Album Review: ScHoolboy Q - CrasH Talk
As much as Kendrick Lamar's shadow constantly threatens to swallow the other artists on his label (Top Dawg Entertainment), fellow LA rapper ScHoolboy Q has been perhaps the most worthy competitor to emerge from the same rap scene; 2014's Oxymoron brought him to a respectable fame that was only heightened after 2016's gloomy and sprawling Blank Face LP. But in the three year gap between that record and CrasH Talk, it seems that his ambition has all but dried up, leaving the previously accessible and innovative rapper without the fresh ideas needed to create meaningful art. The careful balancing act between commercial and creative has has tipped too far in favor of the former, and his newest record suffers from a desperate lack of originality as a result.
Even the more memorable cuts here rarely feel satisfying from front-to-back, the obvious example being lead single Numb Numb Juice. A gritty description of a hit-and-run that also functions as an effective statement of intent for the album, the confident hook ("Two-door coupe, hoppin' out like Jack-in-the-box/I'm gon' shoot if this 30's all that I got") and eccentric verses are immensely enjoyable, yet the track's short length is a disappointing hindrance to what could have been a career highlight. 5200 sounds disturbingly like a leftover from last year's TDE-curated Black Panther the Album, but Q at least effectively matches the production with catchy bars and an admittedly clever hook alluding to both his dangerous lifestyle and his riches: "I been counting dead men, puttin' bodies in the safe".
As much as these and similar cuts (like the seamless one-two of Gang Gang and Tales that starts off the album) play to Q's grimy, hardcore forte, too many songs here deviate wildly from such strengths. The crown jewel of questionable decisions is, of course, CHopstix featuring Travis Scott, arguably the biggest name present on the album and yet only used for an unfathomably annoying repetition of the song's title that attempts to function as a hook. His signature ad-libs stick out embarrassingly on top of a barren instrumental, and Q's deficient verses do little to alleviate the song's lethargy brought on by a desperate need for tempo. Speaking of, Q himself is sadly the most lackluster aspect of this record, the aggression and flow needed to carry mediocre cuts like Black Folk giving way to a lazy, uninteresting drawl drained of all hunger.
Where Blank Face LP had Q's most ambitious bars supported by features from hip-hop legends (E-40, Jadakiss) and fresh talent (Vince Staples, Anderson .Paak) alike, the guests on CrasH Talk only serve to allude further to its unremarkable nature. As capable as 21 Savage's verse on Floating is, the best efforts from him and Q only amount to what is essentially a generic trap song. The hook provided by Ty Dolla $ign on Lies compliments the track's spacey, synth-heavy instrumental quite well, creating an atmosphere immediately ruined by Q's shallow verse delivered in an incredibly irritating whine. Most of the guests present do perform admirably (including Lil Baby's surprisingly coherent verse on Water), but are given very little to work with between Q's contributions and the beats, with the less adept features (Kid Cudi on Dangerous, 6LACK on Drunk) only serve to turn their cuts from boring to offensively bad.
Even it its more exciting moments, CrasH Talk merely exists as background music, a bland easy-listening version of the rapper whose raw grit and impressive technical skills previously carried him to an astonishing amount of critical and commercial esteem. ScHoolboy Q has spoke of how his newer music is a reflection of his more positive outlook on life, whereas his previous records were born out of strife and frustration. This change in attitude does somewhat explain his new direction, yet it remains disappointing that such a shift marked a drastic, inarguable decline in musical quality. One does not need to be enduring suffering to create great art; Q is more than capable of pushing boundaries in any situation, and that his talent fails to appear for most of the album is ultimately its undoing.
5/10
Favourite Tracks: Tales, Numb Numb Juice, 5200
https://open.spotify.com/album/3UTp6spxkyTdvsmJDPfb7n