IDK — USEE4YOURSELF — Album Review
Hip-Hop | Rap
Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Music
It was at the start of July last year, that I fully got into the London-born, Maryland-raised rap artist IDK (formerly known as Jay IDK), with the release of his 2020 mixtape IDK & FRIENDS 2 (Basketball County Soundtrack).
Given the Mixtape status of this project, I could definitely appreciate IDK & FRIENDS 2 for its rawness and rough edges. However, I was excited to see what IDK was capable of when it came to making music on a studio album. Thankfully, I would get that answer exactly one year later. Enter, the present year of 2021, and IDK’s sophomore studio album, USEE4YOURSELF.
I kind of saw a new project coming, with the release of IDK late 2020 single “King Alfred”. Given the quality of its production, I could definitely envision a full project in this style following suit. I felt that my belief in a new album was only strengthened by “Just Like Martin”, the first single release of 2021 from IDK.
And while, of course, USEE4YOURSELF showed that there was indeed an album coming, neither of the aforementioned tracks make an appearance on it. The earliest single release to properly tease the release of the album, was none other than “Shoot My Shot”. Featuring a few bars from Migos member Offset, this track indicated that a few other exciting features were set to make the bill. The most notable of the featured artists on USEE4YOURSELF would have to be the late MF DOOM, found on the regal sound of the 7th track “Red”.
But despite all the impressive features, IDK himself stands as the focal figure, and driving force behind this album. Since I’ve been listening to the artist, I haven’t quite seen the rapper as open, reflective, and raw, than on this new album.
USEE4YOURSELF sees the rapper open up about his experiences with toxic masculinity, feelings of childhood neglect, and slow but steady journey towards finding faith. We see a truly sensitive side to IDK, which is ingeniously thrown in with other moments that express the rappers pride and success. But given the strength of this album’s narrative, it is easier than usual to notice that these prideful moments show a relatable facade.
But the aspect of this narrative that intrigued me the most, once I looked into it, was the part that played on the idea of faith. Most notably reflected upon ‘Cry in Church’, this part of the album’s concept ingeniously links USEE4YOURSELF to IDK’s debut album, Is He Real?, in a far more artistic way thank how IDK & FRIENDS 2 is linked to the first IDK & FRIENDS for example. On his debut album, IDK actually shows a much more questioning side towards faith and a higher power (expressed in the albums title). However, this album sees IDK do a full 180, and finally find his faith, albeit as a late bloomer. It truly does hit home just how much maturity and self acceptance emanates from the rap artist, with USEE4YOURSELF as the main vessel. If you put the two album titles together, you get the answer to the question; Is He Real?, USEE4YOURSELF.
But narrative strength aside, we get some very innovative sounding beats on this record, many of which have this very vibrant, indie feel. Even it it hasn’t quite translated this way to the general crowd of listeners, it felt clear to me at least, that IDK wanted to make something that stood out from your typically accessible rap album. From the impressive fades between each track, to the video IDK put out for the full album, it is remarkably easy to see just how much passion went into this project.
But with all of the praise I have to give USEE4YOURSELF, there are a few criticisms here and there, that unfortunately stop this album from being perfect. The biggest elephant in the room for me would be the interludes, which oddly enough serve way less purpose than they should. Given that there are so many interludes on this thing (6 if you include the intro and the outro), I expected that they would have been the main means of driving the narrative of this album forward. But to my surprise, some of the full tracks did a better job at doing this. I would say that the strongest interlude in a narrative sense would be the outro “Closure”. However, the rest just seem to fill empty space and not much else. There were also a few full tracks here and there that didn’t quite hit the mark, but the majority of them struck gold.
Needless to say though, the pros of this album immensely outweigh the few measly cons. USEE4YOURSELF had me as a listener feeling a sense of great pride in this artist; and this is coming from someone who barely knew this rapper existed until this time a year ago. This sophomore album confirms that IDK is well on the way to being a modern legend.
Favourite Tracks: Santa Monica Blvd | Dog’s Don’t Lie | Peloton | Hey Auntie
Least Favourite Track: PradadaBang
Clue No Clue LLC| Warner Records
Enjoyment: 8/10 | Memorability: 9/10 | Atmosphere: 8/10
Uniqueness: 8/10 | Satisfaction: 8/10 | Narrative: 10/10
