Eagle Era

VAISH reviews Blue Lips by Schoolboy Q

Vaishnav Desabhatla

Staff Writer

Last month, my editor told me Schoolboy Q was dropping an album in March. With this being his first release in 5 years I had no idea what to expect due to how versatile Q has been over the course of his career, but I didn’t expect him to rap on drumless beats (similar to the style of Earl Sweatshirt) and I didn’t expect it to work so well. Hearing Q rap on soulful sample chops results in some of his best work. Songs like “Blueslides” and “Germany ‘86” provide a space for Q to reflect and create a far more personal environment that he’s generally known for. But, the album still packs a punch with the bass-heavy beats he’s known for. The mix of laid back and more personal jazz rap songs and west coast inspired trap is a perfect combination and makes the album an enjoyable listening experience, making it more reminiscent of a mixtape with more cohesion.

       The album’s 18 songs span about 56 minutes, never really overextending with the exception of “Yearn 101” where the looped bass line could feel a bit repetitive. The album’s features come from a combination of big name artists like Rico Nasty (who absolutely kills her verse on “Pop”), Ab-Soul, Freddie Gibbs, and lesser known artists like Devin Mallick and Childish Major. They generally fit right into the album seamlessly switching in between feature and Q. Features like Rico Nasty really go above and beyond, though the album has a strong list of features there is the exception of  “Pig Feet” (featuring Childish Major) but to be honest I didn’t like the song in general due to the main string sample feeling uninspired and generic.

I love this album, but something I hear a lot of people mention is that it wasn’t worth the wait of five years. And to be honest that isn’t Q’s fault, but it’s the fault of the listener. Heading into Blue Lips without any expectations made for a fun listening experience, but, if I had listened to the album expecting it to sound a specific way, of course I would be disappointed. Setting unrealistic expectations on artists will only result in disappointment. This happened when Kendrick Lamar released Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers and people would not recognize the introspective beauty of the album, but instead criticized it for not being good enough for the 5-year wait. For me Blue Lips was a great listening experience as the album was pleasantly different from Q’s other work but it still feels in the same realm; though the album shifts through a variety of sub-genres of rap it stays cohesive, it stays in the same world. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Q explore a new side to his artistry as he got more personal, 8.5/10.