I get it. Teenage
Emotions is a middle finger against everything your average old skool head stands for. Technical flows are replaced with nursery rhyme deliveries, actual
singing talent is replaced with shaky auto-tune and lyrical depth is completely
sidestepped altogether. Even the title Teenage
Emotions seems to exist purely to anger the tough-talking stoic
traditionalists.
But does that make Teenage
Emotions a good album? Ignoring everything they stood for, did the Sex Pistols make good music?
Ignorance can be bliss. But can we really let a line like ‘she blow that dick like a cello’ slide? He’s publicly apologised for it not making an iota of sense – but by authenticating the fact that it’s utter nonsense, it
just confirms that this album is unrevised throwaway garbage.
Much of the tracks feel like amateurish attempts to copy
other artists of questionable talent in the rap game. The grating ‘Harley Harley Harley’ hook on ‘Harley’ may as well be a Fetty Wap song, whilst
the likes of ‘DN freestyle’ feel like an attempt to copy the Migos. There’s no
cohesive style bounding the 21 tracks together. Beats take on all kinds of
flavours from 80s pop ballad to trap banger, whilst always taking on the
blandest form of this genre possible. As for the Teenage Emotions title, only a handful of tracks such as ‘Lady in
Yellow’ and ‘Forever Young’ stick to this emotional theme.
Cheery vibes may be the only consistent thing on this album.
With the exception of ‘Peek A Boo’ and 'Dirty Mouth', there are no confrontational diss tracks,
only happy trappy (crappy) rap tunes about getting laid and making it to the
top. These cheery vibes may be the appeal to some. But for me it may as well be
a smiley face grafittied onto the side of a skip.
★☆☆☆☆
TRACK TASTER: