‘Ninja Gaiden: Ninp and Nymphos’, the latest album by Donis.Greene, is a compelling lyrical tour de force. The artist employs his vocal theatricality to give cinematic flair to expansive lyrics, elevating it above the level of simple bars streaming through a speaker. Each layer, depth, and style option he puts in, contributes to our ever-changing perception of Donis.Greene’s frenetic playing field. Because of this, it the album becomes much more absorbing. The unsigned artist from Toledo, Ohio has worked on a plethora of projects over the last two years, and this time around wanted to portray just how sharp his skills have become.
Donis.Greene’s lyrical style is always evolving. He’s skilled with rhymes, but in a different way than most other rappers, who rely on their quickness to compensate for the blandness of their deliveries. In contrast, each of his rhymes is densely filled with vivid imagery to complement his quick delivery. He meticulously selects each word and syllable, adding a high-grade feeling to each stanza.
‘Ninja Gaiden: Ninp and Nymphos’ is an engrossing examination of the merits of Donis.Greene’s rap technique. It’s a cinematic cosmos with a maze of complex moving lyrical elements and various production realms, separated only by the last seconds of one song before the listener is thrown abruptly into the next. The effect is truly stunning. Right from the opening tracks, ‘Jitaku(home)’, ‘Love Better’ and ‘Her Knees’, Donis.Greene’s voice never falters, with drastically varied flows.
From there, we’re thrown into his Donis.Greene’s universe with the luscious ‘Heard Bout Me’, the robust ‘Trae Young’ and the shimmering ‘Im A Mess’. Donis.Greene’s voice morphs and transforms endlessly.
The beginning of each bar sounds nothing like the end of it, as he successfully captures the entertaining aspect of his craft. The fact that the record is planned to flow together, despite the varied sounds, is what makes it work so brilliantly. Each song here provides a unique experience.
Donis. Greene plays off the subtle intensities on ‘Really Rap’, ‘Cold Broken Hearts’ and ‘What I Gotta Do’. The rapper’s ability to keep the listener entertained by his delivery in addition to what he’s saying effectively puts him ahead of the pack.
Moving forward through, ‘3am Interlude’, ‘Busy’ and ‘Mangekyo Sharingan’ continues to be a masterclass of inventive flows. Technical prowess and lyrical complexity are skills hard to come by in an age of mumble rap and trap beats, but artists like Donis.Greene show that it’s possible.
‘Drown My Pain’ provides another superbly strong performance from Donis.Greene, as he slides into the tongue twisting ‘Cookin Crack’ and the explosive grit of ‘Hostages’. ‘Between Us’ is another testament of the artist being comfortable and secure with his talents and abilities.
‘As The World Turns’ is Donis.Greene at his best: the voice of ambition and self-empowerment. He then proceeds to close the show with the haunting ‘5 percent’, once again highlighting his phenomenal wordplay in its truest form.
Donis.Greene actually presents thoughtful ideas on ‘Ninja Gaiden: Ninp and Nymphos’, through his relentless efficiency and intensity. The Ohio rapper is at his best when he does exactly what he knows, and he proves that not only can he do it all, he can do it better than just about anyone else. His rollercoaster of rhymes on this album is one that you will be riding again, and again.
OFFICIAL LINKS: INSTAGRAM – APPLE MUSIC – STREAMS
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