The minimalist sound of $wift is an ode to the underground, stripped down sound of getting your work out of the mud and making sure you let the world know that the process isn’t pretty. The 9 track album is a bit muted due to the autotune giving it a heavy ATL/Future sound, but unlike those trap tracks, the lyrics here are easier to hear and when he dives into the back-to-back tracks Cherish and Bankshot where his actual voice comes through in the second track and sounds like two completely different emcees, the album shines.
None of the songs are longer than 2:35 which moves you quickly to the album’s title track and he glides on a beat that feels airier and more ethereal where the reverb creates a lingering haunting sound. Federal can be considered the end of the A side. The opening of the B side is Broken and $wift seems to sing this song from his heart and it resonates.
While this doesn’t feel like an album created by an emcee with West Coast roots, it definitely captures the vibe of the current movement in hip-hop where a more thoughtful hustler reflects on the struggles of the street. There isn’t celebration in the messaging, but a careful delivery of how grinding doesn’t give you everything and is temporary if you don’t continue to put the work in.
