Hailing from Harlem, NY, Soupblack is getting ready to drop his exciting new project “SOOP” on January 25 2019. The title “SOOP’, stands for “Started Out of Poverty”, and details Soupblack’s trials and tribulations from the beginning of his life up until this point. From growing up in poverty, his mother’s addiction, his father’s absence, and being teased in school, Soupblack pulls from his experience to create a project reflective of his ability to overcome. To whet our appetites for his new project, and see what Soup’s talents have to offer fans and the industry, we listened to his current work, the 13 track album, “You For Me, Or You Against”, available on all major digital download platforms.
And after listening to the project – to start with, we can clearly say that as a rapper, Soupblack clearly makes the cut. By all accounts, the project is praised by all for its top-tier rhyming and serves as an antidote to the mumble rap-mania taking place.
The 13-track album not only forges a commended technical framework of but elevates Soupblack’s delivery and songwriting to a point where he sounds completely like his own man with his own plan. The beats are contemporary enough to be catchy but the intricate rapping and tonal flows are different enough to keep listeners on the edge of their seats.
To set that tone and let folks know what he is about, Soup raps with cutthroat conviction on album opener “They Don’t Know”. The song is exciting, pulse pumping and starts the album with tangible proof that this dude can rhyme his ass off.
“Keep On” serves as a quick counter point where the album gets a little more soulful and insightful showcasing Soupblack’s noticeable diversity as a songwriter. He takes his pen loaded with bravado and blends it with a feathered quill of vulnerability for an uplifting track.
As cliché as it sounds, there is something for everyone on this album, hence “In The Party” brings forth a banging anthem to get the joint moving. Soup takes all the best parts from the previous three songs and mixes them with his distinctive practice and pitch that works seamlessly on the soulful back to back tracks “Big Plans” and “Spending Money”.
Leaning on his strong and wide-ranging skillset, Soupblack proves himself to be a commendable artist by delivering songs that cross neatly into the R&B, trap and pop zones, like “Someday”, “Harlem”, “All Good”. However it’s on cuts like “Only Game I Know”, “On My Own” and “I”, where his pure rapping skills come to the fore.
Here Soup flexes with a ton of braggadocios rhymes, and infectious flows, making it clear that there is no lack of confidence in his craft. The latter tracks exemplify what Soup can deliver at the peak of his powers. His ability to creatively implement melodies with relatable content also shines throughout this project.
Just as strongly as he opened this project, Soupblack makes sure he goes out on a high note. “Not You” and the title track, “You For Me Or You Against”, continue to showcase his narrating and rhyming skills, as his flow remains relentless against a set of simmering production backdrops.
This is a collection that doesn’t grow stale, even after several listens. It’s also a fine addition to the Soupblack discography, and an exciting lead up to following project ready to drop in the New Year!
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