Rating: 8.4/10
One of the most influential hip-hop albums of all time, Flockaveli changed trap music forever. Trap music beforehand didn't necessarily have lyricism as its primary focus, but Waka Flocka Flame and Lex Luger's aggressive production pushed lyricism much more to the wayside, in favour of raw sonic energy. This unrelenting style of production dominated trap music in the early 2010s, and has found heirs in the subgenres of Chicago drill and rage rap, and its influence can still be felt in mainstream trap and hip-hop today.
Earlier this week, I was watching the Netflix documentary on the formation of the Pop/Kpop group Katseye at the encouragement of my girlfriend, and while watching it, I found myself wondering: what's the most opposite to their music that I can think of? My answer led me to this album. But the influence of the trend which Flockaveli arguably started is such that there's more in common that one might expect, as I will examine. But on the surface, its the most anti-pop project I can think of: blazing vocal aggression, loud ad-libs (BRICK SQUAAD), not much of a melody, shouting, and more broadly nothing held back regarding vocals or production. Indeed, later trap albums within the melodic rap vein like those of Future, Gunna and Don Toliver are infinitely more radio friendly than Flockaveli.
The album begins with 'Bustin at 'Em', in my opinion the best song. His 'Bow, bow, bow, bow, bitch I'm bustin' at 'em' has immediate impact; it's almost a punch in the face. Topics across the album focus on street and gang violence, and all but four of the songs have features; mainly street/underground rappers, and they usually work well; they contribute vocal variety which helps to break up what might have been an overindulgence in Flocka's aggressive vocals.
The album is aggressive to its core: Unlike Jeezy, it's fastpaced and never lets up; unlike Gucci Mane, it lacks funny wordplay, and unlike T.I, it scarcely resembles his Trap Muzik (2003), often considered the first album of the genre. The only song with a considerable melody is Roscoe Dash's singing on 'No Hands', which has much more of a pop-rap sound. Whilst not all of the songs and features land, even the weaker ones don't detract from the momentum the album builds and maintains. The stronger songs, like 'Live by the Gun' build upon it like a tidal wave. This is done partially due to Flocka's own dominating vocals and partially due to the production, mainly by Lex Luger, but with some contributions from then up-and-coming producer Southside, and others. This is workout music taken to 100, though with less motivation and more relentlessness, although it's a better fit for the club: the hits on this album are still played in clubs to this day, so I gather.
So what's the legacy of Flockaveli? As stated before, it led to the domination of Lex Luger esque production in the early 2010s. It's uniqueness is such that its only clear analogies can be found in its successors; Back from the Dead (2012) by Chief Keef transitioned the sound into Drill, and his Finally Rich (2012) made it more radio friendly. Elements can be found in Future's Monster (2014) and 56 Nights (2015). The philosophy, though slightly less the instrumentation itself, can be seen in Kanye's Yeezus (2013) and as well as, most notably, the rage sound, like in Playboi Carti's Die Lit (2018) and Whole Lotta Red (2020), which has enjoyed considerable commercial and critical success in the 2020s.
However, in the more mainstream trap lane, the aggressive movement provoked by Flockaveli had died down by the mid 2010s. It's easy to see why the release of Future's DS2 (2015), largely produced by Metro Boomin, and the melodic trap trend that both of them inaugurated with it would accelerate the relative decline of Flockaveli's sound. This later melodic trap is not only more radio friendly, but lends itself much more to Pop and R&B inclinations, as evidenced in the discographies of the Weeknd, Ariana Grande, and numerous Kpop artists.
But nonetheless, Flockaveli and it's successors have left an indelible mark on trap music, and on music more widely. One observes the focus on vibe rather than lyrics, club music rather than just hood storytelling, and vocal elements such as repetition in lyrics and ad-libs, as well as vocal imperfections. Whilst Flockaveli didn't invent all of these within trap or hip-hop, it vastly accelerated the trend, and brought it to the mainstream. As part of the aforementioned documentary, even listening to the pop-rap song 'Pink Venom' by Blackpink (I'm not really a Kpop fan, I promise) has similar sounds imitating gun sounds at the end of the song, with a not dissimilar to Flocka's 'Bustin at 'Em'. And returning to Katseye, their hyperpop songs like 'Gnarly' and 'MIA' arguably stands at the end of a chain of influence which Flockaveli would greatly influence, via the vocal quirks, heavy 808s and raw adlibs.
But it's important to consider a project on its own terms, not just in relation to what it would go on to influence. Returning to the album and its final song (excluding the deluxe tracks), the most surprising one and most contemplative, is 'Fuck This Industry'. In this song, Flocka not only raps about how he dislikes the industry, but also the following, which is the second verse.
Damn, I miss my brother, they wanna see me under
Disrespect my mother, then you gon' meet my brother
Damn KK, that shit fucked up
25 to life, he did it to defend his life
Shout out to my grandma for all them ass whoopings
That shit made me tough, no more ass whoopings
Shout out to my three uncles, they showed me how to ball
For dad, all my life, I gotta have it all
Shout out to my aunties for that female love
They showed me how to cook and clean and show a woman love
Shout out to my nieces, cousins, and my nephews
Man, I love my family, the Lord gon' one day bless you
Momma, don't cry, we gon' get it
And when we do it again, we gon' show them that we got it
Fuck this industry, bitch, I'm in these streets
They don't want shit but my money
As one can see, here he raps about his dead brother, friends in jail, his family members and their roles in his upbringing. In the first verse, he also raps about alcohol as a remedy for his troubles, and in the third and final verse, he pays tribute to his friends and collaborators. It's nothing Shakespeare worthy, but as one can see, it's somewhat a contrast to the rest of the album, and the beat, is a little slower and perhaps allows for more introspection.
This kind of song within an album is not uncommon in trap music; an album or mixtape's focus on violence, drugs and sex (which are all still social issues!) sometimes gives way to moments of direct lucidity, almost a direct commentary on the rest of the album, and the issues that have been rapped about. This seemingly often occurs on or near the final song in an album, like 'Hate the Real Me' on Future's Beast Mode 2 (2018) or 'Worst Enemy' on Gucci Mane's The State vs. Radric Davis (2009). This might sound like a relatively unremarkable point within the music world, but within trap music, where the lyrics are often largely written off as debauchery, it stands out as a direct moment of exposure and vulnerability often ignored. Many trap lyrics have elements of this just via normal lyrics; for example, rapping about a toxic relationship reflecting their experience. But lyrics like those in 'Fuck This Industry' are direct and unmistakable.
Flockaveli is a memorable and important album, with echos that reverberate into the present day across the industry. I'm not sure what I'll review next week, but maybe something a project that has received little attention. A mixtape of some sort perhaps?
Addendum: A few days after publishing this review, Katseye released a video of Megan dancing to 'No Hands'! Not as surprising as one might think, eh?
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