Dreamer Boy, Latin American rapper and singer Frijo’s latest album was first heard on the artist’s instagram live, where he provided a snippet of what would be his greatest album so far. The 22 year old musician’s rise to fame was thanks to the celebrated freestyling competition “El quinto escalón” where he first made his name in the trap scene.
In November of 2020 he released his second album, Dreamer Boy consisting of 12 tracks that succeed at representing contemporary Latin trap’s boom and are filled with surprising collaborations such as Big Head, producer of Lil Pump, Lil Tracy and Lil Peep, best known for making the hit song “Gucci Gang”. was able to meet expectations and was innate proof of how much Frijo has grown musically during his short trajectory.
Dreamer Boy is inaugurated by “D Rouse” with the usual 808 heavy kicks but with compelling and manipulated vocals topped off with reverb and echoes. The song, along with “One G” and “Bad Bitch”, are mostly sung rather than rapped. He dabbles more into the singing aspect of his music, which is often saturated by distortion and some auto-tune, but, this time with a fresh and new perspective, a different style than what was heard previously on his first album, I Never Left.
Unfortunately the following tracks “Gas” and “Swag” fail to deliver any type of creativity or variation. With both of them being equally as repetitive and dull and even reaching the feared tedious point. However Frijo makes a comeback with really powerful and well executed songs. He touches on delicate subjects such as drug use, addiction, heartbreak and even spite, making this album a personal and intimate experience. The melancholic “Xanax Girl” sees him uses lines such as “since I lost her I consume to die” or “I can’t sleep I think I’m looking for someone.”
One of the most complex and detailed beats on the album, “Hasta Abajo” was made by Argentinian producer Valen 3d with unique videogame clicking sounds and bizarre patterns that simulate reggaeton’s tempo and accents. “Malcriada” could also be included into the same category with its similar style and rhythm.
Closing this cogent album, we encounter “Dicen que son trap,” one of the best tracks on Dreamer Boy. Produced by none other than Big Head, the mixing and quality of the beat fuses with Frijo’s best asset, rapping, creating a gratifying final exchange between the two artists.
Rating: 9.0/10
