I admit that it took me some time to become a ‘Bry-lieber’ (Bryson Tiller fan), but now that I am, I am happier than I was yesterday. I got a chance to listen to some of his records, and I tell ya, they are pretty hot! Yea I caught the wave late, but now that the site isn’t in bankruptcy anymore, we can afford to rate it now!
TOP 5
5. RAMBO (4.1/5)
Rambo is probably the one hard rap song on his album that I’m diggin’ a lot!
Lets forget Brysons part for a minute, how hard is that beat!? Them pianos are slaying it bruh!
Yea ‘502 come up’ is like Rambo on steroids, but I think I like my turn-up a little more tamed like this. (I also can give a damn about how gangsta Louisville is btw)
Tillers bars are impressive on this song, but they are also unbelievable….Not unbelievable as in WOW, but unbelievable as in “I don’t believe he’ll do the gangsta s–t he’s talking about on this song”.
4. RIGHT MY WRONGS (4.5/5)
Is that you Jeremih? I know that whole ‘sounding like you just took some damn drowsy medicine now you bout to sleep’ voice you always utilize sir!
I like this song a lot! It’s gentle, it’s honest, it plays very smoothly in my ears. These are the type of songs I think Bryson can shine on.
3. DON’T (4.6/5)
‘Don’t’ is obviously a good song, but to me, it is also a very unorthodox one. For whatever reason, we tend to like these sporadic R&B songs nowadays that doesn’t have a clear cut chorus, bridge, or hook. I for one am not the biggest fan of these type of songs, but I can at least appreciate it for its uniqueness.
Aside from my semi-rant, this song has several good elements to it: It’s a slow song that has the characteristics of a screwed up Houston song. That’s dope.
2. SORRY NOT SORRY (4.7/5)
‘Sorry not Sorry’ is a phenomenal track, and it starts with the production from the great Timbaland. Timbaland is really good at taking sounds from something and making it into a beat right? ‘Pony’ was from those Budweiser Frogs commercials, ‘Big Pimpin’ was from a carnival he attended in his childhood, and the special sound effects of this beat is clearly from Street fighter 2. This is a good way to make people appreciate Tim’s craftiness. (It’s also a good way for Tim to get sued also.)
I like this song, because it seems like Bryson is having fun with it. He’s singing sounds lethargic (In a good way), a sound Ashanti perfected and got popular from. Tillers rapping on this song is pretty good too! He kinda sounds like Mouse from Jamie Foxx, but he still manages a nice flow and confidence that is in common with your favorite rapper.
1. EXCHANGE (5/5)
This is one of the more talented songs I heard in 2016. Tiller calls himself ‘Pen Griffey’, and on this song he earns that moniker.
I hate to bring it up, but this song sounds a lot like a vintage Drake song to me: The Alvin and The Chipmunks voice in the background, the sappy vibe of the beat, the going from singing to rapping seamlessly…. It’s very spooky folks.
I like the structure of the song, as it seems like Bryson Tiller is just venting. He’s also going from passionate to tough guy on it so effortlessly.
SONG BY SONG BREAKDOWN
HOT: Exchange (5/5), Sorry Not Sorry (5/5), Don’t (4.6/5), Right My Wrongs (4.5/5), Rambo (4.1/5), Let Em’ Know (4/5), Been That Way (4/5), 502 Come up (4/5), Overtime (3.9/5).
MEH: For However Long (3.8/5), Ten Nine Fourteen (3.7/5), The Sequence (3.7/5).
STAY AWAY FROM: NONE
OVERALL RATING
8.2/10
First and foremost, I nominate the moniker ‘Pen Griffey’ to be one of the dopest names in Hip Hop today. Secondly, Tiller can really write! Tiller is talented in many different facets of hip hop music, and this album shows every single one of them. All in all, I can see him being a music junky, which is always a good attribute for an artist to be.
My one beef with this album is his rap content at times: Yes he definitely has bars, but a lot of times those bars sound kinda forced to me. It almost seems like at times he’s trying to prove that he can rap and that he’s not some lame R&B dude. On the flip side, that same confidence is a big plus for him on this album. He sounds like he belongs in this game, and is fixated on putting Louisville on the map (Which will never happen…..Sorry).
Overall, this a very solid album. Interestingly enough, I can see his second album putting him up there with the other elite artists.
Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.
