When I first started hearing the name Kodak Black and started learning more about who he was, I couldnโt help but sigh and be dismayed at the general direction this new generation of rappers was taking hip-hop. Now not everybody, but a large majority of them (especially the ones getting the attention) were making headlines and getting attention for everything but their music. This was the case with Kodak, every headline he was a part of was pure ignorance so I never gave his music a chance, but I kept hearing from people whoโs opinions I generally respected that Painting Picturesย was worth checking out, so thatโs what I did.
To say that I was surprised at the quality of the music would be an understatement. I was expecting the usual mindless trap music you hear these days, but when it cameย with the smooth, old school country rap inspired โCandy Paintโ, I didnโt know what to expect. The overall production was much more refined than I expected to hear; there were some real gems on the album. โDay for Dayโ is one of my favorite songs off the album and itโs dripping with emotion, โFeeling Likeโ sounds like the type of horn lush instrumental youโd hear on a Ross album, and โTunnel VisionโโฆWhat can I say about about โTunnel Visionโ but god damn! That beat is fireeee,ย the fluteโs making a strong comeback in rap lol.ย Painting Picturesย isnโt perfect, there are a number of songs that I regularly skip, but in general thereโs a lot more hit than miss and thatโs something I was not expecting from the project.
โYou know Iโm a hot boy, but I ainโt never lose my cool
The streets on fire, thatโs why Iโm ridinโ with my tool
1800 block boy, Iโm quick to give a bitch the blues
I was already sentenced, before I came up out the womb
Streets done already sentenced me, before no cracker could
And I wonder why, when Iโm just so fucked up out the hoodโ
That same level of unexpected refinement in the production extends to his lyrics as well. If I was to classify him as a rapper, Iโd say heโs like a mix between Boosie and Wayne. In fact, when I first heard him I actually thought he was from Louisiana. Now heโs nowhere near as technically skilled as Wayne but he makes up for that in pure realness.ย Painting Pictures is the perfect name for the album because the content and delivery is so frank and real that I could see and feel almost everything he was saying on the album. Thereโs your usual rapper bravado but he bares his soul in way thatโs unexpected from someone only 18. I used to think he was a complete jackass, but after givingย Painting Pictures a chance, I have a much clearer understanding of who he is as a person and why he is that way. Heโs a project baby with surprising amount of depth.
Have you heardย Painting Pictures? Whatโd you think about it? Were you as surprised by the depth displayed as I was? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to leave your rating for the album.
