Tuning in with Leila: Broke the Kid

Tuning+in+with+Leila%3A+Broke+the+Kid

Illustration by Yasmin Haq

Rich the Kid released the second part of his “The World Is Yours” series on March 22. With such an inspiring title to his series, you would assume his album would present a memorable spiel of life and uplift his fans, but don’t be fooled, the album is far from that.

With “Fall Threw” being his only song on Apple Music’s top 20, Rich the Kid’s well-awaited for EP was a major let down for fans across the country, especially me. The album had been one of four album releases I had been eagerly awaiting, only to be majorly disappointed by the outcome.

With features from talented artists such as Gunna, Offset, NBA Youngboy, etc., the hype that came with this album’s release was far from what it actually deserved. After a well-known artist reveals the date his/her album will be released, fans will create hashtags and flood social media with their anticipation for the album, and they almost never get disappointed.  After this album, it’s safe to say that I will reduce the amount of excitement I have for an upcoming album to prevent myself from major disappointment.

With each song in his 45-minute album, I found myself getting bored by his redundancy. Almost every song had something to do with one of the three following topics: alcohol, money and drugs. The stereotypical commentary made about hip-hop/rap music has been proved by this album.

Not only was this album filled with redundancy and simplicity, the songs also felt powerless and incomplete. Unlike Rich the Kid’s usual styles, this album had contained almost none of his previous flows and enticement.

Despite his failed attempts at a new, alluring sound, Rich the Kid’s message was everything but clear. His first release of 2019 was to be perceived as funky and fresh; unfamiliar yet “enticing.” In my opinion, Rich the Kid could have improved many of the song’s melodies and meanings, while achieving his new goal for his music.

Bottom line: Rich the Kid should be able to switch up his musicality whenever and however he likes, but should remember to pertain to the original message he had been attempting to share in the beginning. I have faith in Rich the Kid that the next album he releases will have more meaning and magnetism.