Photography by Rala Choi
On September 17, BewhY dropped his latest project - an eleven-track full-length album titled, “The Blind Star." The album credits a number of producers including AOMG's GRAY and features some hip hop artists: Dok2 of Illionaire Records, Dynamic Duo's Gaeko, and BewhY's childhood friend and SMTM5 runner-up, C Jamm.
The album was released in two parts, two weeks apart, and after waiting to listen to the second half, we can understand why. The first half teased a trap-heavy sound, while the second half (packaged with the first half as a full-length album) features tracks that are more in line with his singles released earlier this year.
One of the album’s strong points is its unpredictability. Before listening to the album, I expected it to sound a lot like ‘Hewgeso’ or ‘Dejavu’ which were released earlier in the year. Instead, the album is surprisingly experimental, with BewhY collaborating with a handful of producers and artists to create quite a diverse catalog.
Throughout the album, BewhY delivers his rhymes and flow effortlessly (something I’ve come to expect), and he hasn’t held back when it comes to exuding confidence and charisma. However, a lot of the tracks are a bit auto-tune-heavy. And while I understand the use of auto-tune is a stylistic choice, BewhY does seem to have an ear for pitch, so I would love to see his next album showcase his voice more without running it through the box.
At this point, while BewhY is choosing to remain an independent rapper under his own label (Dejavu Group), I’m excited to see that he’s still maintaining his relationship with AOMG by drafting GRAY and also keeping an open door to other artists and labels. I’m also relieved that not all of the tracks were centered on his religious faith, which has always been attached to his music. And that, when he does go there, he spins his lyrics on “belief” in relation to what drives his personal ambition and sacrifice.
‘The Blind Star’ succeeds in adding quality work to BewhY’s portfolio but still leaves room to grow, which leaves me excited to see what else he’ll release in the future.
See below for a detailed review for each track on the album!
I’m grouping the first two GRAY-produced tracks together because it’s obvious they were created as a story that, I think, succeeds in setting the stage for the rest of the album.
‘Curtain Call’ begins with distorted audio that morphs into sounds of crowds chanting BewhY’s name. The short but powerful intro teases less than a minute of BewhY’s verses layered with an orchestra of brass, strings, and percussion. It immediately transitions to ‘Red Carpet’ where he raps about his growing success in music. His brazen lyrics are packed with confidence as he declares his ambitions against the fallacy of fame.
This hard-hitter is the epitome of BewhY’s confidence in his skills. A play on nomenclature, he substitutes M.J.’s initials with his own: B.Y.
'Bichael Yackson' alternates between BewhY’s distorted bassline verses and a chorus of powerful brass. His tracks often utilize a lot of orchestral elements as an unconventional backdrop to his verses. By the third verse, we get strings against a hip hop beat to create an unusual combination that actually works well together. The track winds down through a sudden eerie piano break and distorted audio.
This track was probably the most out-of-the-box for BewhY. The lyrics are his, but stylistically it leans exceptionally towards trap with the help of “It G Ma” producer Junior Chef, and WondaGurl, who has worked with several prominent artists like Jay Z, Drake, and Kanye West.
This track was also the least memorable on the album to me. While I appreciate his commitment to the intentionally monotonous verses, the gritty genre just seemed to suppress BewhY’s ability to draw the listener in, especially when his charisma and stage presence are some of his defining characteristics.
9ucci Bank is an extravagant track bragging of luxury and indulgence to the point of ridiculousness. The MV screams extra as it's clothed in Gucci clothes, Gucci golf carts, and even Gucci burgers, all while BewhY hits the haters with his “next level-ness." The theatrical car horn sets the rhythm of the track, while the hard bassline plows in and stays prominent for the entire length. The chorus gets repetitive, but the track makes up for it with some pretty decent lyrics and flow.
You would think the over-the-top sound bites would drown out any verses, but BewhY holds his own with the help of some smart compositional breakdowns. Dok2 shows up to deliver the second verse quantifying the luxury items he’s earned since his first mixtape in 2008. For such a loud track, it should sound chaotic. But the rappers’ ability to stand out while blending their unique styles actually makes this a pretty fun listen.
The candid skit in ‘Broken Navigation’ and its following track ‘Hewgeso’ mark the later-released second half of the Blind Star album. Originally released as a single in June 2017, ‘Hewgeso’ diversified BewhY's porfolio with a different sound - his easy vocals backed by smooth guitar strums and reggae notes. His lyrics look back on his busy life and the sacrifices he made to be where he is today, backed by the preceding skit.
The 'Broken Navigation' skit is a sound clip of BewhY having trouble with his GPS navigation system on his way from one scheduled performance to another. Earlier this year, it was revealed on SBS's 'One Night of TV Entertainment' that BewhY is the most popular artist to perform at university festivals, stating at one point that he performed over 30 shows within a one-month period.
This smart track starts with a sample of Fats Waller's "Ain't Misbehavin’" solely to highlight the brass, which would later be broken down and used as a groovy instrumental backtrack to the rest of the song. With a hip hop beat and soul notes, the verses have a distinct melody that both BewhY and Gaeko use to showcase their own styles. BewhY has an interesting, shrill intonation that makes his rapping flow together like a continuous string of sound. Gaeko almost has an opposite effect - his voice is smoother, but he clearly enunciates to create a cool rhythm in his verses.
GRAY’s fingerprints are all over the album's title track, 'My Star.' From the composition to the arrangement, GRAY always manages to produce an appropriately smooth sound that compliments the artist. Probably the chillest track on the album, ‘My Star’ is BewhY’s first love song. Set along a minimalist set of beats, the jazzy keys and occasional sax work together harmoniously to highlight the incredibly sweet verses. Check out some behind-the-scenes footage of GRAY and BewhY working on this track below.
Another GRAY-produced track, 'Wright Brothers' showcases a hip hop sound with an interesting, subtle dance backdrop of electronic synths. While BewhY defines the first set of verses with his staccato diction, C Jamm differs his second verse with a more melodic sound. The flow from BewhY’s stylistically auto-tuned pre-chorus to the quick-beat snare in the main chorus is so catchy, you can’t help but jam along to the beat. This is easily one of my favorite tracks on the album.
This track is a re-mastered version of ‘Dejavu’, which was originally released in May 2017. Still one of my favorites, the track alternates between BewhY’s rhythmic verses and his more melodic rapping in the chorus.
While I think this track shows how far BewhY still has to go in terms of production, I appreciate that the lyrics and overall song was recorded, produced, composed, and arranged all by BewhY himself. With all the previous collaborations with other artists and producers, it makes sense that he would want to close out the full-length album with one that is 100% BewhY.