May 31, 2021 | Writer: Eric Reyes
Rap and Hip-hop have had a long history of flirting with Rock and all her bastard children. The most recent, popular product of this dalliance is the Emo/Alt-infused sound that has been made popular by acts such as Juice Wrld and Lil Peep. RIP.
FNO XCORSIST gives us an emotional look into an inner turmoil following a relationship’s dissolution that hints at other problems just behind the veil of this most recent crisis. His voice has the tired, dejected tone common in this hybrid genre, but it maintains a distinct vocal character from his flow and pronunciation. The collaborating artist, Valious, has a lighter tone to his voice but the stylistic influence here is very apparent, as I got shades of early emo acts like A Day In The Life, the precursor to wrist-cutter hall of fame act Hawthorne Heights.
The emphasis here is the emotional through-line of the track’s content, and the weary undertone to their verses really drive that home. Straying from the typical vocabulary of mainstream Rap and Hip-hop, they use the loaded language of Alternative and Emo music, heavy in their implications, but with plenty of room for projection.
The beat is very smooth. The sleepy, almost absent-minded guitar helps to create that vibe of sullen listlessness that comes after you’ve let yourself feel everything all at once and are having a hard time finding something afterwards to hang on to. The structure is very effective, with the beat coming in alongside each verse and dropping out to let the guitar fill the void.