Wake Up: Rae Sremmurd Is For Real
If I told you a rap duo named Rae Sremmurd (that’s ear drummers spelled backwards DUH) was a making a strong (and early) case for best rap album of the new year would you believe me? Well. you should, ‘cause it looks like Rae Sremmurd is here to stay. Brothers (real brothers), Swae Lee and Slim Jimmy who were raised in Tupelo, Mississippi have taken their talents to the ATL and haven’t looked back. Already acquiring mainstream success with club bangers like “No Flex Zone” and “No Type,” their recently released album “SremmLife” reveals that their triumphant singles are only a shade of what they’re fully capable of.
SremmLife
In a time where lyrics and word play seem rather extraneous or insignificant, “SremmLife” provides us with an 11-song track list of a unique and I must say ‘catchy’ sound that is pleasing to the 2015 hip-hop ear. Judging by their 2 early smashes, it’s easy to assume the album consists of tunes you can only blast in a party atmosphere, and while you’re about 75% right, you’re also 25% wrong. Sure you can point to tracks like “YNO” and “My X” for the casual turn-up, but their (more specifically Swae Lee’s) impressive ability to hit solid melodies in songs like “Come Get Her” and “This Could Be Us” is where Rae Sremmurd really separates themselves from the competition.
Throughout “Sremmlife,” you will find that not one song was what the music industry would consider a “filler for the album.” And given the limited 11-song track list, you would guess there wasn’t much room for error. As far as the hook game, they never take their foot off the gas. You want features? Rae calls on some of the hottest artists in the game with Nicki Minaj, Young Thug, and Big Sean. It’s as if the execs at Interscope put all the songs in a hat, and picked which two would receive the mainstream push “No Type” and “No Flex Zone” obtained in the 2nd half of 2014. With Mike WiLL Made-It producing nearly the entire album, a lot of hype already, and a promising premiere album- its safe to say that for 2015, Rae Sremmurd has “Unlocked, the swag, the swag, unlock!” (shh, you’ll get it).