: 04/25/2022