Project Review - “This Ain’t The Album” by Flyana Boss
For the hip-hop duo Flyana Boss, the goal of This Ain't The Album is in the title: a project to let everyone know they are anything but a fad and a flash in the pan. While fans should not enter this project expecting a thesis on racism or a 64-bar onslaught ala Twista, what you will receive in the five-song project is a creative dopamine boost filled with infectious beats, fun euphemisms, and playful themes that help solidify the duo as a future major player in the hip-hop realm.
The duration of this project is short, running about 13 minutes. However, at that time, the duo poses themselves as original emcees capable of crafting their material without coming across as exhaustive or worn-out, playful with their ability to vibe off one another while being creatively organic.
The pop-hop sound of their lead singles "Yeaaa" and "Candyman" has caught viral acclaim. And for the remainder of the project, the duo does the near impossible with keeping the listener's attention with every verse on the EP. Whether it’s an album or not, anyone who has ever heard of any full-length project will tell you that’s a difficult feat.
Regarding the content on the project, as mentioned before, it’s very fun and it’s very good.
The unique thing about Flyana Boss is that their verses don’t feel like traditional rap verses, instead, they feel like party anthems designed for Friday nights that can appropriately play on a Wednesday afternoon. For instance, while a song like “Money At” could easily be captured on a show like HBO’s “Insecure,” you can also find yourself purely vibing to this track while writing a music review (oops). Most club-ready tracks would be inappropriate for that time (imagine someone playing “Cupid Shuffle” at 3 p.m. on a Monday).
The duo, as rappers, have created magic by turning their verses into unskippable verses that can be memorable if you would like them to be but possess an aura of bad-bitchary that’s not too good for rap, but if not your cup of tea, then it’s too good for you.
Production-wise, this EP is masterful for a pop-hop project running 13 minutes. The drums are infectious, and the melodies complement the idea that Flyana Boss wants you to have fun. There isn’t a Kanye-esque production per se, but instrumental-wise, songs like “Stupendous” are crafty in playing to the background and setting the vibe before the duo utters a single word.
Overall this project is everything you should expect from the duo. Will you hit replay? absolutely. Will you have fun? Absolutely. Will you walk away from this project feeling like a cool bad-bitch? Absolutely.
You can listen to the project here.
