Fly Anakin, the underground hip-hop heavyweight, recently released his first project of 2020, “at the end of the day.” Anakin has been in the music industry for quite some time now, continually releasing quality projects for the past six years. He’s a member of the Richmond, Virginia based collective “Mutant Academy” and is the second most recognized artist in the group, behind their excellent producer Tuamie.
Anakin, much like the other members of his label, tends to rap over boom bap instrumentals, which primarily use samples to diversify respective beats, as well as provide a melody. His content tends to revolve around stereotypical hip-hop content such as women, drugs and boasting his skills. Though Anakin tends to have stereotypical lyrics, he makes them captivating with his energetic delivery, fast-paced flow and hilarious one-liners.
The first song on the album, “Proceed On,” is produced by Greymatter. He provides Anakin with a beautiful instrumental that is lo-fi, smooth, as well as nocturnal.
It’s sad to say that Anakin doesn’t match the quality that Greymatter brought to the track, as his verse is mediocre. Nothing was precisely memorable about his bars. He isn’t the most technical rapper, nor does he provide lyrics that draw the listener in. At a short two minutes, the song is almost entirely forgettable, had it not been for the production.
The following track, “Whatchu Need,” comes in with a hard-hitting beat that’s impossible to ignore. The drums are loud and there’s quite the peculiar bell sample on the track that adds some quirkiness to the song. The first verse comes from the feature on the track, Nickelus F, who is a veteran in the Richmond, Virginia scene.
He comes on to the song with a smooth delivery and a flow that makes the production fit perfectly with his bars. His lyrics are violent in this song, as subject matter contains guns robbing and various threats. Anakin’s verse has much of the same content, but he delivers it with a lot more energy, which helps to balance out the track very well.
Next up is the song “Don’t Smoke,” which has a smooth, funky beat that provides a lovely atmospheric feel, making for a solid song. The fifth song on the album is “Cartoons,” featuring fellow Mutant Academy member Big Kahuna OG. This is a collaboration that one should expect. The two artists made an album in 2019, which made for one of the year’s most exceptional projects.
Anakin provides a safe verse, but OG is much stronger in smoothness, rhyme scheme and flow. It fits so well on this instrumental, which is buttery as well as strange because there seems to be a sample of an amazon creature of some sort. Greymatter, the producer of the track, and OG released a project last year. As previously mentioned, Anakin has worked with OG plenty of times, as well as the producer of the piece, so this song is pure chemistry.
The next song, “Eddie Drummond,” has an exquisite beat, as the bass is loud yet tame. The sample vocals fit the track very well and it is an overall beautiful instrumental.
“Chess Pieces” is the track that follows and it is, without a doubt, Anakin at his best. His talents are on full display. He comes onto the track with infectious energy, intricate rhyme patterns and comical lines. The beat is dusty and grimy, which sounds best with Anakin’s style.
The track, “Wavey Wun,” is a bit of a different pace. It is self-produced by Anakin himself. The beat is nothing more than a looped sample of some vocals, yet the real draw to the track is Anakin himself. He brings his speediest flow over the song.
The rest of the album continues this cycle throughout with quality tracks. However, there are a collection of others that are just decent at best. The highlights on this project are lovely and worth checking out, but the inconsistencies drag down the project’s quality. Overall the production is terrific throughout, and Anakin is captivating as well as hilarious when he puts his best foot forward.
