Album Review: $uicideboy$ – ‘THY KINGDOM COME’
Posted: by The Alt Editing Staff
Building on last year’s smash hit New World Depression, $uicideBoy$ have returned with a fantastic follow-up: THY KINGDOM COME. $uicideBoy$, the rap duo of Ruby da Cherry & Scrim, deviate somewhat from their typical formula here, exploding their incisive lyrics across a variety of eclectic beats. Enjoyers of New World Depression will be delighted with more referential lyrics: from “Napoleon” comes “Cup stay dirty like I’m pourin’ up in Flint” and on “COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS” we get “Russia was the only country I didn’t bring in any drugs to smuggle.” Once again, the Boy$ have juxtaposed the macabre with the hilarious, Scrim announcing on the first track “dick out like Calvin, ‘cuz I piss on them regardless.”
One of the standout features of this album is the variety in the beats–and the Boy$’ mastery of these myriad flows. “Napoleon” is reminiscent of a Three 6 Mafia hype track; immediately following is “Oh, What a Wretched Man I Am!” which soars over orchestral production and matches the theme of reflection and progression. “Chain Breaker” sounds like a prototypical Boy$ beat, with blasted-out bass and drumlines. Across these diverse beats (most of which are produced by Budd Dwyer, Scrim’s producer pseudonym), Scrim and Ruby demonstrate an incredible range within the same project.
Despite this fuck ‘em all ethos, THY KINGDOM COME is characteristically introspective as well. Reflecting on their lives on “Wretched Man,” Ruby admits that he is “rushin’ to death just to set [himself] apart from the rest,” a reference to the genesis of the moniker $uicideBoy$, which they chose for the literal implications: if they didn’t make it, they would have committed suicide. Scrim highlights the fact that even with their success, living in the world is incredibly tough: “Been hanging by a thread with a head full of meds / otherwise it’d probably be lead.” In this album, we get new insights into society and its consequences. Thankfully, the $uicideBoy$ have not pulled that trigger, instead delivering funny, powerful, and thought-provoking lyrics over their typically-frenetic and slick-produced beats.
Disappointing / Average / Good / Great / Phenomenal
THY KINGDOM COME is out now.
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Hanson Egerland | @hanson_egg
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