Find the Beat: Review

3.22.20

Blueface Find the Beat 3.13.20

I hadn’t planned on writing a review for this album, or even paying it too much attention. However, after only listening to it one time, I realized I was quite impressed. To me, Blueface was just another Desiigner. One hit wonder, a couple of features people aren’t going to remember, no real quotables because no one knows what you’re saying, etc. When Blueface signed with Birdman a little over a year ago, I was like, well there goes his career. Birdman basically just lost his whole Cash Money crew, what is he going to do with this new kid that can barely formulate sentences? To my surprise, I think the album was good. It’s not like there is any crazy bars or storytelling here, it’s true Blueface content, but in a way that is digestible, understandable, radio playable, and just fun.

The album cover itself is playful, too. A play on the Wizard of Oz, with Blueface as the Tin Man, and other rappers featured on the album make up the other characters. You can clearly tell DaBaby in the overalls front and center, with YBN Nhamir behind him. I’m going to say that Gunna is lion, with the shades on holding some cash. NLE Choppa has the purple suite and top hat, Stunna 4 Vegas is the scarecrow, Ambjaay is the guy in the back with the AMB hoodie, Polo G is standing over Blueface, that would leave Jeremih in the back with the shades on. I’m not totally sure, but this has got to be pretty close to correct.

First Class FT Gunna

First song on the album with a Gunna feature. This was the second single released off the album in late 2019. The album was originally supposed to drop in December, but was a bit delayed. I think the pairing of the two is good, the song is fun and catchy, definitely a radio hit. I’m just already surprised that Blueface can make full verses and sentences that aren’t him screaming about his gun and his …

Vibes

This is a quick classic Blueface jam saying the same thing over and over again. Specifically, saying the word “vibes” fifty times. I think with this one, Blueface just wanted to have fun with. It’s not really saying much, but the beat and the flow, will make it a jam. I can see it blowing up on Tik Tok once the kids get ahold of this one.

Weekend FT Lil Baby

I was curious as to what this collab would sound like. Blueface and Lil Baby’s sounds are quite different. Blueface is usually a lot more goofy and playful than we get from Lil Baby. I think they both met each other halfway on this song. Blueface maintained his “rich everyday, party on the weekend” content, but with a slower, more calm, chill vibe. I could tell Lil Baby was a bit uncomfortable on this beat. He came in and I didn’t feel like the bars were flowing well over the beat, but he managed to give us some fun stuff in his verse. I know he raps about his expensive clothes, but have you ever seen him smile? If you watch his documentary, you’ll know what I mean by this guy needs, and deserves, to lighten up. I think this track probably helped a bit - for the moment at least.

Murder Rate FT Polo G

This beat sounds like someone murdered their speakers and the subs are just going crazy. If you thought this song was going to give you insight into crazy stuff Blueface was getting into before he was a rapper, not quite. I think “murder rate” here is describing multiple things. Like, the beat, women, rappers, etc. This was the one song where I felt like Blueface was trying to get off some bars, puns, analogies, etc. Not that they were great, but it was fun since I’m used to him just yelling nonsense. I love when the new kids reference 50 Cent in their songs.

“Fifty, shots
Many-men in a mini van
Blueface, baby
Polo, G-Wagen”

Obama FT DaBaby

This is the latest single, we got about a week before the album dropped. When I listened to this song, before I knew an album was coming, I just thought this was so obnoxious. In typical Blueface fashion, but what does this song have to do with Obama? It’s a radio hit because they clown on Donald Trump, and because everyone wants a DaBaby feature. It’s fun, but complete nonsense. I suppose you have to have a few of those on your album, when it’s what the people are used to hearing from you.

Carne Asada FT Ambjaay

Here, we have Blueface again flexing his extreme range in music palate, as he attempts to create a Mexican themed dance song. If you slow it down and listen to the words, even if you do not speak Spanish, you’ll know everything he’s saying. I’m not sure if this totally rude and insensitive, or if people are going to actually think this is cute. I can see them playing this song on Spring Break at Señor Frogs and people going nuts for it, but that’s about it.

Viral

This song is one of my favorites. It just makes a lot of sense with today. It is fun, the lyrics are funny, how can you not get up and dance to this song? I feel like the beat is an old Destiny’s Child beat with some new drums and horns over it.

Holy Moly FT NLE Choppa

An NLE Choppa feature can go one of two ways. We’ve seen him get soft on us with the Meek Mill song and a few others. We have previously heard Blueface on NLE Choppa’s ‘Shotta Flow’ and the ‘Camelot Remix,’ where they’re heavy on the violent life of their pasts. This song takes it to a whole other level. Blueface must’ve said, let’s take the energy from the last two songs and combine them into the rawest verse you’ve ever laid. Basically this sound sounds like NLE wants to kill me, and Blueface is hyping him up.

Dirty

I like the beat from this song. It sounds like a violin and piano that your great grandmother used to listen to, with some super bass over it. The flow definitely changes over the course of the song a few times, I think he did well with this one. The transitions are all super smooth and clear, which is new compared to the previous radio features.

Wire FT Stunna 4 Vegas

I like the collab here. Stunna 4 Vegas has been getting on a decent amount of features lately, I’m interested to see what he does for himself with the current state of credibility he has to be receiving from his peers he has been working with. I think he saved Blueface on the song a bit. His voice is just a lot nicer to listen to over the beat. It is almost soothing, while Blueface sounds similar to the broken sub.

Double Bacc

This is another song that I would say, for Blueface, is one of the softer songs. I like this beat, it sounds like a 90s hip-hop beat. It is very much about checking himself getting serious with a female. Blueface is like, ‘I can be cute, but I won't’. Ugh, I feel bad for his fourteen girlfriends.

Period

Here we go, Blueface is singing. I say it all the time, if you’re going to put out an album you need to be able to calm it down and have a serious moment with your fans. This is getting there, A for effort. Basically, telling females they don’t have to take Instagram so seriously. Blueface is going to have the females on Instagram going crazy, because he’s famous. Also, men hating, name dragging, whatever it may be, because they don’t have what he has. Blueface doesn’t take any of it seriously, so his woman shouldn’t either. The verses aren’t super sweet, but MMG always makes cute love songs with degrading verses, so I see Blueface is just trying something new for the album. Good work.

Close Up FT Jeremih

You likely wouldn’t expect this collab, but with Blueface showing us his range on the album, I’m into it. I love Jeremih on this song. Blueface kept it super cool on his verse, as well. This song will be my ‘feel good’ track of the summer, if I ever make it outside.

In The Zone

This is the best range song for Blueface. He uses autotune on this song, that makes the rasp in his voice go away. It sounds like he can actually sing, hold a note, and maybe hit it high. I’m curious as to why he chose this song to use it on, however. Maybe because he is showing us that he is working hard to prove that he has what it takes to have a spot in the hip-hop industry. I am really shocked that he was able to do this, and I wonder if he could use it more in the future with other artists radio hits. You have to show that you’re more than just the loud, crazy hype man in-between verses, and I think Blueface is trying to show us that here.

Street Shit

I personally do not believe Blueface was a real street kid. He claims crip, but I just cannot take this guy serious. The song opens with him screaming, not like his typical yelling nonsense. He sounds like Juice WRLD screaming on the Skimask song, Nuketown. There are no mentions in the song about any street related violence, crimes, friends, or anything. He just talks about money drugs and girls, so I’m not really buying it. The song is interesting, a different form of sound than the rest of the album. But it isn’t appealing, it doesn’t sound good. This one sparked my interest, but it’s on the bottom for me.

2 Diccs FT YBN Nhamir

When you start with a banger, you have to end with one, too. I couldn’t wait to hear this song, because I’m fascinated with why Blueface constantly says “2 Diccs” referring to his gun. He says it in almost every radio song we’ve heard before, and now we have a whole song about it. Nhamir has kind of fell off while Cordae is taking over, but I like this collab. I almost forgot what Nhamir sounds like. With his deep, yet bubbly sound, it is perfect on the beat. A song about guns, but make it light-hearted and danceable. Basically, Blueface in a nutshell.