Kid Ink “ALIVE” Deluxe Album Review

ALIVE (Deluxe)

Kid Ink

• Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
• Release Date: 2022-01-14
• Explicitness: explicit
• Country: International
• Track Count: 21
• ℗ 2022 Tha Alumni

Kid Ink is no kid – literally not – and when it comes to delivering the bars, he’s as alive as can be. This much should be obvious from his “ALIVE (Deluxe)” album, which dropped recently.

With that body of work, the songster joins the league of musicians who not only release albums but drop follow-ups in the same tradition – you might say deluxe.

On April 9, 2021, 2021, Kid ink had dropped the 13-track “ALIVE” album. Almost a year letter – we’re counting by 12 months here – the songster had dropped a deluxe, which incorporates songs from the original compilation.

Tracklist

The compilation totes a total of 21 tracks that play for exactly one hour and eight minutes. A mixed bag you have here, and that’s only in the sense that the songster shuffled the old and the new.

He didn’t list the songs in the original album and then followed it up with new ones, and vice versa. He started with “Back 2 Basics,” followed by “New New,” the very first song in the original album.

Interestingly, the deluxe project ends with the same track as the original album, “45 (Bonus).” That’s easily explainable: Bonus tracks are usually the last on any project.

Tracks

NO	Title	Time
1	Back 2 Basics	3:51
2	New New	2:51
3	Night & Day	3:02
4	Red Light	2:40
5	Go Mode (feat. ISM)	2:50
6	Run Up the Check	3:32
7	Rich Talk (feat. Rory Fresco)	3:48
8	Fenty Secrets	3:19
9	Brakes	3:28
10	Hoe Games	3:01
11	Hoops (feat. Bricc Baby)	2:48
12	Don’t Want Me to Win	3:01
13	Warm It Up	3:22
14	Out the Blue (feat. ISM)	3:12
15	All In Her Head (feat. ISM)	2:52
16	To the Moon (Rocket)	3:55
17	Kick Back	3:17
18	Karma (feat. Goldiie) [Bonus]	3:40
19	Thick Ole (Bonus)	3:05
20	Look At That (Bonus)	3:10
21	45 (Bonus)	3:33

Features

Kid Ink was totally ungenerous with the guest list, whether by design or coincidence. So yeah, he didn’t have many MCs rapping alongside him. Fortunately, the ones he co-opted actually did put up a fine performance.

For this 21-song album, Kid ink tapped the vocal resources of associates ISM, Rory Fresco, and Bricc Baby. ISM had the most feature spots, though, appearing on track 5 (“Go Mode”), track 14 (“Out The Blue”), and track 15 (“All In Her Head”).

While the number of guests, given the number of tracks, might be considered a drop in the Atlantic, the guests did have a grand outing alongside Kid Ink. It was never a kid’s game.

Messages

Rarely would you see a full-length album that sticks to one theme. Artists want to explore a lot, and they do just that. How well they do that, though, is entirely subjective.

For the “ALIVE (Deluxe)” album, Kid Ink explored several subjects, including life. It was inevitable that he should explore love and prelateships as well. Would hip-hop ever do without someone finding lyric spaces for wine and women? I doubt.

Anyway, the songster manages to not only share his experiences but to do so in a way that would have many listeners tapping the replay icon instead of falling hard into the maws of ennui. That’s one merit of this body of work.

Key songs

In most albums, especially the full-length ones, some songs stand out more than the others. “ALIVE (Deluxe)” album is no different. The idea of good or best, or one song standing out more than the other, will always be subjective, of course.

That notwithstanding, some songs from the compilation make for interesting listening sessions. “Back 2 Basics” is one such song. This number takes you through an introspective bend that you’ll surely love.

“Run Up the Check,” track number six, is another. Again, the song will appeal to lovers of the good life who just want to get things done and have a good time. A good time you’ll actually have with this one. No qualms.

The Rory fresco-featured “Rich Talk,” which follows, bears the same alert energy. This jam can detain bars and clubs. Go figure.

“Hoe Games” might bring a wry smile to the faces of those who have played the field. And for those who have not, you should at least snap something didactic from it.

“To the Moon (Rocket),” which seats at the 16th position on the tracklist, may not exactly take you to the moon, but as a diversion from the drab, you just cannot miss it.

Summing up

While he might not be snapping all the headlines, Kid Ink, born Brian Todd Collins in Los Angeles, California, United States, has shown with his latest drop that he’s a voice worth a place on a playlist.

So, if you happen to be drowning in the drab, you might want to tap into the fierce energy unleashed.

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