Feb 27, 2021

1. NINE0
2. Gotham City
3. 8 Sided Gucci (feat. Whose)
4. Best Friend
5. Devil’s Shoulder
6. Parseltongue (feat. Sameflannel)
7. Inferno (Freestyle)
8. Postman Pat
9. Cloud Nine
10. Dying of the Light

Bandcamp (digital purchase):

Soundcloud (stream):
https://soundcloud.com/lasik-3/sets/fatherhood-lp

@CreativeSXN

 

Feb 27, 2021

First track is a bop. Very good.

I really don't like this trend of 2min songs though. I know I'm old school but give me 3 verses of 16 bars sandwiched between a couple of hooks and maybe a bridge for 4½ mins and I'm happy.

 

Feb 27, 2021

 

Feb 27, 2021

Congrats on your son.

 

May 15, 2022

@FiveOh1 is this the guy you wanna battle?

 

Jun 14, 2021

https://music.apple.com/ca/album/father-hood/1572300400

out on Apple Music

Spotify + the rest later this week

 

Mar 1, 2021

NINE0 brings the perfect chaotic energy and bounce to introduce the album. It really shines when you reach that flow towards the end of the verse and introduce some melody. Very impressive outing, introducing the album and laying out what's going on in your life. I do wish you dove back in for a second verse here. 9/10

Gotham City is the most quotable track on the album. Obviously to longtime listeners most of these songs are familiar, but little tweaks over the past couple years have brought the best out of many of them. I've found myself mumbling "I'm just tryna build my owwwnnnnn yeah, introverted but I groooowwww yeah" for far longer than this album has been out. It's addictive. The intense wordplay and locked on delivery serves well. A great track to start the exposition of the album. 9/10

8 Side Gucci has your most impressive wordplay on the entire project. The rhyme schemes are very pleasing as well, but the vibe of the track has shifted since it's earliest conception. Lines like "waking up early, rapping like I'm Earl-y" don't hit the same way they did in earlier versions of the song. Whose's verse is well done but feels out of place here. Im of the opinion that an album as self-narrative driven as FATHER//HOOD, each feature should have a definitive purpose on the project. 7/10

When I first heard Best Friend, I was genuinely mindblown. I had never heard you being this melodic in your prior work, and I think this song showcases this version of your sound perfectly. It's catchy and insightful, building onto your personal story here. I think if I had one complaint here, is that sequencing wise it feels out of place. It almost comes in like an interlude, but it's placed a bit too early to separate the different acts of your story properly. This might have been more effective two thirds through the album rather than one third, where it can highlight the point where the hard exterior you bring to the first two acts of the album meets the softer optimism of the latter third. 8.5/10

Devil's Shoulder is a lesson in execution for all aspiring rappers. There's no waste here, on the verses - every word and line serve a purpose. Like the earlier tracks on the album, the melodic pockets you hit are well placed and keep the straight rap parts from becoming bland and unidentifiable, instead breaking them up in meaningful ways. I do think the hook becomes repetitive - repeating the couplet a third and fourth time feels a bit out of place. I think a second couplet here or just keeping it two bars would have held my attention a bit more. 8/10

Parseltongue is one of my favorite tracks on here, the hook is infectious, but the same criticism as the last track applies here. I don't think the 4x repetition is as damaging to the track here, mostly because of the variety sameflannel brings to the second half of the track (and unlike Whose's placement - I don't think I could go without this verse on the track, it works perfectly). sameflannel's verse reminds of the type of verse that the non-leads on songs like Chill Bill or Crew rapped, I don't think I'd check for him based on the verse but I don't think the track would be the same without it. Again, the melody on the track is great. 9.5/10

Inferno is my least favorite track on here, which honestly surprised me because when it first dropped a while back, it was one of my favorite tracks of yours. I think the muddy vocals are maybe a little too strong here, hurting the replayability of the track. Unlike stuff like Gotham City, Best Friend, or Parseltongue it's not as memorable or identifiable. I have lyrics from those songs constantly entering my head and urging me to revisit those tracks. Inferno just doesn't do that for me. I also question it's necessity for the narrative. It's the last track of the albums second act, but doesn't do much to further the journey as the last act comes in. 6/10

Postman Pat works great as the bridge between your first two acts and the start of your third. The first two acts are wrapped in a harder shell while slowly showcasing the underlying themes of loss, transition, and the search for purpose. This song is rooted in both the beginnings of the album and the ending of the album. The harder, more nihilistic shell of the first two acts starts breaking down into the undoubted optimism of the third act. Sonically, this track is the best. Your melody here is perfect, almost the antithesis to Inferno. If someone told me that one track on this album broke out to become a top 40 hit, I would guess this was the track. It has insane crossover appeal without sacrificing lyricism or feeling out of place with the rest of the album. 10/10

Cloud Nine is genuinely one of the best fatherhood tracks I've ever heard. The instrumental is an ear worm, the hook works perfectly. You can feel the myriad emotions as the optimism from your son's birth floods your headspace. It's clever, catchy, deep, and compelling all at once. This song is legitimately so good, I deleted the similar track I was working on for my daughter for the past nine months minutes after I heard this, and started from scratch. The nihilism from the earlier parts of the album has disappeared, replaced with unabashed joy and optimism. The censored line really struck a cord, and was executed flawlessly. 10/10

Dying of the Light is a great epilogue, it summarizes the journey told throughout the album, and shows how you can build off negative experiences of the past and turn them into positives by teaching your son. It's a bit somber compared to the past two tracks, which I think was a great artistic choice. It feels like a genuine moment of reflection, showing how far you came. The promise of the next generation is a great guiding light to navigate and reflect on your personal journey. 10/10

The Hidden Track is like a nightcap to top off a great night, it serves exactly like a hidden track should, like a PS at the end of a letter. It's buttery and the muddy, drowned out vocals work a lot better here than on a song like Inferno. I'm not sure if this is a hint towards your next project or what, but if it is - that makes this even better, almost like a sneak preview. 9/10


The journey of this album was inspiring. I really feel like this is one of the better debuts I've heard. I will say, as a long time fan - I do wish I hadn't heard 80% of these tracks before the album. I understand you were workshopping it and looking for feedback, but I think the impact of the album (which was already profound and impactful) would have hit ten times harder for me. That said, that's just a nitpick and doesn't really take away from the music. This is an incredible experience, where the listener follows along as you turn hopelessness and drear into hope and beauty. For non-parents, this might not strike the same emotional chords, but as someone who had a kid not very long after you did, you really packaged the way fatherhood changes a person and their mindset into a ten track gift with a little bow on it.

Overall, I'd give this album an 8.5/10 which is really good for a debut. Keep up your craft, dude. You have actual, star potential.

@902fre

 

Mar 1, 2021

Nineo - really good. Love the Bill Murray sample obviously.
Gotham City - a bit netcee for me. Still HQ but your work, to me, always had the potential to transcend that.
8 Sided - Whose killed it, Xzibit vibes lol
Best Friend - I think the auto singing stuff was a bit needless or indulgent. Wish the vocals were a little stripped back but still fun
Devils Shoulder - reminds me of classic @M.I.C.
Parsel - pretty compelling. love the outro. really HQ collab with sameflannel. (side note this project deserved a Dispossessed posse/reunion track )
Inferno - the audio layering stuff turns me off personally. I think it's a crutch that either really works , or is a distraction. I don't think you need it.
Postman Pat - nice beat, your production ear is still sharp clearly.
cloud nine - pretty good, worthy of nas' best fatherhood tracks crossed with some Chance joy vibes lol. parenthood is redemptive, its about potential and possibility and hitting the reset, and i think you capture that nicely here.
Dying of the Light - nice punctuation/summation of what ur goin on. again this project big picture seems like a promise ur making to yourself, becoming the best version of urself thats possible. and i love the hidden track u slip in at the end, smooth

as someone who has casually followed your output over the years (you, MIC and @theg legit have impressed me through the years ngl, maybe do a giant compilation silk sonic s--- lol) def cool to hear you progress. personally i think the robo crooning stuff isnt for me, but nice work overall. these are my in real time thoughts btw.

 

Feb 27, 2021

Appreciate it. Don’t hold back. Criticism is welcome.

 

Feb 27, 2021

Holy f---, am I hyped. Just started playing. Will review later! Bannering rn.

 

Mar 1, 2021

The intro and the last two tracks are definite good stand outs. Best Friend probably my least favorite. Like Andy said its just unnecessary for someone that doesn't have to rely on that. Kind of reminds me of when Vic dropped New Bae

 

Feb 28, 2021

Cloud nine and dying

 

Feb 28, 2021

d--- bro... those last 2 songs hit home