“You’re a fan of my music, you just don’t know it yet,” Euroz states confidently in the About section of his Facebook page.
But despite his self-admitted lesser-known status, the Las Vegas-based rapper/singer is far from a new jack. He’s had numerous releases over the past five years (most notably his Foundation 2 mixtape hosted by DJ Drama), and some collaborations with well-known names like Meek Mill and Dizzy Wright. He’s also been active this year, releasing a handful of singles like “All Come Down” (again, alongside Dizzy Wright). it’s still been about a year since he dropped his For No Good Reason EP.
His latest project, titled Two Birds One Stone, comes nearly a year since For No Good Reason EP and showcases his rapping for the LP’s first half and singing for the latter. He’s been compared to Drake in the past, mainly because of the subject matter, cadence, and overall style of his music. Separating his two lanes in this manner allows him to creep out from that shadow without fully abandoning his comfort zone.
Separated by an interlude titled “Tape Flip” which is exactly what it sounds like, it feels like two separate projects, though not as contrasted as say Outkast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. On the rap side of things, Euroz has some impressive pen game and an impeccable ear for production courtesy of Ric & Thaddeus (who handled the bulk of the LP), Reezy, Tariq Beats, Johnny Stokes, and Earl Black. There is a distinct semblance of contemporary elements sprinkled throughout, but the jazziness of the Ric & Thaddeus-produced “Behold” for example, blend seamlessly with his wordplay. “Y’all assume we sneak dissing like we know y’all/Been had classics in the tuck I shook the mold off,” he raps — trying his best to shake off the comparisons that have followed him through his career.
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The project’s first single “Staying Ready” utilizes a smooth but Drake-like hook, and the top-down, low-bpm soundscape of “Hidden Truths” have soulful southern influences — you can almost imagine UGK exchanging pimptastic bars between one another. On “Hidden Truths” specifically, he hammers home the substance and quality over quantity point, while displaying a mature knowledge of the business itself with bars like “New niggas treat advances like a signing bonus/It’s cool ’til you can’t recoup I mean you got to notice.”
After the tape flip, we’re transitioned seamlessly into his R&B setlist with “Channels.” This is where some of the more appealing elements that he isolated in the first half seem to spread out and blend in. There are some great tracks here, like the “Hey Lover”-sampled “Need Me Some” where he appears to catch his stride as he rides the classic instrumental and “T.F.T.T.I” (“Two Feet Ten Toes In”), which stands out as a surprisingly endearing profession of love. Then there’s the rap&B swirl of “Aura,” with bars like “not content with just pussy, I’m in need of your soul.”
While his songwriting is strong, songs like “Anywhere But Here,” “Here For It,” and “Slide” barely pass the bar don’t do much to distinguish him from the sea swimming in that ocean. At 21 songs deep, Two Birds One Stone definitely could have benefitted from a final hacksaw to the tracklist. It allows the topics — he’s about his business; you’ve been sleeping on him; the come up is imminent — to blur the lines between abundant and redundant.
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While portions of this ambitious release feel less inspired than others, Two Birds One Stone and speaks to Euroz’ confidence in his own artistry.
