by Chris Douglas
As a white hip-hop fan, I find myself often times hating white rappers for no reason. Chris Webby, Mackelmore, and even the infamous Vanilla Ice are all on my bad list for simply being fair skinned. Mind you, I haven’t listened to any of their material, but what’s the point of being a red-blooded American if I can’t share my opinion derived from pure ignorance?
So, when I found out I had to write a review on the Bay-Area based rapper G-Eazy, I was a little skeptical. I had only heard one or two of his songs prior to listening to this album, so I am no means a G-Eazy fanboy. However, after listening to his latest release These Things Happen, G-Eazy has earned my respect as an artist. The primary aspect of this album that struck me was the continuity. This is not simply a collection of songs (i.e a mixtape) it is a cohesive body of work, an actual album. It is clear that Eazy worked quite hard to maintain an consistent sense of energy throughout the album. This effort does not go unnoticed as it is one of the best parts of the project.
Secondly, the production on every track is excellent. The beats are crisp, detailed and varied. I can’t think of one instrumental I didn’t enjoy on the project. Also G-Eazy’s wordplay is not to be slept on; the rap game James Dean can actually spit. However, no album is flawless, and “These Things Happen” is no except. One of the biggest weaknesses of the project is that some of the hooks are lackluster. One of the singles off the album entitled “I Mean It” is one of the primary culprits. Lines like “if I ever said I f*cked your b*ch/ just know I mean it” are stereotypical and uninteresting.
I am looking forward to the rest of G-Eazy’s career. From a strictly marketing and commercial point of view, he has no ceiling. He’s good looking and talented enough. I wouldn’t be shocked if we see G-Eazy killing the charts in the not-so-distant future.
Rating: 8.0/10
