By Blake Laurita
Staff Writer
Hip Hop artist Kevin Gates’ debut album “Islah” is a well balanced album that plays to Gates’ strengths by fusing his rap and more melodic styles together in brilliant ways.
Overall, “Islah” is mainly about Gates’ growing fame and how he handles it. “Islah” displays Gates’ songwriting range, and combines his quick raps with his surprisingly good voice. The tracks most popular songs are “Really Really” and “Two Phones.”
“Hard For,” a song that sounded more pop than rap, was a less natural fit for Gates but was a refreshing song that kept the album from becoming too repetitive.
The songwriting range that is displayed in the album shows Gates’ development as an artist. The album consists of songs about love, depression, and violence and Gates spares no details, which fills the album with emotion, taking the listener on Gates’ tough journey to get where he is today.
One of Gates’ most recognizable talents is his excellent rapping ability, which is on full display in songs like “La Familia” and “Thought I Heard,” however, it is best displayed in the pure rap song “The Truth.” This song talks about his life in and out of prison and the American perception of his heritage and was lyrically the best song in the album.
One of the upcoming artist’s lesser known strengths is his singing ability, demonstrated in songs like “One Thing”, “Kno One”, “Time for That” and “Ain’t Too Hard.” These songs are about Gate’s personal issues like romance and his commitment issues, and he pours all of his emotion into them, which bring the songs to the next level.
Easily one of the album’s most catchy tracks is “Two Phones” which combines a unique beat with an unforgettable hook. This song combines of all of Gates’ strengths and different styles into a song that showcases his wide range of talents.
“Really Really” is “Islahs” most popular song, and was released as a single prior to the full album’s release. It has been climbing the charts since its release for its catchy hook and lighter lyrics about his growing fame that let fans experience Gates’ climb to fame with him.
Overall, the album gives Gates’ an amazing start to his career, showing off his rapping and singing talents while also displaying his unique songwriting talents. An excellent debut album with many breakthrough songs that play to Gate’s strengths should see to many opportunities coming the artist’s way in the future.
“Islah” was released on January 29th and is available on iTunes for $10.99.
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