Wes Blak - Stolen Crowns And False Idols (ALBUM REVIEW)

Click READ MORE to check out my review of the new Wes Blak album.

Wes Blak broke onto the scene with his single “Yuckmouth” instantly grabbing the attention of internet bloggers and listeners. Many compared him to Odd Future. Some said he sounded nothing like them while others said he was better than any member of Odd Future. Regardless of it all one thing was for sure from that single is that he displayed a lot of talent as a rapper and producer.

Fast forward to August with a few album delays, a few album title changes, as well as a short lived group The Dynasty (which spawned one album). This finds Wes Blak finally living up to the hype. The album now titled Stolen Crowns And False Idols is one of the better hip-hop albums you’ll hear this year. A few cuts from The Dynasty album show up on the album, but they go over a lot better on this album in the context of Blak’s vision. Most of the stuff from The Dynasty album has been re-worked and sounds a lot better.

The twelve tracks on the album are all produced by Blak. They are cohesive and impressive for the young rapper/producer that recorded the album while he was still only seventeen (and released it the day of his eighteenth birthday). His rhyming ability is far above average and lyrically it is a really strong release.

The Odd Future comparisons are still evident in a few of the songs but this album can finally put the copycat criticism to rest. Wes Blak is no rip-off. He is serious and it shows. The album is so well tuned that it’s hard to find much wrong with it. The beats are really well done and compliment the vibe of the lyrics really well. For a self-produced and recorded album it really gives rappers with large budgets a big run for their money. Blak also boasts on “Hell Yeah!” the fact that he’s only been rapping for a year and a half and producing for four months, which only makes the album a more impressive debut statement.

The only real criticism I have is that the track “Nytemare” has appeared in three various versions since Blak originally released it. I probably still like the first version released over the version that made this album. It’s still a well done track on the album it is more of a personal preference of which version I prefer.

I made a prediction that this would be one of the better hip-hop albums of the year and it definitely delivered. It is a fine tuned album and in all truth if you want to compare it to Odd Future it is probably better than half of the albums they’ve ever released. It also competes with some of their best albums. If you really want to be fair though, I would judge this album on its own merit which proves that Wes Blak is his own artist and that he has displayed the ability to craft a really well done debut album. The big statement I’ll make about this album is this: It’s an impressive album and I would definitely recommend it. Somebody should find Wes Blak a best new artist award somewhere he deserves it.