Luv Is Rage 2 Review

XO Tour Llif3 is one of the defining rap records of its decade and it happened almost by accident, a demo posted online that took over everything within weeks. Everything about it works, the detuned synth, the drums that drop out at exactly the right moment, and a hook about not caring that clearly does. Placed at the end of the album it also exposes how much of the surrounding material is treading water.

Two is a good opener. Sauce It Up and The Way Life Goes have genuine tunes, the latter with a lovely sample flip. Then there are six or seven tracks of the same bright synths and the same three subjects at slightly lower intensity. The vocal is still a joy and the writing is still beside the point. As a first proper album it sold the style to a mass audience and it is uneven in the way debuts usually are.