6ix9ine - DUMMY BOY Review

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Tekashi 6ix9ine has amassed a lot of traction around his name in 2018, some good, some bad. He was scheduled to released his official studio debut album DUMMY BOY last Friday but unfortunately, due to his recent arrest, the project was postponed. After a few days, the Brooklyn rapper's entire album was leaked online for people to listen to.

The album opens with fan-favorite "STOOPID". With the help of a feature recorded through a phone call from imprisoned Bobby Shrumda, the song became an instant hit. Tekashi uses his raspy, angry voice that made him famous to being with perfectly here. Along with the banging beat, the song went viral with its dance challenge, giving it so much more attention.

Following it is the Murda Beatz produced "FEFE,"assisted by Nicki Minaj. Similar to its predecessor, this song also blew up in the same way, if not better. It was a unique change in 6ix9ine's normal style we all grew accustomed with. He exchanged powerful, yelling flows with a softer, more monotone take. Personally, I was never too fond of the song, but I respect the status it has attained.

Third on the tracklist is the first song to not be released as a single, "TIC TOC." It has a smooth, sunset-style guitar rift that both Tekashi and Lil Baby soothingly rap over. The entirety of the song is revolved around a watch flooded with diamonds and rich lifestyle the two artists share. Again, this song is enjoyed for its different atmosphere that he brings. After this is "KIKA," featuring Tory Lanez. To say I personally fell in love with this song after the first listen is a strong understatement. Everything is perfection on it, from the beautiful steel drum beat produced by the legendary Scott Storch to Lanez's chorus boasting about "doing his own stunts." As for 6ix9ine, the original, grimy spitting is in full action and it fits great. This one was easily my favorite on the project.

Minaj returns and Tekashi is accompanied by her and hip-hop icon Kanye West in "MAMA." 6ix9ine kicks it off the spacey sounding track and he is different...a little too different. He does not really sound like himself, almost like an unalike artist. West follows with a verse that reminds me of nothing of his album that came out this year. Minaj is pretty boring for most of her runtime. This song is a little underwhelming for me. On paper, it sounds like a sure favorite-in-the-making, but it simply never really peaked for me. As does the next, "WAKA" featuring A Boogie With The Hoodie. A Boogie pretty much carbon copies his own song "Ransom" on this one, as the flows are almost identical. Tekashi's energy comes short of reviving the song, but right when he is getting into it, he gets interrupted.

"BEBE" and "MALA" are interesting, though. 6ix9ine and Anual AA sound pretty well over a childish, summertime and club beats. The songs did extraordinarily well on Latin charts, which is impressive to see 6ix9ine do so well under two languages. They both are extremely similar and fun to listen to. It was a step out of Tekashi's comfort zone and it worked.

And then there's "FEEFA," the song I am beyond split between liking and disliking. The beat sounds like the soundtrack of an 8-bit video game boss fight. In my book, that is a very good thing. Kanye West appears again and he brings a verse that is practically a sequel to his massive hit "I Love It." It is the same subject matter but it does not execute it nearly as well. Both 6ix9ine and Kanye trade mic flows but it comes off sloppy. Honeslt, my favorite part of the whole thing was the line about Tekashi getting reminding that he cannot scream his signature bar (Real fans will now). Next, Gunna is tapped on "KANGA." I could not find much to say on this one. It is bland beyond belief, drier than a bone. A very snoozing song all together.

Singled track "TATI" is the 11th song and it is a fun, upbeat one. Tekashi is all over the place and that's why people loved it when it originally dropped. I find this single to be the second best one released to the introduction track. Nonetheless, it is not bad by any means. Second to last song is "WONDO." To me, this sounds like a revised version of one of his first bigger hits "KOODA." It has a similar keys rift and is filled with chants. Overall, it took the things the original did right and continued them and the wrong things and replaced them with something else that works. Finally we make it to the outro, "DUMMY." The feature artist, Trife Crew, does his best Tory Lanez/Fetty Wap impression. I was not familiar with his music prior to this but if this is what it always sounds like, I am on the fence if I want to dive into it. 6ix9ine increasingly gets more energetic as his verse goes on and eventually dies down as the track concludes.

DUMMY BOY has its highs and lows. For the most part, the production is unique and entertaining but some of the features drag down the songs. I believe Teakshi is at his best when he brings his loud, vibrant energy that he is known for. When he settles for softer flows, he puts himself in danger of completely messing up. When he is boastful, he is in your face and makes enjoyable hits. This may be the last music we hear from him in some time, due to him potentially facing 25 to life in prison. In conclusion, the album was better than last year's project by him, offered many hits, and should more versatility by 6ix9ine.

Rating: 7/10

Favorite Songs: KIKA, STOOPID, TATI, WONDO

Least Favorite Songs: MAMA, FEEFA, KANGA