Styyle’s outspoken raps worm their way into your brain and refuse to leave. He processes pop culture with a subversive perspective, pushing the kind of indulgent bravado that fans tend to prioritize. He bottles the joy of being young and fearless. His vocals are delivered with such variety and charisma that it’s hard not to get lost in his songs driven by the twisted melodic trickery of trap. His artistic exuberance draws you right into his world and this, combined with his versatile, head-thrashing production, suggests we’re dealing with a real talent who will only keep growing as a rapper.
Styyle is an upcoming artist attached to Powerseat Music Group. His 16 track album “The Devil’s Problem” marks his 3rd full length outing with the emerging indie label from Birmingham, AL. On the record, Styyle takes the druggy swirl of trap, and adds a whole lot more personal color.
He sounds like a psychedelic poet, capable of transporting you somewhere otherworldly. On “Check” he starts out strong, with a serious lilt to his voice, and sense of urgency to his delivery.
“Danger” has all the catchy traits of a Top 40 earworm, with a killer chorus that would easily stand its ground on any mainstream radio station. Styyle flips the template on “Like Ooh”, which kicks off with an acoustic guitar strum, before leaning on a throbbing bassline a lightly skittering hi-hats. “Stevie Wonder” thunders in on an epic sounding cinematic soundscape, while Styyle drops the tone of his voice to lower register. The effect is convincingly resonant.
Any rap artist capable of binding the “Stevie Wonder” musical backdrop in a trap environment, in a way that isn’t jarring, is the kind of risk-taker you shouldn’t underestimate. “Hoe Talk” oozes star quality as Styyle hooks up with Rixh Six.
Their flows show how they’re inspired by each other’s technical prowess. Things get even better on “Level Up”, as Styyle is joined by Hotboi Ty, IBC Dubb and Sko Money. They weave in and out of the beat like they’re dodging bullets.
Styyle possesses a charisma that makes his hard-nosed storytelling raps feel like they’re always coming from a place of truth over fiction, no matter tale he is telling. He comes out swinging with explicit pussy talk on “Ratchet Shxt!” and then takes a stylistic left turn on “Peek-A-Boo” where he is joined by Hasko Montana. “Ballin’ on Em” is another infectious melodic banger that takes us through to the haunting “Cautious” featuring 256 Biggz.
The ambitious soundscaping serves as the nucleus for what drives the album, as Styyle and his features strike for new territory in terms of sound and voice tones. “Life of a Savage”, “Think About Me” and “Work It 4 Me” continue the beautiful orchestrations and the contagiously catchy raps. Proving that Styyle’s bag of tricks is pretty much fully loaded.
He slows things down to a burning ballad on the excellent “Damaged”, before taking us further down the rabbit hole with the bass-booming “Pain II”, and then closing with the poignant “Bottom Flo”.
The rap landscape is an increasingly crowded place, and even one hot song isn’t enough to make an artist pop anymore. You need a handful of hits and an identity. Something towards which, Styyle is clearly working.
“The Devil’s Problem” forges a series of ear-grabbing tracks that move between sharp and hard and spacious grooves. The big success of the album is in its versatility, proving that Styyle can have fun, emote authentically, and cater to different moods. He’s ready to move into the spotlight.
OFFICIAL LINKS: POWERSEAT MUSIC – FACEBOOK – INSTAGRAM – MUSIC STREAMS
