Hit-Boy — SURF OR DROWN — Album Review
Hip-Hop | Rap
Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Music
Proven to be one of my favourite hip-hop producers in recent memory, I have primarily come to appreciate Hit-Boy for his production work on the King’s Disease series of albums alongside Hip-Hop legend Nas.
It seems pretty clear to me that this artist has championed versatility regarding the vibrant collection of iconic beats he has made. But if I had to choose my favourite kind of mood that the producer has put through on his beats, it would have to be his accessible yet unique use of soul-sampling, and he has created many an engaging and soulful beat as a result.
That being said, I was definitely excited to discover that 2023 would see Hit Boy loosening his rapping chops a little more, through his first ever solo effort. I’ve listened to Hit-Boy spit bars through other collaborative projects, and I must say that they leave very little to be desired. With that in mind, hearing Hit-Boy rap over Hit-Boy beats was an offer I could not turn down.
Like many other albums I’ve listened to with a critical mindset, I was going into this one having not heard any teaser tracks previously. And sometimes, that’s just the way it’s supposed to be done. In the case of Hit-Boy, it was an exciting prospect to hear all these new beats, and new bars, under one full-length record.
As one might expect from a first solo effort, this new album, titled SURF OR DROWN serves as a window into the success story of Hit-Boy. It neither feels pretentious or unengaging in the case of this album, as the producer succeeds in engaging listeners, and serving as inspiration through the artist’s telling of his comeuppance. And to compliment this uplifting and motivational focal point of the album, we of course have soulful beats aplenty, all of which are masterfully and thoughtfully made. Along with this, we have a generous helping of sound-bites to tie all of the tracks together.
Despite SURF OR DROWN clearly being a solo effort through and through, Hit-Boy doesn’t hesitate to spice things up a little with an exciting and versatile cast of featured artists. Those include the likes of Nas, Curren$y, and even The Alchemist (which saw two of my favourite producers collaborate under one track in the form of “Slipping Into Darkness”).
And while all pf these features are exciting, Hit-Boy doesn’t let that stop him from being the real focal point of SURF OR DROWN. It truly feels like a project that he was truly passionate about making (not to say that his passion doesn’t go into his many amazing beats on other projects, but the point still stands).
And as a result of the passion that went into SURF OR DROWN, me and (I imagine) countless other listeners were fully on-board with everything that this splendid album has to offer.
Favourite Tracks: Tony Fontana III | NU.WAV | Slipping Into Darkness | Composure, Pt.2
Hit-Boy Music | Surf Club
