It’s Not So Bad - KYLE
Intro:
KYLE is a famous rapper, singer & actor from California. He’s most recognized for his fun & playful rap style. After breaking out with several rap hits, he comes through this week with an official Pop album. While the genre’s elements have always played a role in KYLE’s sound, it’s still surprising to see him leaning into a fully Pop direction. Let’s see if this crossover will be successful.
Strengths:
The album features colorful Pop instrumentals with bright sounds & major scales/chords. There are still some Hip-Hop elements too. This fun & accessible aesthetic is on-brand, and the beats are varied enough for multiple occasions (Ex: Optimistic). Both the vocals & 808s sound very clean in the mix.
The album’s theme heavily revolves around love & heartbreak. It’s packed into some catchy & memorable songwriting. You can tell that Pop music is right down KYLE’s alley; especially with the choruses on this album. The entire project doesn’t overstay its welcome & makes its main weaknesses less noticeable.
More Strengths:
KYLE plays with some nice flows & melodies in his performances. As said above, his lyrics are very catchy to sing along to. Vocally, this is probably some of the best singing we’ve heard from SuperDuperKyle. He was never a trash singer, but I love how the engineer is blending his vocal layers.
KYLE does still give his core audience some of the rapping we know & love occasionally. Additionally, I think his feature choice was on point & each one fit their collaborations appropriately. Ivory Scott has one of my favorite performances on the whole album in “Thumb Thru”. Their vocals are as equally dynamic as they are ominous.
Overall:
I’d say KYLE has successfully branched off into the Pop music world. This album is definitely one of the most fun & surprising listens I’ve had this year so far. If you’re a fan of KYLE’s older music, I’d still say to give this new direction a chance. It’s a natural progression that may give us some of his best music yet. Thank you all for reading and be sure to listen to KYLE’s new album with the link below.
