SAVAGE EP Review

 

    Last week, The Kid LAROI dropped a new EP 'SAVAGE'which served as a deluxe to his album that dropped earlier this summer. The 7 song EP caught a lot of people's attention the past week and has brought in many new listeners for the 17-year-old phenom. Today I will review the 7 songs and give my personal opinion on them.

(via @thekidlaroi on Instagram)

1. PIKACHU- The introductory song of the EP gives listeners a throwback feel. The beat of this song sounds like it is straight out of the late 90s or early 2000s. LAROI kills this song and shows us his versatility and ability to spit like a real rapper, rapping about his new yellow Lambo. This, to me, was a way of The Kid LAROI showing he belongs in the conversation with other up and coming artists.

2. SO DONE- Song two is a more traditionally sounding LAROI song, and something avid listener of his are used to hearing from him. This song came out a week before the rest of the EP and was a great way to give a sneak peek of what was to come from 'SAVAGE'. LAROI sings about being sick and tired of his girlfriend's shenanigans and how is finally done with her.

3. TRAGIC (ft.Youngboy Never Broke Again)- This song is probably my least favorite on the album but is still a solid track. I thought the feature from NBA Youngboy was not great and it felt rushed. A positive of this song is a very good beat, and again, like most songs, LAROI shows off his raspy voice and expresses his unfortunate upbringing and how he made it through the earlier part of his life even when the odds were against him.

4. ALWAYS DO- Snippets of this song had been released prior to the official release of 'SAVAGE' leaving fans eager to hear the full version. And it did not disappoint. The infectious beat and catchy melody make for a great song that might be the best on the EP. Not much more to say about this one besides telling you to give it a listen.

5. FEEL SOMETHING (ft. Marshmello)- This song changes the tone of the EP from positive and cheery to a much more downcast mood. It was odd to hear such a slow and chill type beat from Marshmello who usually is upbeat and makes happy style bangers. The audience learns more about LAROI about his use of drugs to coat the pain from breakups and all the negative things in his life. It may be sad but the duo does a great job of getting such a depressing message across in the song.

6. F*CK YOU, GOODBYE (ft. Machine Gun Kelly)- This song has an excellent guitar-based beat with a dejected Kid LAROI, again rapping about girls from his past and how they constantly waste his time only to bring him pain in the end. The only negative about this song was the MGK's verse was too short. The transition from LAROI to MGK is flawless and the two sound great together. Machine Gun Kelly was an excellent choice for the track and I hope to hear more of him in future songs with The Kid LAROI.

7. WITHOUT YOU- Wow. This song is absolutely incredible. Listeners can hear real agony and suffering in his voice as LAROI  delivers a type of song we haven't heard often from him. It sounds like it is just LAROI and a guitar as he pours his heart out in the EP's finale. He displays his emotions for a girl in his life and his fear of living alone without her by his side. This song is undoubtedly my favorite off the EP and the pure emotion from The Kid LAROI makes this song one of his very best. 

        Overall this EP was outstanding in my eyes and I believe this was the beginning of a long career for him. In his earlier works, there were many flashes of this stardom, but 'SAVAGE' showed that LAROI can rap with the best of them. Another thing I noticed from listening to this was his similarity to the late Juice WRLD. LAROI and Juice have a song together and were both part of Internet Money, which is a label/producer union. The Kid LAROI has said that he looked up to Juice WRLD and that JW mentored him and taught him a lot before he passed. Clearly, Juice WRLD had a large effect on him and his sound. LAROI has what it takes to be as big of a star as Juice was and allow his legacy to live on through him.

(via @thekidlaroi on Instagram)