The worst thing an artist can do is make a great body of work than starve their fans for a year. DMV native, Brent Faiyaz happens to be one of those guilty artists. The last time we heard from Brent Faiyaz was the winter of 2019 for his EP release of "Lost." What may have been new fans' first introduction to Brent Faiyaz, but surely not mine left an imprint on streaming services, media outlets, and Twitter.
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Once the hype of Lost EP simmered down, the fiends were out. We wanted more of Faiyaz, even if it was a sliver or snippet of content teasing new music.
Although it had been a while since we last heard from Brent Faiyaz, what we had received this past Friday made up for his absence. Throughout his course of promoting "F*** the World,' listeners would catch an occasional teaser of music on Faiyaz (@BrentFaiyaz) or Sonder (@Sonder) Instagram page and if we were lucky, a good visual to go with it. But that surely wasn't enough for us.
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There is a significant contrast between Brent Faiyaz's first body of work "A.M. Paradox," the "Sonder" EP, his freshman album "Lost," and "F*** the World." The contrast, however, shows growth with the artists' talent, sound, and wordplay. "F*** the World" connected sensual sounds with dogged lyricism. It's the album that outlines the beautiful nightmares of relationships with sex, love, and money. Brent Faiyaz did not hold back on "F*** the World" which makes me believe that this project has resonated with listeners. To be honest, "F*** the World" came out on time.
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To follow the contrast of lustful cadence and unfaltering lyrics was the boundary-breaking in his sound. If you have listened to past albums or EP's by Brent, then you would know that he is no stranger to the acoustic guitar. For 'Rehab (Winter in Paris),' he revisited that infamous Gibson strum. We join Brent on a trip through his emotionally toxic relationship, as he goes through limbo with his drug-addicted lover while fighting his own habit, the relationship. However, this is just a small snippet of what's to come from 'F*** the World'.
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FTW has an underlying tone that is starting to become familiar with the music. Once you get past Brent's seductive vocals and retro-esque beat choice, there is a concealed tone that artists such as Drake, Future, Jhene Aiko, Summer Walker, and even Brent Faiyaz have made popular. The tone of an empathetic narcissist.
You'll find that tone far too often in "Been Away." I enjoy the boldness of Brent Faiyaz sound and the themes to accompany it. You don't hear that too often from male R&B singers. Brent's transparency in "Been Away" is what we need in this era of rhythm and blues. It's clear in "Been Away" that he had set expectations for his lover to understand that when he gets back, they would be picking up right where they left off. "Don't give my sh** away" is a repetitive statement that must be understood by his partner. It is pretty clear what Brent's intention is for his lover, however, it sounded so good and honestly, you might end up doing exactly what he asked.
"Fuck the World" is a refreshing take on R&B. The project is a world by itself. Part of that world is recognizing that Brent Faiyaz is a 410 native which makes 'Bluffin' one of my honorably mentioned tracks. I mean honestly when was the last time you heard someone say "Yo you Bluffin man"? Reviving the DMV and Baltimore slang adds the personal touch to this album. Since 'Bluffin' was the most lowkey song on the album, reminiscent of Faiyazs' SoundCloud days, it certainly ends the trip through Brent Faiyaz world.
Although Brent Faiyaz declared to FTW this was the most down to earth project since 2020 started. Far from conventional R&B, Brent Faiyaz inclusion of synthesizers, 808's and nostalgia set his artistry apart from others. Vocally his range creates a distraction from the white space in certain songs and it works. The chill consistency on "F*** the World" makes it an easy listen and heavily relatable for listeners. We are all creating our ideal world while also chasing, money, love, and success. Brent just happened to be the one to sing about it.
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