This is the first full-length studio record from rising Detroit emcee Jalen Frazier. He established himself in the fall of 2020 on the strength of his debut EP Expressions of the Neglected, and last summer he continued to make a splash on the local underground music scene with follow-up album God Bless My Chalice. But for his first proper album, The Drop tapped Middle Finger Music co-founder Foul Mouth, one of the Motor City’s most beloved producers in recent memory.
“Run In Packs” keeps things rolling with this dirty boom bap instrumental, with Jalen talking about all he knew in Detroit was attack, while “Curbside Service” blends vibraphone and boom bap drums, detailed street life. The groovy “Soul Check” asks God for forgiveness for the sins he’s committed, before “Prince of a Brick,” a collaboration with former D12 member Bizarre, is a dusty hardcore single detailing what they’ve done. Live a barbaric lifestyle.
From there, “Braille” has this drum-less soul flip that admits the fuckers’ moves are fun and they shouldn’t be confused before “Profit $ee,” in which Chubs and Dango Forlaine bring the trio together, Kicks and snares were brought back so they could lyrically dive into battle together. The piano/boom-bop hybrid “Sworn Enemy” looks like it’ll bleed if you fuck the thing you love, but then the sombre and dusty “Effervescent” talks about grinding here.
“21 Grams” is a primal desire to isolate himself so he can chop it up with his own mind, while “Choppin’ Block” talks a lot about “getting done” and doing all the damn things y’all. “Code of the Street” mixes guitar with kick and snare and spits out real talk, while “Murder” kicks off The Drop’s encore, putting those strings, kick and snare together, scratching In your face, he and his team have nailed everything you want to try here. “Even Keel” ends the album on a rap-rock note about the woman who lost him the moment he tried to test him.
Suffice to say, Jalen’s voice sounds a bit like Westside Gunn, but once you get over that, he does have some dope bars, and Foul Mouth helped him get off the bus on this album. It’s better produced than Jaylen’s previous work, more introspective and socially aware than before, touching on a wide range of themes from personal struggles and triumphs to commentary on the state of the world.
Score: 8/10
