Released April 12, 2019
4 / 10
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La Belgique Afrique
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Intro
Belgian rapper Roméo Elvis had already built a larger than life fanbase when he dropped his first solo album "Chocolat"in 2018; an album that proves that notoriety is not always a catalyst for creative risk-taking. "Chocolat" is so self-centered that it feels narcissistic at times, obnoxious at others. Throughout the 19 (!) tracks, we hear 20 different Roméos spitting. The one thing that unites them is that all they can seem to talk about is themselves. La Belgique Afrique is the exception that rules them all and coincidentally (or rather not so surprisingly) the best track by far. Roméo couldn't narrow down a few topics or sides of himself to share with his audience; he had to talk about everything Roméo. From love - the good, the bad, the average, the slightly better, the slightly worse, the horrible, the great, the mediocre, you get it - to celebrity-status (a hard cross to bear), drugs (they're everywhere), social media (we're addicted), friendships (a bruden, surely), family (upper-class growing pains), paranoia, fear, joy, loneliness... it's as if he attempted to build a taxonomy of the human experience - and a poor one at that - from his standpoint. Intro is the warning that shouldn't be ignore. This retrospective track looking back at where Roméo comes from and all he's achieved since is permeated by awkward lyrical content and unimaginative rhymes. On top of which completely unnecessary background commentary sends us on a 18 track journey it's hard to prepare for. Another cringe experience comes with Coeur des hommes, an exquisite F Haters narrative we have never heard before. Nonetheless, Roméo is well-known for his live prowess. His strength lies in live performances and feeding off the energy of a crowd. 3 Étoiles sets up an unusually aggressive atmosphere that must drive crowds crazy. Beyond listening to a studio album only to realize you would have been better off waiting for the live sets, one can hope that Roméo's future collaborations borrow from talented people who excel where he doesn't.
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