I’m always surprised to hear people don’t know who Ski Mask the Slump God (Ski Mask) is. In my head, he’s a household name, but every time I bring him up in conversation people give me a cock-eyed stare like I just strung together five random words. So for those of you that don’t know, Ski Mask is an outlier in the SoundCloud rap generation. Much like XXXtentacion, Playboi Carti, Famous Dex, Ugly God and Lil Pump, Ski Mask found his come up on the esteemed streaming website, but he is not like the rest. Ski Mask is a self-confessed perfectionist, and XXXtentacion called him the best metaphorical rapper in the game. He holds himself to a higher standard than his musical comrades, and I believe his carefree attitude and unusual moniker are the only things that have kept him from becoming one of the genres biggest come-ups.
Due to an undisclosed dispute between Ski Mask and his label, UMG recordings, he released his much anticipated fourth album, Beware the Book of Eli on Soundcloud on the first of May, only to have it swiftly removed from the internet on the advice of his lawyers. Unfortunately, the official release of the album on the 11th saw major changes. Much to fans dissapointment, all of the Timberland produced tracks were dropped and a number of other tracks were changed. Thankfully, redditor EvanarchyMT uploaded an origional version of the album to the Ski Mask subreddit so you can download here if you’re interested. The review below is written for this version of the album, not the sub-par official one.
So, onto the album. It’s pretty good. It slaps about as often as it flaps. A major appeal of Ski Mask is his uniquely fast, playful and considered verses which are present on every single track here. Despite my expectations, this gimmick has never become boring. Aside from a few indiscernibly fast flows, every verse on this tape is admirable if not impressive. One reason every song sounds so fresh and original is due to the incredible production. Ski Mask is a huge fan of the producer Timberland, who’s influence can be heard the track Worldwide which has to be the highlight of the album. Every track seems to introduce a new style with some that hit and others that miss the mark.
Much like his female counterpart, CupcakKe, Ski Mask uses his incredible lyrical talent for pleasure rather than purpose. Every time he grips a mic he’s there for a good time not a long time. It can seem like a waste of talent, but the whole album is playful and approachable. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. There’s a lot of sexual references and misogyny, but he’s a more eloquent rapper than you might expect. Try his most popular single Catch Me Outside to get a taster before you jump into this album. You may hate it, but it’s worth a shot.
Rate: Worldwide, Run!, Vengeance ft. Offset
Hate: Childs Play, SkiMeetsWorld
