Tkay Maidza “Sweet Justice” Album Review

Sweet Justice

Tkay Maidza

• Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
• Date: 03 Nov, 2023
• Content: explicit
• Track(s): 14
• ℗ 2023 4AD Ltd

The first female rapper to sign with 4AD, Tkay Maidza, delivers her much awaited new album, “Sweet Justice.”

“Sweet Justice” boldly pushes musical boundaries, is an exciting demonstration of her progress as a genre-defying musician. She boldly explores a wide range of sounds and subjects in this album, making a clear leap from her ‘Last Year Was Weird’ trilogy.

The album lacks coherence conceptually, laying out a series of challenges and reinforcing Maidza’s empowerment, but in the end, it doesn’t provide a coherent story about how Maidza rose from the ashes. This might be acceptable in an EP, but it’s incredibly evident in an album about her journey of self-discovery. In her pursuit of more, Maidza has created a collection of masterfully composed songs that capture her karmic truth—that the best retaliation is to live well.

Album Cover Art

A massive statue of Tkay adorned as a goddess can be seen standing in the center of a location similar to the Asgardian outlook, while people flock in and out of a doorway carved under the statue, which is probably a temple of some sort. This must be how Maidza now views herself; a goddess in her rights. That newfound self-confidence also spills into the album’s curation.

Tracks and Features

“Love and Other Drugs,” a fun and infectious R&B and rap song, opens the album. Maidza introduces the listener to the tranquil and engrossing realm of “Sweet Justice” with this track. Maidza lives in a world full of vices and cruelty like each one of us. But over the course of the record, she shows everyone—including herself—that she is capable of overcoming hardships.

After a smooth transition from “Love and Other Drugs,” Maidza enters “WUACV” with a different energy, declaring in the chorus of the hot, industrial-inspired song that she “woke up and chose violence.” It is a refreshing contrast that highlights Maidza’s distinct tastes. This song bears a meme’s name, which is utilized when someone is feeling extremely erratic. Tkay handles life and love with thoughtfulness while being carefree toward those who disagree with her.

Producer Dan Farber, who was heavily involved in the sound of the Weird EPs, gives way to more popular producers for this new album, allowing them to provide grandeur to Tkay’s compositions. collaborating with well-known producers like Flume, Stint, and Kaytranada gives the record a more dynamic feel. These collaborations create a unique listening experience that enthralls you from start to finish in addition to enhancing the already powerful songs.

“Silent Assassin,” produced by Flume, transforms 808s, sirens, and video game sound effects into a laser tag field so Maidza can charge at people who are critical of her. It’s a lovely, chaotic tune that combines Flume’s electronic beats with Maidza’s gritty vocals. It’s the kind of music that grabs your interest right away and makes a strong impact on the album. And the smooth dance funk song “Our Way,” produced by Kaytranada, has Maidza demanding that her partner step up their game.

Although there is a minor lack of enthusiasm in the middle half of the album, it is immediately made up for with songs like ‘Out of Luck,’ which features Lolo Zouaï and Amber Mark and perfectly conveys the bittersweet spirit of fading love with an addictive dance groove. The danceable hip-house song “Ghost!”—which features Maidza singing about severing ties with a toxic relationship—comes later on the track list, further demonstrating Maidza’s versatility.

Tkay’s versatility is demonstrated by her ability to move between genres with ease. From the sensual R&B vibes of “Love Again” to the snappy and catchy “Ring-A-Ling,” she demonstrates her ability to skillfully adapt to a range of genres.

“What Ya Know” is a catchy song that has a sense of seasonal melancholy but is otherwise sunny and refreshing. It is an appealing piece of shimmering, sparkling electronic candy. The album’s final two tracks also include some truly excellent production with “Walking On Air” coming off as quite the strange closer, featuring some peculiar vocal manipulation, yet strangely enough, it works.

Tracklist

NO	TITLE	ARTIST	TIME
1	Love and Other Drugs	Tkay Maidza	3:01
2	WUACV	Tkay Maidza	2:17
3	Out of Luck (feat. Lolo Zouaï & Amber Mark)	Tkay Maidza	3:50
4	What Ya Know	Tkay Maidza	3:22
5	Won One	Tkay Maidza	2:41
6	Love Again	Tkay Maidza	3:29
7	Wasp	Tkay Maidza	3:02
8	Ghost!	Tkay Maidza	3:54
9	Ring-A-Ling	Tkay Maidza	2:58
10	Free Throws	Tkay Maidza	2:17
11	Silent Assassin	Tkay Maidza & Flume	2:07
12	Our Way	Tkay Maidza	3:57
13	Gone to the West (feat. DUCKWRTH)	Tkay Maidza	3:17
14	Walking On Air	Tkay Maidza	3:47

Album Theme

Maidza’s sophomore album “Sweet Justice,” her first full-length in seven years, builds on her increasing creative confidence with an even more intense whiplash between dance, industrial, and funk sounds. It’s an album mostly about karma, with scorching lyrics and harsher boldness.

Production Credits

Producers on the new record include Austin Millz, Billboard (Producer), Cut&Dry, Dan Farber, Fermin Suero Jr., Flume, The Imports, KAYTRANADA, MEDASIN, STINT & Two Fresh.

Stream