The term concept album seems more associated with unwieldy and outdated progressive rock than fast-flowing, up-to-the-minute hip-hop but this is a concept album nonetheless. 7 DEADLY SINS takes…well, I guess I don’t have to spell it out to you…let’s just say, seven tracks, seven sins, seven extremely cool songs.
PRIDE kicks us off, a hip-hop-driven track running on a ticking beat and rapid-fire lyrics, the perfect opening salvo, and sonic scene-setter before GLUTTONY takes us into some far darker and more unexpected places. A drifting ballad built of floating harmonies and spoken word topline vocals, which eventually cocoons itself with additional tones and textures, layering, and lush musicality before fading out.
And it is those two opening tracks that immediately lay out the extremes that Mind7et visits on this album, and more specifically the signature sound that he forges by blending the two. ENVY takes us into the realms of modern R&B, a whip-smart blend of unavoidable lyrical blows and understated musical weaves, street cool and pop sensibilities, the perfect marriage of the sound of the underground and a mainstream embrace, cultishness, and commerciality.
GREED shows that Mind7et has plenty of new ideas as to where hip-hop and rap can go from here but it is when he merges those forward-thinking moves with parallel genres that we see his full potential. SLOTH is the perfect example of this, with its slight island vibe, soulful deliveries, lazy beats, and mainstream accessibility which could really open doors for him.
7 DEADLY SINS is exactly where a modern urban artist needs to be today. Leaning on the rap and hip-hop traditions of the past but understanding that limiting yourself to just one or two genres doesn’t cut it anymore. Musical tribalism is a thing of the past and the successful artist draws inspiration and therefore appeals to fans, across the whole sonic spectrum. And if you want to know what that might sound like, just give this album a spin.
