When listening to an artist, it is important to recognise where they are in their career. There needs to be an appreciation of an artist’s development, which is something that the spoilt listener of today doesn’t have the time for due to the access that streaming has provided. FleeQy is still considered a fresh talent on the scene, and she is a picture of artist development. I have been following her career from its genesis, and I am beaming with pride over her latest effort, 3SIXTY, which is head and shoulders better than her debut effort, Chapters. Without further ado, this is the FleeQy 3SIXTY review.
The sound
The overall sound of an offering speaks to how the listener should digest a body of work. With that being said, this is the area where FleeQy has grown the most. 3SIXTY takes on a mature and soulful brand of rap. 3SIXTY blends the best of rap and neo-soul. To let you know how scarce this sound is in rap, only artists the likes of Lauren Hill have dared to venture into the sound. I say dared because hip-hop has always been “secular” and boastful in its nature, and a neo-soul sound goes against the grain of the status quo of hip-hop. The opening two songs – ‘That’s Cool’ and ‘Lendlela’ – gently ease us into the neo-soul sound.
Subject matter
FleeQy’s pen has never come into question from listeners who frequent her music. She has always been able to balance the pen with song-making. Oftentimes, rising artists are too concerned with murdering the beat rather than creating a good song. Let me give you an example from 3SIXTY. The song ‘Lendlela’ is an example of how to perfectly find the balance between showing off your pen and finding pockets of melodies to create a pleasurable listening experience. On the song, she delivers three different flows, each one focusing on a different aspect of her songwriting ability without over-indexing on one aspect. That is the mark of a true artist.
X factor
To put it simply, an X factor is that special something about an artist that separates them from the crowd. On 3SIXTY, FleeQy’s X factor came with her audacity to explore a completely new sound. One that is so much more mature in comparison to her previous efforts. There are three songs where I felt FleeQy was at the peak of her powers. Those songs are ‘Safe Space’, ‘Honest’ and ‘A Little Bit’. Those three songs exist in the pocket of neo-soul. The most magical part about these three songs is her delivery. She carries a cadence and flow that perfectly match the poetic production. In all honesty, it is a flawless execution of the sound from the lead vocal down to the smallest backing vocal.
Ultimately, I love 3SIXTY because it is a breath of fresh air in the game. FleeQy possessed the audacity to go against the grain in terms of her overall sound, and it paid off. With this offering, FleeQy has shown us that she is here to stay and that she is truly an album artist.
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