Lyrics To Go Vol. 2 - Kota the Friend
Intro:
Kota the Friend has really leveled up within the past year of his career. The tape is the follow up to his 2020 release Lyrics To Go Vol. 1. His last project EVERYTHING was one of my favorites to come out in 2020. The Brooklyn native has continued to deliver with every project in his discography. Many recognize Kota for his comforting delivery, relatable topics & relaxing instrumentals. This new project follows his traditional style that fans are accustomed to.
Strengths:
This tape feels a lot more like a time capsule of the past year in Kota’s life. Specifically, he speaks on many of the new positive & negative aspects with his newfound success. There are also a lot of references to Clinton Hill, Brooklyn like on the intro track (of the same name). His flows & delivery is the standard laidback approach that we love. At times, Kota feels like someone we’re having a real conversation with.
His lyrics are very self-oriented & personal to his life/character. As mentioned in the intro, his writing feels very human & relatable. An example would be these lines of Flowers:
“Everybody want somethin' more/
Always looking for a fix when it's nothin' wrong/
She wish she had a fatter ass, I wish I was tall/
She feel like she need a tummy tuck and I ain't mad at all”
Kota’s also known to be very introspective in his music. He gets very emotionally & psychoanalytically honest with himself on songs like Emotionally Dumb & Santa Barbara. The production you hear on this album is the typical chill/lofi sample beats that Kota has used throughout his discography. The chords on these beats are very vintage & sound luscious (Ex. 200 Dollars).
Weaknesses:
I actually don’t have too many real weaknesses towards this project. One critique I’ve always had with Kota is the lack of experimentation from his usual style (specifically with his flow & delivery). The lyrics being so focused on Kota himself could be uninteresting to potential new listeners. Despite me acknowledging that most of his lyrics are about himself/his life, Kota does mention the idea of himself having narcissistic tendencies on the song Emotionally Dumb.
Overall:
Kota The Friend hasn’t missed at all yet. It’s interesting learning about how his individual journey/career has progressed & obtained new obstacles such as: depression, pursuit of peace, fake friends, etc. Hopefully this will lead into a full length 2021 album from the New York rapper. Thank you all for reading and be sure to listen to the album yourself with the link below.
