Photo Courtesy of KPOP Lover
Story by Makala Greene/Contributing Writer
H1GHR Music and Jay Park are back with their second installment, another 14-track album entitled “Blue Tape.” The record contains a mix of hip-hop and R&B beats, which are written in a combination of English and Korean. The album features a few new artists who weren’t on the label’s previous release, “Red Tape,” which helps it give off a totally different feel.
The artists of H1GHR Music have been working day and night to bring these tracks to life. The album features Jay Park, 28AV, Gemini, pH-1, Sik-K, AUDREY NUNA, Woodie Gochild, HAON, BIG Naughty, TRADE L, Golden, Ted Park, Phe Reds and producer Cha Cha Malone. Jay Park has done a good job fitting each artist’s skillset to their respective songs.
The word that describes “Blue Tape” best is “chill.” It shows a different part of the artists than “Red Tape,” which brought us more intense rap verses about individuality, freedom and rebellion. The rapping on “Red Tape” was much more harsh and high energy than on this record.
The album has so many standouts that it’s difficult to figure out which ones to highlight.
“Gotta Go” is a chill song with soft rap lines and a melody that sounds ripped straight out of the 90s. The song talks about keeping on that grind and providing for themselves and their families. “Funny how it goes/ for my family and enemy/ I be tryna stay humble,” says Sik-K, rapping about self-image.
“I’ll be the one to give you the best of me/ Baby girl just leave it up to me/ Yeah, you know that I’m the one to be,” sings Park on “Oscar.” The track tells the story of a few men trying to prove to their girl that they are one. The R&B heavy song is the perfect song to just dance to.
The vast array of musical talent on the album gives us plenty of bops to enjoy from “Lean on Me” to “End of the Night” to “Toast.” All of these are fun and easy to vibe with.
“Blue Tape” won me over with its powerful vocals and soothing rap lines, and proves itself as a great companion piece for “Red Tape.”
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