Love it, hate it, or simultaneously love it and hate it, “Old Town Road” is not only the song of the summer, but will go down in history as a paradigm for social media marketing.
Seemingly coming out of nowhere, Lil Nas X, a 20-year-old internet savvy rapper, has managed to make an irreverent country-trap track into a ubiquitous sensation. As a follow-up to his juggernaut of a single, he has dropped 7 — an eight-track hodgepodge of ideas.
Despite often being derivative, the EP does have a few charming moments and is uniquely eclectic.
Each song on 7 tries to emulate a distinct musical style, and never lasts longer than two minutes and thirty seconds. Presumably for streams, the social media star has included both versions of “Old Town Road,” with and without Billy Ray Cyrus. But that track’s genre-blending ethos carries over to many of the songs. “Panini” is a competent, synthy trap pop song that while being catchy, doesn’t necessarily make the case for Lil Nas X as a lyricist. Even when he gets more personal, he is clearly not concerned about crafting insightful metaphors.
He flexes the poetic prowess of a nursery rhyme in the bars: “Ayy, Panini, don’t you be a meanie/ Thought you wanted me to go up/ Why you tryna keep me teeny? I/ It’s a dream, he wished it on a genie /I got fans finally, ain’t you wanting them to see me?”
Earworms aside, some songs are merely second-rate homages. Both “F9mily (You and Me),” produced by Travis Barker of Blink-182, and “Bring U Down,” produced by Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, come off like Guitar Hero covers of rock hits. The EP’s lowest point is “C7osure (You Like),” a mid-tempo hip-house song that’s painfully boring and uninspired.
7 does show some promising directions for the meme maestro. “Kick It” has the rapper demonstrating some vocal restraint over moody production comprised of trumpets, orchestral strings, and trap beats. And on “Rodeo,” featuring Cardi B, the star hints at a formula for building off “Old Town Road” and musters out another country trap bop. Even if her appearance is purely for clout purposes, Cardi gives it her all by embracing the “yee-haw” agenda and delivering humorous, vindictive bars about a lover who wronged her.
As a child of the internet, Lil Nas X is a collagist who knows how to capitalize off all the memes that will inevitably pop up on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. Instead of being considered “post-genre,” the term “post-taste” is probably more fitting.
The majority of 7 would make more sense as amusing fake music blasting from a video game jukebox. But it’s 2019 and our lives are beginning to resemble a computer simulation anyway, so why not just enjoy this postmodern ride til’ we can’t no more?
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I was super surprised with this album. I didn’t know what to expect going into it, but I actually liked a lot of songs on here. I thought dude would be a one hit wonder, but he may actually carve out a career. It seems like he doesn’t really want to pick a lane musically going forward and that could work really well for him.
The first nas had a hip hop classic with 10 tracks tho
Lmaooo!!!!
Damn.. I thought I’m listening to Travis Scott or Lil Travis Scott
I like it
That’s fire
These reviews kinda frustrate me tbh purely because everyone is shitting on the album like crazy. Hes only 20 years old and this is his first proper album, so is it really fair to expect something huge? Hes just started out in the rap game and already showed that he can make a number 1 hit, also rodeo ft cardi b on the new album is pretty lit showing that hes capable of coming out with more bangers. In my opinion its far to early to be critising his work so harshly considering hes got many more years ahead of him. Be patient, give it some time and i reckon sooner or later he’ll burst into the game dramatically.
Not a bad listen.
gay
Fw it he’s here to stay
This morning, I awoke to find out that my teenie white penis had grown into a massive Negro schlonger donger hanging between my pasty white legs!!! I had been praying to Allah for months day and night that my itty bitty white pee pee would grow to the length and girth of that of the typical American Negro. Today, at long last, my prayers were answered! Where once there was a tiny pink wee wee, now there is a giant black mamba, a 10 inch boa constrictor hanging out of my boxers, splayed across the floor! I thought my prayers had indeed been answered, my life was finally worth living, all the bitches would want me, and I praised and thanked the Profit Muhammed until tears streamed from my eyes and snot dripped from my nose, but I am now suddenly shocked to find that, although my penis is now Sambo-Sized, all the money that was in my bank account has suddenly vanished, my fridge is full of nothing but two week old fried chicken and malt liquor, I have dozens of illegitimate kids with names like Leroi and Shaquanna, I have four fat, lazy, angry baby mamas on food stamps, I have nothing in my wallet but a maxed out EBT card, I have three outstanding warrants for vagrancy, robbery, and public chicken consumption, I’m unemployed and I live in a filthy trap house! HELP! HEEEELLLLPPPP!!! PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP MEEEEE!!!
YOU’RE RETARDED..FRFR