Trapped on Cleveland 3: Testing the Limits
By Steve Reynolds (@1Snoot)
2020 is officially the year of the 10-plus song deluxe album. Whether you want to give credit to Lil Uzi Vert when he dropped the Eternal Atake Deluxe, Luv vs. The World 2, or Chris Brown for his nearly 80 song albums, it’s safe to say that the deluxe album is back with a vengeance.
Whether you like or dislike the rise of the new “deluxe” album is entirely up to you, but for the record, in 2020, there’s a long list of reasons for an artist to drop a deluxe album that’s two completely different projects tied together as one. With no touring and the world not being fully open, it makes it hard for artists who rely on parties and clubs to break their records leading up to an album release. These new “super deluxe” albums are a way for artists to manipulate streams and get that coveted number one spot at the end of the week.
The problem with the new style of deluxe albums is you might not want to hear 40-plus songs from every artist. When you think about it, it’s funny that for so long we despised long albums and now they’re back and bigger than ever. However, when an artist you like takes this approach and capitalizes, this is when you truly appreciate how good long albums can be. Who doesn’t want as much music as possible from an artist they’re a fan of?
With that in mind, let’s dive into this new album, Trapped on Cleveland 3 Deluxe, from Rahiq Jevon Render, known as Lil Keed.
The Young Thug pupil has come a long way since that video of him playing Thug his music in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia went viral a couple of years ago. With a co-sign from Thug’s mom and a style similar to Thug’s Slime Season days, it’s no wonder Thug took a liking to him and signed him to YSL, otherwise known as Young Stoner Life Records.
Since then, Keed has been making waves in the industry. After catching ears with his features on the YSL compilation album Slime Language and garnishing even more attention with his project Long Live Mexico, named after his deceased friend, fans of Keed would say he was positioned to be the next young wave out of the musical city that just keeps on giving; Atlanta.
On Trapped on Cleveland 3, and now the deluxe, Keed continues to give fans the music they want to hear from him while finally coming into his own. For so long, the knock on Keed was how much he sounded like Thug. Often, when one rapper is heavily influenced by another, sounding too much like said rapper will occur. This is comparable to Wayne’s influence on early Thug, namely the I Came From Nothing mixtape series. Eventually, you have to come into your own sound, and on this new project, I can honestly say Keed is starting to do just that.
- “Wanna See You” featuring Young Thug
It’s no surprise that Thug is featured on Keed’s deluxe. Since Keed has joined YSL, much like Thug and Gunna, Thug and Keed have been quite the duo.
The melody on this song is hypnotizing. Definitely a song I’d play on late night drives. There is something about guitar strings in rap music. Keed raps, “And you know we eating beef right up like f***** pork brine.” That’s a different bar for sure. Off rip, the first thing that caught my attention is Keed’s ability to stretch his voice out on his melodies, as it’s definitely something I don’t remember hearing in his older music.
Thug does what he always does on beats. Man, I honestly think Thug is one of the best rappers in the world right now. Thug’s ability to elevate any song he’s on is special. Thug raps, “First hundred bands went crazy, first deal had a n**** s*** crazy, type of money make your man go crazy, n**** in my neighborhood, I’m Jay-Z.” A lot of rappers have been saying they’re the Jay-Z of their city lately, which is a big homage to Jay. He’s really the goat.
The song is three minutes long but feels so short. It’s definitely one of them ones, though. The loop of the beat playing in the background to close out the song is fire. Keed and Thug have another banger with this.
2. “Back Board” featuring Gunna
Another soulful beat featuring a fellow member of YSL. YSL was all over Keed’s album, and I don’t think they missed on one song. These songs just make me more excited about Slime Language 2. YSL has been on quite a run lately. After the releases of So Much Fun, Wunna, Trapped on Cleveland 3; along with Yak Gotti coming home from prison and Wheezy positioning himself amongst the top producers in the world, I don’t think it’s a hot take to say YSL has been the best group in rap these past two years.
The beat buildup on this song is so angelic. I’m kind of shocked at some production on this deluxe album, as it definitely feels like Keed is going for a more relaxed vibe. First with “Wanna See You” and now with this song. Keed must’ve been listening to a lot of Wunna.
This song has some interesting dynamics, like the hook, for instance. After a couple of hums by Keed, Gunna starts the hook and Keed finishes it. I’ve always been a fan of two melodic rappers splitting the chorus as it’s the ultimate chemistry test. If it works, it adds more range to the song.
It also doesn’t hurt that Gunna slid on this song, providing another vintage Gunna hook. Gunna went so crazy that Keed had no choice but to follow up with the same energy. Gunna always goes crazy on Playmakers production though, so I’m not surprised. “At the Hotel” off of Drip Season 3 is a noble example of this.
However, Keed’s verse on this song might be my favorite part and highlights his growth as an artist.
Keed’s ability to command a beat just off the strength of his vocals is not quite Young Thug-like, but you can tell he’s learning. The reason people call Thug’s voice an instrument is for this exact reason, and with Keed deemed as Thug’s successor you’d only think he’s going to get better at using his voice with time.
3. “Dead Doc” featuring Lil Gotit
This song is another example of Keed trying to test the physical limits of his voice, even to where you can hear him strain throughout parts of the song. From controlling the pitch of his voice, switching it up at every sharp turn of the beat, and the unique noises Keed makes when he says certain words, there are a lot more details in his music than some might think when only looking at it on a surface level.
Keed’s and Gotit’s chemistry shines again, but mostly, it always does. It comes naturally. The two brothers always know what to add to each other’s songs to get the best product. This makes me wonder why the two haven’t dropped a collab mixtape yet. I’m putting that energy out there because it’s definitely something we need.
Overall, it’s just a pleasant song. It’s what you want in a Lil Keed song, especially one featuring his brother, Lil Gotit. Also, I don’t know what it is about second verses on this album, but it seems like it’s always the better verse. I wouldn’t say Gotit washed Keed, but Gotit’s presence took over the song for me.
Gotit raps, “Too slimy we play with your mental, everybody eat but a rat miss a dinner. They didn’t want smoke, boy, we made em surrender.”
Conclusion: Overall, Keed is growing and getting better with each project while still trying to come into his own. Yes, some may knock Keed on sounding too much like Thug or even laugh at the screeching he does sometimes in his songs, but there is no questioning his talent. An artist’s ability to make songs has always been the difference when determining who stays relevant and who falls off in the music world. Keed’s ability to make songs along with the YSL backing should keep him relevant for a while. On Trapped on Cleveland 3 and its deluxe, Keed is testing the limits of his voice. With Young Thug at the helm and Keed starting to come into his own, the sky’s the limit.
