(EYES UNDER THESE SHADES)

I went on a limb and listed who I thought is the ‘Monster Trio’ of the next generation.

-DatKidBravo

-JJackpot

And this man Wst Taylor. All three men have showcased abilities and skills that blew me away. From albums to singles, they are creating a breath of fresh air in the culture, and so the inspiration to go back to this older record was to see if my praise of him was well-founded, or based off a ‘one-hit wonder’ in ‘WSTFIELD’. I’m pleased to announce, he ain’t no one-hit wonder. Let’s talk about it!

This is the 2024 album by MC Wst Taylor. With seven tracks and 22 minutes of music, featuring production by 

-Shalom

-TrueCipher

-AbbotJackson

And features from 

-Kaleo Jacob’s

-OP Shiz

-Felicity Estelle

-Chyna 

-Praxeye

-RoddaThaRuler

And with this trio of producers, they created magic. I want you to picture smooth instrumentation combined with a stripped-back and minimalistic atmosphere that highlights each individual piece of music!

For example, the track ‘DOES A STAR WEIGH MORE THAN GOLD?’

We have those groovy plucked guitar strings, light vocal harmonies in the background, and those soul-inspired drum tracks that make this track feel light and powerful at the same time.

Or we can look at ‘YOU WANNA BE FAMOUS?’ We get a more aggressive take than the intro track with a strong and in-the-foreground vocal loop that repeats every two seconds! Then we have what sounds like keys in the background behind the voice! 

On top of that, we have a gritty and muddy boom-bap-inspired drum that kicks you in the chest and keeps you down!

Although it’s more grimy, it still highlights only a few instruments and elements at a time, making it skeletal but ruthless all in one!

Or we can even check the track ‘GODKNOWS’ which brings a more emotional and somber experience to the album. This is a thought-provoking track with those heavy-handed guitar strings that dominate the track! They are slick and sound natural as fuck! Like Jules Santana is right there in the studio with them!

Accompanying the guitar chords, we have this light, gospel-style drum beat, very light and subtle, and exceptionally done for this track! 

Point to make here is, these three producers have made the most out of the instruments they use. It all feels larger than life and surreal in execution. This feels like a soundtrack to a thriller movie more than your average hip-hop album!

As far as the MC work goes, I’m pleased to say Wst has once again shown why he’s deserving of the mantle I gave him! He’s incredible.

What makes him stand out is his smooth, sharp, and sensational delivery combined with an impressive vocabulary to fill his bars with a lot of variety in terms of themes, stories, and lines! 

He can switch it from vivid imagery to introspective bars to social commentary to downright flexing and bragging on the haters! Similar to what you hear from JID. Effortless in his flow and pen game and always a dominating presence on the song!

Also, another quality of Wst is that he always chooses the perfect features and producers to match his specific vibe and energy! Every one of his guests has a purpose and a reason to be there! It’s not just ‘features for the sake of it’ but they are people with whom he has chemistry and solid synergy, and to me, that’s super important!

Overall, this is one hell of an album! From the production to the features to Wst himself! If you haven’t checked this yet, then I plead you to give it a chance! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/55EjXxPONyQ3PcBmDrOL1t?si=kowOJ_6ISAKX1lI6gQHzHA