If you know me personally(or as you may have noticed from a lot of the music I talk about on this blog), I am a huge fan of Neo-R&B music. I have always had a major love for R&B and Soul music ever since I was young, and this has only amplified as I have gotten older. There are so many great artists today pushing R&B forward and making the genre so unique and exciting; from 6lack to Don Toliver to SZA to Ari Lennox, R&B is in such a great state right now; the genre seems to draw influence from every direction possible, making it so potent and fun. One R&B artist who has emerged as one of my favorites over the last couple of years is Brent Faiyaz. Brent Faiyaz has not only become a top R&B artist for me, he has become one of my favorite music artists right now in general. I have been a big fan of Brent Faiyaz ever since he emerged in the mid-2010s with a plethora of singles that went viral. He was also featured on trendy songs from artists like Goldlink and Tyler, The Creator which put him on the map as one of the most exciting artists emerging within R&B music at the time. Brent Faiyaz truly won me over, though, with his 2020 debut album Fuck The World. This project proved how much he stands out from the crowd and showed how supremely talented he is, making me and so many other R&B lovers huge fans. Brent Faiyaz’s second album, 2022’s Wasteland, is easily one of my favorite albums from last year. This is a riveting and dark concept album that highlights Brent Faiyaz’s storytelling abilities, vocal range, and willingness to push the R&B genre forward(if you are a fan of Brent’s and have not read my review of Wasteland or if you do not know that record and love R&B and want to read about a super cool album, please go check out that review after reading this one). Much to the surprise and delight of his big fans(like me), Brent Faiyaz has already decided to return with a new project, called Larger Than Life. This album has come as a surprise to music fans, as it was not previously mentioned before this week. With all of that being said, here is how I feel about Brent Faiyaz’s new mixtape Larger Than Life. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from Larger Than Life, and also comment on how you feel about the project as a whole.
Larger Than Life starts with ‘Tim’s Intro.’ This is a fitting title, as this instrumental is a Timbaland remix of the song ‘No Scrubs’ by TLC. The instrumental has some of the signature drum patterns and sound effects that Timbaland is known for, and he also provides ad-libs throughout the track. The melody consists of the iconic guitar riff from ‘No Scrubs;’ paired with the Timbaland-style drums, this gives the song a cool feeling that is distinctive from the original. I enjoy Brent Faiyaz’s vocals on this track; his clear, crisp tone sounds so nice on this instrumental. Honestly, this track makes me want to hear him just cover ‘No Scrubs,’ because I am sure that would sound great. In ‘Tim’s Intro,’ Brent Faiyaz explains how fast and luxurious his life is to his girls so she knows what she is getting into. ‘Last One Left,’ which features Missy Elliott and Lil Gray, straight up feels like a late 1990s Timbaland-produced track. This whole album has Timbaland’s influence all over it, but this track truly feels like one of his classic songs. The melody, provided by a highly distorted guitar riff that is complemented by luxurious synths, has a dark yet hopeful feeling that is uplifting and downtrodden at the same time. This melody is put on a glitchy, old-school R&B beat that any fan of Timbaland will appreciate. All of the vocals on this song are very good; surprisingly enough(considering how much he usually shines), Missy Elliott and Lil Gray stand out on this song. Missy Elliott shows off her vocal range on this track, singing with a bright tone that gives the song so much life. Lil Gray’s rap verse contrasts the lighter tone of Brent Faiyaz and Missy Elliott on this track, providing a heavy element that ‘Last One Left’ benefits from. On ‘Last One Left,’ Brent, Missy, and Lil Gray are talking to significant others who are potentially being pulled away from them by their friends and the people in their lives. They are calling this fact out, telling their potential partner to decide as to whether they can handle being with them or not. ‘Forever Yours’ is a short and sweet track with a lot more of a modern feeling than the two tracks that precede it. This one has a melody that definitely does have a bit of a 1990s feeling through the groovy and trippy melody; this melody is put on top of a 2023 R&B Trap beat that fits in perfectly to the landscape of R&B music that is popular today. As expected, Brent Faiyaz’s vocals on this song are lively and sweet, matching the very warm and atmospheric feeling of the song. I will say, though, that ‘Forever Yours’ kind of feels like a throwaway from Wasteland. It is a good track, but it does sound a lot like the music from that record, so much so that I would be surprised if it was not originally recorded for Wasteland. In ‘Forever Yours,’ Brent Faiyaz is assuring his woman that even though the other girl he just met is beautiful and great, he will not leave for her. He is trying to assert that he is committed to his woman and not going to succumb to his temptations.
‘Best Time’ is another track with an obvious late 1990s influence to it. Instead of sounding like old Timbaland-produced music, though, this one is influenced by The Neptunes. In particular, this song flips the instrumental from the iconic song ‘I Hate You’ by Kelis. Even though ‘Best Time’ is certainly an interpolation of ‘I Hate You,’ Timbaland’s fingerprints are still all over this one. The way the drums are arranged makes this feel like a Timbaland remix of the classic Kelis track. Brent Faiyaz’s vocal performance on ‘Best Time’ is great. The range and pitch he sings with give it a flair that makes it stand out from the original track. On ‘Best Time,’ Brent Faiyaz assures his new girl that she will not have a better time with anyone other than him because of his high-profile and luxurious lifestyle. Next, we get the ‘Big Mad Skit,’ featuring FLEE and Princess Cro which is the first of two interludes from this record. On this one, Princess Cro and Flee are arguing, as Flee is approaching Princess Cro about hanging out with Brent without telling him. He knows that Brent can and will try to steal her, and he does not want her to go anywhere near Brent. This skit shows how Brent causes trouble where he goes and with whoever he interacts with because of his debaucherous lifestyle. ‘Moment Of Your Life,’ which features Coco Jones, is one of two singles from this record. When this track came out back in August, I adored it, and it has emerged as easily one of my favorite songs of 2023. If you are a fan of some of Brent Faiyaz’s older music, this is a song for you. It has the kind of sound and energy that makes me think of some of his early mixtapes, or his Fuck The World album. ‘Moment Of Your Life,’ has a shimmering and sweet melody that is provided by a funky and smooth guitar riff. This melody is put on top of a light and understated R&B beat that goes so nicely with the energy of the melody. As nice as the instrumental sounds, the thing that makes this song pop is the vocal performances from Brent and Coco. Their tones and vocal styles mesh with each other so well making this song feel all-encompassing. As great as Brent Faiyaz is on this track, Coco Jones truly shines, taking this song to another level in the best way. ‘Moment Of Your Life’ is a sweet love song where Brent and Coco are singing about how infatuated they are with their new significant other. Like ‘Forever Yours,’ ‘Outside All Night,’ featuring A$AP Rocky and NEWYRKLA, is another track that sort of feels like a throwaway from Brent Faiyaz’s Wasteland album This song has a sound and style that is very similar to the music on that record. The track has a quirky and sparkling melody that is put over a pretty typical R&B Trap beat; the instrumental for this one is nice to listen to, but it does not stand out or draw me in. I enjoyed the vocal performances from Brent and NEWYRKLA on this track, but unfortunately, A$AP Rocky sort of drags the track down(this is a shame for me to say considering how much I typically enjoy Rocky). Rocky’s performance on this track is just uninspired and almost lazy sounding, and it draws negative attention away from the positive performances of Brent and NEWYRKLA. On ‘Outside All Night,’ Brent and his features speak about a new relationship from different perspectives. Whereas Brent and A$AP Rocky are vaguely assuring their girls they only want them, NEWYRKLA is trying to get affirmations that she is indeed the only one her date is talking to.
‘Wherever I Go’ is a song that sounds like it came right out of the late 1990s. If I did not recognize Brent Faiyaz’s voice, you could probably convince me that it was a late 1990s R&B track I had just never heard. This track is so sultry and cozy; it has a pleasant and snug sound which I enjoy so much. The beat for this track feels just as old school as the instrumental does. Even though the tempo of the drums does have a Trap feeling, the way they are arranged is super old school. Like so many points on this record, although the instrumental is very good, the thing that stands out the most on this track is Brent Faiyaz’s vocals. Brent absolutely kills it with his vocal performance on this song, making ‘Wherever I Go’ really stick out to me. In ‘Wherever I Go,’ Brent Faiyaz is singing about how he can not get his ex out of his head because he sees her in everything. ‘Upset,’ which features Tommy Richman and FELIX!, is probably the most modern and typical R&B Trap song of the project. Every other track on Larger Than Life does have an instrumental that feels more specifically catered to Brent Faiyaz. ‘Upset,’ however, has an instrumental that I could imagine hearing from other modern R&B Trap artists like Don Toliver or 6lack. This does not make it bad by any means, but it does feel a bit out of place. Because this instrumental sounds so much like the music from these other artists, this song does not hit me that much. I may just be saying this because I am so used to hearing him on other kinds of instrumentals, but Brent Faiyaz’s vocal style does not fit this sound as much. Neither of the features on this song adds anything to it that make it stand out or make the song work better either, in my opinion. ‘Upset’ is a track where Brent Faiyaz and his features talk about how they do not care if they are cheating on their girl as long as the situation feels right. They will do whatever they want to do as long as it makes them feel good, even if it is at the expense of others. ‘On This Side,’ which features A$AP Ant and CruddyMurda, is an additional song that sounds like a Timbaland-produced R&B track straight from the late 1990s. Everything about this track feels like classic Timbaland music; from the twinkling and bright melody to the off-kilter drums, this whole instrumental is reminiscent of some of Timbaland’s biggest hits. I have to be honest, this track would be so much better without the rap features. Brent Faiyaz sounds phenomenal on this track, but both of the raps sound out of place and do not fit the style of the song. ‘On This Side,’ Brent and his features are wondering what specifically about their lifestyle is drawing their significant others in. They are debating if it is the wild way in which they live or if it is because of all of the fancy things they can buy. Following this, we get the second skit of the record, ‘Dawged Em Skit,’ which features TTM Dawg. In this skit, TTM Dawg is doing a toast, speaking about how he and his crew have come so far speaking on how the industry does not work in the way that one might expect. To be honest, I do not really understand why this skit was put on this project, as it does not relate very much to the rest of it. It contains a nice sentiment but does not fit in very well. ‘Belong To You,’ which features Babyface Ray, is a song that goes back to the delightful 1990s Timbaland-infused R&B sound we got on the previous song. Like that song, this song has a balmy synth-driven melody that is put on the kind of unique drum pattern that Timbaland loves to use. The melody, drums, and vocals for this track are highly distorted, giving the song this very cool, otherworldly element. Both of the vocal performances are great and enhance the song. I especially love how Babyface Ray’s gruff sound contrasts Brent’s vocals, giving the song so much texture. In ‘Belong To You,’ Brent and Babyface Ray are professing their love for someone and try to assure them that they are the only person they want to be with. ‘WY@’ is the second single released in anticipation of this project. Similar to the first single, it has become one of my favorite songs from 2023. This track is one more track that completely feels like a throwaway from Brent Faiyaz’s Wasteland album. Honestly, in my opinion, this song should have just been put on that record if it was indeed conceived back then because it is as good as anything on Wasteland, which is saying a lot. ‘WY@’ is a fun atmospheric R&B Trap track with a trippy sound that I enjoy so much. Both the melody and beat for this track are strange in such a riveting way. Something about the instrumental feels odd but that is what draws me in. Brent Faiyaz sings with a bizarre tone and flow on this track that adds to the uncanny feeling of the song that I appreciate so much. On ‘WY@,’ Brent is singing to an ex and asking them to come over even though he admits that he should not be trying to talk to them. Brent Faiyaz closes out Larger Than Life with the song ‘Pistachios.’ This is easily the darkest-sounding song on the record. Like so many other tracks, it has a sound that is very similar to some of Timbaland’s biggest hits. Even though it does have a drum pattern that makes me think of those songs, this one does stand out for how unique and complex its melody is. ‘Pistachios’ has a deep and somber sound that is driven by a gloomy piano riff and a funky bassline. There are various synths and sound effects that come in and out of this one that give it a dystopian feeling. ‘Pistachios’ has one of the most dynamic vocal performances we hear from Brent on this record. The emotion he is singing with on this track is palpable and adds to the already melancholy feeling of the song. On ‘Pistachios,’ Brent Fiayaz is singing about a girl who is in love with him because of his flashy lifestyle. This is a great way to end this record, as it shows a harsher side to Brent’s sound that we usually do not get to see, and it feels like a powerful way to end the record.
Because of my love for some of his past work, it was tough for me to not go into Larger Than Life without very high expectations. I had to try to remind myself that this is a holdover mixtape and not a studio album, so it may not have the same succinct feeling as Fuck The World or Wasteland. Even though Larger Than Life is not as cohesive as those records, it still has a ton of quality. I will say that there are a few songs on here that feel like filler tracks that could have been left off. For the most part, though, Larger Than Life is a very good R&B album that has something for modern and old-school fans of the genre. This project also contains two of my favorite songs from the second half of 2023, which has to bump it up overall for me. Larger Than Life is not on the same level of quality as Brent’s best full-length projects, but it is still a solid mixtape that proves once again how talented Brent Faiyaz is.
EAST SIDE VIBES 