Reviews

Rae Sremmurd “Sremm 4 Life” Album Review

Sremm 4 Life

Rae Sremmurd

  • Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
  • Date: 07 Apr, 2023
  • Content: cleaned
  • Region: NGA
  • Track(s): 14
  • ℗ 2023 Eardruma Records/Interscope Records

Rae Sremmurd &Quot;Sremm 4 Life&Quot; Album Review, Yours Truly, Reviews, March 28, 2024

It is no surprise that RAE SREMMURD are mostly party starters. Due to the Tupelo, Mississippi, brothers’ vivacious charisma and Mike WiLL Made-It’s slick production, their 2015 debut, SremmLife, burned bright with smash hits like “No Flex Zone,” “This Could Be Us,” and “No Type,” still club classics to this day. In terms of viral challenges like “Black Beatles,” they were also innovating.

It has been a while since Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi collaborated on music. Sremm4Life, a joint statement from the two, finds them continuing to build and expand the distinctive sound world they’ve constructed. Their previous album, 2018’s SR3MM, was mostly a soft launch of their respective careers, but they’re back in full force as a unified front.

Album Art

Rae Sremmurd &Quot;Sremm 4 Life&Quot; Album Review, Yours Truly, Reviews, March 28, 2024

The duo is depicted in the album art wearing high-fashion hip-hop while looking like the high-flying celebrities that they are. However, they also exude the essence of hip-hop and trap music and the opulent vibe that comes with wealth. The blings they flaunt and the boots they rock speak volumes about luxury, so it is no surprise that the duo is referred to as a party starter. They certainly fit the representation on this cover.

Tracks And Features

The tracks on their most recent album continue to highlight the interaction between the brothers’ two sides: Swae Lee’s gentler, sung-rap style blends beautifully with Slim Jxmmi’s harder edge. The album opens with “Origami,” a hazy song that pays homage to all of their past, present, and future “hotties” and poses the incredibly pertinent question, “How you have a party/And not invite us?” In their absence, we have all questioned it. With its horn-driven groove and snappy one-liners (“I just shit on my ex/Now that’s a royal flush”) that sound characteristically Sremm, “Royal Flush” is highly addicting.

However, the amorous tendency the boys have carries the record. It’s the reason why earlier classic songs like “This Could Be Us” have endured and become fan favorites. The standout track is “Tanisha (Pump That),” a sweet dose of pure pop that is easy to listen to and sticks in your head for a long time. Slim Jxmmi takes the lead on the old-school beat of “Flaunt It/Cheap,” rapping quickly over record scratches before Swae Lee enters with a swaggering slowdown. It’s an immediate classic from their discography that belongs on any playlist for a party.

The song “Sexy” in the middle of the album offers excellent humor and enjoyment. It’s kind of like a spiritual Right Said Fred remake, with both performers praising how attractive they are and why they are so superior because of it: “You can tell I think I’m sexy/And average things just don’t impress me/And I can’t smoke Reggie/Do what I want ’cause I’m sexy.”

The album’s references to hip-hop music from the 1980s and 1990s provide the group a ton of creative freedom, and it’s obvious that they’re having the most fun lyrically as they modernize the past. Ideally, they will be able to follow that thread in the future. Between these blatantly fantastic moments, the album stumbles a little, with songs like “Bend Ya Knees” going through the TikTok motions and losing the charm that makes Rae Sremmurd so distinctive.

But “ADHD Anthem (Too Many Emotions),” an industrial emo song, brings everything to a triumphant close. The song, a depressive banger that can’t help but make you smile a little bit at how catchy it is, is decidedly un-Rae Sremmurd but still works. Only Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee are capable of doing it so perfectly.

Tracklist

NO TITLE TIME
1 Origami (Hotties) 3:55
2 Royal Flush (feat. Young Thug) 3:00
3 Mississippi Slide 3:00
4 Not So Bad (Leans Gone Cold) 3:18
5 Tanisha (Pump That) 2:46
6 Bend Ya Knees 2:57
7 Activate (feat. Future) 4:42
8 Flaunt It/Cheap 4:00
9 Sexy 2:58
10 YMCA 3:37
11 Something I’m Not 3:17
12 Torpedo 4:00
13 Diamonds Dancing 2:12
14 ADHD Anthem (Too Many Emotions) 3:58

Album Summary

After releasing its triple-LP SR3MM in 2018, Mississippian rap group Rae Sremmurd largely disappeared for five years. In commercial rap, five years is a very long time. On their fourth studio album, Sremm4Life, the brothers Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee are back again, along with longtime producer and label head Mike WiLL Made-It. While SR3MM was good, its triple threat of two solo albums from each of the brothers plus an album’s worth of joint tunes made it challenging to consume. Sremm4Life carefully plans its flow to accomplish more with its parts. The songs that makeup Sremm4Life are concise, focused, and direct.

Rae Sremmurd’s ability to write relentlessly catchy songs and deliver them with a nonchalant assurance that makes their painstakingly produced smashes seem effortless has always been one of their greatest qualities. On Sremm4Life, that gift is more apparent than ever.

Stream

Back to top button