Rating: ***1/2
-born but now living in Florida, RuudAwakening has an interesting history and thought-process that influence and inform his rhymes. He’s not your everyday, run-of-the-mill rapper. He takes his unique upbringing and life story and combines it with his deeply personal spiritual beliefs to crank out some seriously new age bangers. Haitian
His new one (out November 13th) is called “Catharsis” and I’m getting a sneak peak before almost anybody else. I’m gonna use this privilege wisely and tell you all about it before you can stream it yourself.
I’m about to hike and I know just what to throw on. My thoughts after the jump.
Stream RuudAwakening's earlier works on Soundcloud below:
We get started with “Magic” and it’s an immediate view into what Ruud is all about. Mystical beats and rock-solid bars. Great starter here. “Ice” offers fairly standard rap bravado, while “Paradise” is a little slower and deliberate. Both are decent, but don’t stand out. “Freedom” and “Blinks” both show an insight into what a strong lyricist Ruud is. Creepy and melodic, he shows a gift for rhyming over a darker beat. “Runway” comes off like filler and “LMR” is a little dry for my taste. “Fallen From Grace” picks things back up in a major way and might be my favorite track on the entire album. “The Worst” continues the string of solid tracks and the ending number “Thank U For Sharing” is a completely different vibe and very strong in it’s own right.
All in all, the latest from RuudAwakening will please rap fans even if it might be a reach for nonfans of the genre. I give it a solid recommendation.