Van Gogh’s Left Ear - Zelooperz
Intro:
Zelooperz is one of the most unique artists in the genre. He’s most known for being a member of Danny Brown’s Bruiser Brigade. It’s quite arguable that Zelooperz is one of the most original & unique artists on the Rap scene. This specific project seems to be the most successful release so far for the Detroit rapper/painter. Let’s see what this album has in store.
Strengths:
This album features some of Zelooperz best rapping to date. It’s a mystery how he comes up with some of his rhymes & imagery. I think there are many clever lines that may go unnoticed due to the other elements of his style. The weird off-kilter flows presented oddly fit into each pocket of these beats (and the beats themselves are already odd lol). Similarly to Acid Rap-era Chance, the moments of him being off beat sound tasteful, artistic & intentional.
There also times where he delves into smoother modern flows (Ex: Bluez). Theme wise, he’s more vulnerable than usual (especially during the 2nd half). Outside of touching on his love life, he’s pretty introspective & reflects on his life; as well as the people around him. He seems to be pretty proud of how far he’s come, yet still remains hungry. The moments he touches on his painting career are also always nice to hear. Along with this, some of these beats are the most accessible we’ve heard him rap on (still a lot of innovative & unique sounds too).
There’s plenty of loud abrasive trap beats with disgusting 808s & tons of Detroit/Flint influence. The samples utilized here are completely insane. There’s a wide range of variety between the Kanye-esque sample loop on “Dedicated My Life” & the crazy Crash Bandicoot videogame samples on his collab with Danny Brown. Most artists could not pull off sounding good on a majority of these beats.
Weaknesses:
I don’t have too many negative takeaways, but there are definitely still flaws that I can see other listeners not enjoying. For starters, the few off beat moments I praised above can just as easily be a turn off for most casual listeners (Ex: Ticking Time Bomb). The same can also be said about his delivery, but this album is the most tame/controlled it’s been in recent memory. Most of the features are pretty solid & match Zelooperz vision/energy, but Danny Brown underwhelmed me. His verse was not bad, but not as stellar as Zelooperz.
At times, his lyrics can be completely comical when paired with his outlandish delivery. This usually is an amazing combo, but there are other times when it’s distracting (and can turn listerners off in general). On top of this, the moments he delves into the love-themed tracks are usually the album’s weakest points (Ex: Remote Island). These songs are more towards the end of the album, which makes the first half more enjoyable than the rest overall.
Overall:
In short, Zelooperz is truly phenomenal. Yes there are a few flaws & gripes I have with the project, but in the end this is one of my favorite releases of 2021. He is truly a one of a kind emcee & deserves a lot more recognition. Hopefully his style & music will catch on with more mainstream audiences, but as of now he’s doing pretty well for himself. Thank you all for reading and be sure to listen to the album yourself with the link below.
