One of the strongest hip hop albums of the year…
Fivio Foreign has been making waves in the global hip hop scene for the past couple of years now, the New York-born-and-raised MC quickly rising through the ranks with his signature brand of fiery bars and multi-faceted delivery. It’s resulted in a string of catchy singles burning with flavour and passion, and today it all comes together in the form of Fivio Foreign’s debut album, B.I.B.L.E.
Bursting at the seams with wicked hip hop and R&B collabs with the likes of Alicia Keys, Polo G, Ye and more, the album is everything you would hope for from a debut full-length. From buzzing heaters begging to be screamed at the top of their lungs to the slower and steadier tracks suited to vibing out to, the album has a little something for everyone; from the hip hop faithfuls to casual indulgers of the genre.
And so, we thought what better way to celebrate the release of B.I.B.L.E. by diving into it headfirst and taking you all along for the ride. Check it below:
Opening the record with ‘On God’ ft. Kaycyy, the NY born-and-raised MC explodes out of the gates with fiery bars and lyricism about making it in the hip hop game. Backed by a minimal beat characterized by a melancholic synth, the producer/lyricist balances the more intense and emotive parts of his persona for the world to see. Feature artist Kaycyy delivers one of the catchiest hooks of the year as well, singing the lines “If all fails at least we got each other” with an infectious sensibility, his tenor range on full display.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtJfWK8CcVE
The opener sets a good precedent for the rest of the record, equal measures of soul and hip hop colliding against one another in a melting pot of resonance. It’s a concoction that’s amplified on ‘Through The Fire’ ft. Quavo. And we’re gonna be real with you here, this might be one of the most well done soul-sample beats in recent memory, a real sense of urgency and anticipation present as Fivio goes ham over the gospel-reminiscent vocals. You get the sense that Fivio is drawing on the powers that be for the debut, his affirmation that he’s “out here doing my thing” communicating his desire to make his mark on the hip hop game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=228i_A7MUGM
But of course, this isn’t just an album full of soul and sensitivity, but it has plenty of the intensity synonymous with the worlds of hip hop and battle rap, notably shown on the other Quavo collaboration on the album, ‘Magic City’. Rapping over a brooding hip hop beat that throws it back to the 2PAC classic 7 Day theory, Fivio peppers the listener with frenetic bars and raw lyricism about the magic of New York.
New York is a recurring theme on B.I.B.L.E., especially highlighted on ‘City of Gods’ ft. Ye and Alicia Keys, the hip hop upstart pulling together some of the OGs of hip hop and soul for a love letter to the city that made him. It’s a nice callback to Keyes’ OG hit ‘NY State of Mind’ with JAY-Z, but dare we say with even more punchiness than the 2009 chart-topper.
The journey this album takes is definitely one into the depths within. It’s fair to say the first half of the tracklisting is characterized by enchanting lyrics and callbacks to numerous hallmarks of the hip hop and RnB soundscapes, but ‘Confidence’ ft. fellow New Yorker A$AP Rocky isn’t trying to be larger than life or capture some magical theme, it’s just a sick as hell tune. The two trade lyrical bullets in the classic competitive spirit of hip hop, buzzing around each other with bouncy flows and slick one-liners in a total onslaught of the senses.
The hip hop fire continues in the following tracks ‘Slime Them’ ft. Lil Yachty, ‘Feel My Struggle’ and ‘World Watching’ ft. Lil Tjay and Yung Bleu, each flowing with hard-hitting bars and wordplay, all the while continuing the album’s descent into the dark and dangerous. It’s brought to a nice standstill on ‘DJ Khaled Interlude’, the famed producer and motivational speaker dropping some signature gems on perseverance through struggle and hardship.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yVdBlGSgRw
In terms of hip hop fire however, it might burn brightest on the Polo G and Vory collab ‘Changed On Me’, the lyrical firefly charged with momentous emotion that compounds with each passing bar. Polo G and Vory more than rise to the occasion as well, dropping their respective hard-bitting bars over the slightly-inducing production. It’s definitely a full display of their combined prowess in the hip hop realm, and similarly to ‘Confidence’ ft. A$AP Rocky, it’s full of the classic competitive spirit so inherent to the hip hop genre.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJOs6BLhv3w
The tail end of the album is defined by collabs and link-ups, features from the likes of Vory, Polo G, Blueface and Neyo simmering with an aloofness that helps cement B.I.B.L.E. as one of the multi-layered hip hop albums this year. Not just in a musical sense, but thematically the record represents a shift into the introspective parts of the psyche, all the while paying tribute to the pioneers who first started doing so over a decade ago. It’s nicely represented on ‘Love Songs’ with Neyo, Fivio’s calling back to the 2006 original showcasing the shift in hip hop culture since the mid naughties.
Finishing the debut effort with ‘Whoever’ and ‘Can’t Be Us’, Fivio is clearly determined to leave his mark on the listener. The two contrast between the more raw and emotive parts of his artistry, and give a good embodiment of the duality of the album as a whole. Hard-hitting and vulnerable, raw and tender. B.I.B.L.E. is a reflection of the complexities of Fivio Foreign, as well as an insight into what lies in his past, and what awaits on the road ahead.
Fivio Foreign’s debut album B.I.B.L.E. is out now.
