Kushthegreat, 'Digital Romance'
Essential Tracks:
ALL OUT • IHATELOVE • NARCOTICS
In an increasing technological world – computers, smartphones, and tablets have transformed the way people communicate. It is now possible to send a picture to a friend across the globe or for someone to post their thoughts on social media for anyone to see. This innovative tech hasn’t had only positive effects however. In some cases this means of conversation has quickly made the human interaction obsolete.
On Digital Romance, kushthegreat, explores a concept that many other hip-hop artists would be afraid to with an utmost humility that is uncommon in today’s rap scene. Starting on the opening track, “Days Round Here”, kushthegreat begins to express his feeling of isolation by explaining his difficulty in finding a long-lasting relationship. Then, on the next song, “Online Dating”, he delves into how technology has changed how people date. During this, he admits that although it’s nice to be able to interact with somebody not in a face-to-face manner there is something missing from the experience. Throughout the album kush sorts through these emotions, in addition to a couple side stories, on all thirteen tracks with some interesting beats on each. One that stands out is “Narcoticos” which begins with someone switching between Spanish radio stations before Latin music starts playing. Kush then comes on while singing in his own unique style about a girl who only used him for drugs. Later in the LP, “timewitit”, provides a three-part single with a different feel in each segment describing how fickle things truly can be in love and technology as well. By the end, the listener has gone through all of the highs and lows with kush before ending on what seems to be a low note with “iHatelove”. This shows how he still hasn’t figured everything out yet and is still learning about how he feels.
Overall, this album is refreshing in its delivery and message. The ingeniously designed cover art of a human holding a robot’s hand speaks to the LP’s originality. Also on the cover are the words “A Story Told By kushthegreat”. This perfectly sums up the album. Not many artists are able to tell a story over thirteen songs and keep the same level of emotion throughout. It’s a concept album in nature and draws comparisons to a Kendrick Lamar project in its thoroughness and ability to stick to a main idea. In the end, kushthegreat laid it all out for everyone to see and created a hip-hop album that evoked understanding from every listener.