CW Allen

It's harder than ever to stand out in the rap game these days. Not only is there an avalanche of new mixtapes and joints released every day but the majority of the fanbase isn't exactly known for its appreciation of innovation or wild creative choices. In these trap-infested times, kids just wait for that same half time beat to drop and the mumbles to come puttering out like a sputtering old jalopy. It's hard for any rapper coming up these days to not want to hitch on to that ride. It's easy to make and the market is still clamouring for it.

Cleveland-born, Chicago-based hip-hop artist CW Allen has left a few breadcrumbs for the trap generation but his advanced lyrical abilities, lingering soul music influence and thematic hooks take him beyond the monotony of the current state of rap music. Allen's flow is more in the realm of Kanye or Kendrick. Occasionally, he'll fall into the played-out triplets but it never pervades an entire track.

'Lucid' opens the album with the familiar 808 bass but with an ethereal synth taking the vibe to another place. Allen's verse is like Kanye during the College Dropout days while the chorus throws back to a 90s Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony vibe. Allen continues the surreal aura with 'Bad Dream' with a pitch shifting music box backing track that echoes the loss of innocence incurred by the murder of his cousin. 'Care For You' brings up Allen's gospel roots with a thoughtful slow jam as an ode to his creator. 'Cloud' unfortunately sinks to some basic trap tropes which is a bit of a let down cause there is some real lyrical depth there. Allen closes out with a loving tribute to his baby girl 'Everything'. He earnestly expresses his trepidation at having to raise a girl but ultimately sees it as a true blessing.

The Dream Baby 2 is a solid effort with sincere expression and quality rhymes. In the disco era, it was hard to find any mainstream records that weren't touched by its influence. Hell, the dark bluesy rockin' Stones went disco for 3 years at the end of the 70s. The same is true today. It's hard not to let some of trap's influence into your work. If Allen can keep himself from falling into those same old devices, he'll be better off for it cause the rest of the work is on point.