Bake Lo is a 32-year-old rapper from Detroit, Michigan who released his debut album, Only the Beginning, in the fall of 2011, when I was a high school freshman. He followed up with a second album, Misunderstood Mindstate, but it wasn’t until Anybody Killa signed him to Native World Inc. and put A Step in the Wrong Direction on the label that I started paying attention to him personally. Monster will be released independently, as will an extended version of Chuck, which is the last we hear from him. However, after wrapping up the ninth annual Astronomicon, he will return to record his fifth studio LP in preparation for his tour with ABK.
After the intro of “Into the Spiral,” opener “Spiral Down” expresses our faith in one day living life again, Str8jaket joins him, letting “Words of Violence” fade away and head towards a booming bap vibe instrumentally. “The Jewel Thief” fights back angrily at those who saw him as a fool. Enter “GoldenEye,” starring MVNDI and Skwynts, which finds the trio jumping through an apocalyptic trap that warns against awakening the beast within them.
Criminal, starring Donnie Menace, joins forces to talk about life as a gangster robbing people’s shoes, while Dirt on My Face, starring Insane E, ferociously emerges from the flames of hell in an attempt to escape the cell they’re both being held in. “Spek,” starring Lyte, talks about carrying a Glock in their respective parts of Michigan, while “Just Incase” ignores all precautions.
On “Note to Self” things take a more introspective approach, asking himself who he is if he doesn’t become who he wants to be, while “Confrmula” starring Ant G, Histio and the King of HorribleCore talks about no longer waiting because now is the time to claim what is theirs. “Benjamin” takes a stab at country rap, admitting that the devil wants his soul, and after “Bite Outta You” industrializes himself as a bloodthirsty creature, “Uzumaki” featuring Zitro completes his speech to those who don’t like them.
Spirals showcases Bake Lo’s signature lyrical depth as well as his raw storytelling and authentic voice, offering old fans and new listeners a fresh and grounded perspective inspired by the eight years of growth since Monster. Dedicated to quality and authentic expression, Bake Lo invites the underground and the world at large to experience his artistic evolution, redefining his sound through a series of underground evil shit giants joining him on the mic.
Score: 8/10
