Scrim – A Man Rose from the Dead

What’s up everybody! I’m hoping y’all are safe, healthy, and happy. I forgot to post on Saturday, so I think I’ll be changing to another schedule yet again. Tuesdays have consistently been good for me so I’ll keep that date. As for the other time in the week, it will be random so I can test out some times. Just a quick update and here’s the review:

The $UICIDEBOY$ is one of the most prominent duos in the entire underground rap scene. The New Orleans duo has thrived off their shadow rap mixtapes and projects, cementing their reputation and also maintaining their obscurity for 6 years now. One half of the duo released his first individual studio album 4 days ago titled A Man Rose from the Dead.

Much of the lyrical content stays with the repertoire of the duo, including angsty acts, excessive drug use, and representing brands. By himself, Scrim definitely sings with autotune much more than a normal $UICIDEBOY$ project. Analyzing every track on this album would be extremely redundant so I will only point out some notables. After four tracks of fairly predictable material, Feel It Too (It’s Too Much) contains only singing as Scrim yearns for a past significant other. Obviously, there are still some druggy lyrics about numbing the pain, but this is definitely a more purely emo-love track on the record. The next track follows a similar sound, but then He Got Game changes back into the usual lyrics with a catchy, short-syllable flow. For the next few tracks, Scrim builds on the autotune sound with no significant additions or noteworthy nuances or lyrics. Track 10 Nightmare on the Northside is definitely a noticeable trap banger that closely resonates with the $UICIDEBOY$ sound that we all know and love. His lower register is honestly just a much better vocal choice than his increasingly annoying “singing.” Side Effects sees a little bit of introspection, talking about seeing the shame in his Dad’s eyes and Scrim’s thoughts on his family. Nothing extremely personal, but I don’t remember the last time any one of them rapped about anything too serious (even though I am sure they have). Fight Club (Psychosis) gave me some high expectations with its title, but nothing too conceptual took place here. I know I shouldn’t be expecting anything, but I think the duo does have that potential. The track is more aggressive with a Soundcloud rap vibe, but with a better mix now. PTSD talks about Scrim’s past trauma and taking a responsible approach and not blaming his parents. Then, El Guerro starts with an intro snippet from an interview with NOLA.com discussing normalized violence in New Orleans. The lyrics portray heavy imagery of that mentioned violence. The second to last track is another autotune love track and the last track ends the project with drug problems.

Honestly, I did expect more from this project as I was a $UICIDEBOY$ fan a few years ago. There is nothing spectacularly different here that Scrim brings to the table as an individual artist. I appreciate his trying to branch out to different sounds, but I don’t know if this is the right path. The autotune became redundant, and the tracks that stuck with me used techniques that I am used to and already love. Even the recent duo project Stop Staring at the Shadows was a more enjoyable listening experience.

Below Average Album: 4.8

Favorite tracks: Nightmare on the Northside

Least Favorite: Most of the autotune songs