It is near impossible to take Look What This World Did To Us by Red Pill and find just one track to dissect and examine. So instead of internally arguing over what I should do, I opted to just review the whole album.
This project marks the debut for Red Pill on Mello Music Group as a solo artist. Taken straight from the Red Pill bandcamp page is an exact quote that just seems to sum up this album perfectly:
“This album is a signal flare, an escape route, and catharsis. This isn’t just hip-hop, this is an attempt to distill the disillusion and cure the hangover. It’s both a brilliant mission statement and a jazzy funeral for what was promised but never delivered.”
Red Pill is a wordsmith who does his home of Detroit, Michigan proud even though not everything he has to say is great times and happiness. Born into struggles and further rough times throughout his life, Red Pill has dug into his past and present to find lyrics and beats that truly speak to the listener.
In the track “Windows”, he speaks from experience of being a member of the working class by expertly laying it out with the repeated lines, “I’m living broke but I’m not living broken.” The listener just finds themselves following along with the story he has to tell and finding it hits pretty close to home.
But it isn’t just great lyrics that makes this album amazing. For me it’s expert production that really separates this from just another album from one that is great. In “Smoke Rings” we’re met with a classic 40s/50s tune to start off before the production comes in. As the sample breaks throughout the song you just find yourself nodding along and getting lost in the tune.
The album is self-described as “…for those who played by the rules only to discover that the game was rigged. This is a toast for those entering their late 20s and still acting like adolescents.” It is really a great piece of art that I can listen to on repeat multiple times over. With that said though, I find myself drawn to the title track “Look What This World Did To Us”. It’s a combination of all the forces that make this album great. It’s gut wrenching lyrics of lost love and pain coupled with a beat that goes for days and will have you sold on this album in just one play.
If you’re digging what you hear and you’d like to snag a copy of your own then you need to get over to the Mello Music Group’s page and pick up a copy right now. Good news for you vinyl hip hop heads, he has records for sale for a pretty good rate! But, if you’re not sold on the physical copies then you can always listen to/grab a digital copy from his bandcamp page.
The final wrap up is simply this: Red Pill is only on his way up so if you get a chance to see him live or grab an album do it now. What’s better is that you have no excuses since he’ll be on tour with Murs this year and is definitely coming to a town near you.
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