Brooklyn, NY emcee and producer Kota the Friend returns to work on his 12th studio record. In 2016, he rose to prominence with his debut EP “Palm Tree Liquor”, followed by 2 more EPs, and then released his debut album “FOTO” in 2019. My favorites are “To Kill”, “Sunrise” and “To See a Sunset”, all completely produced by Statik Selektah. Two and a half years later, they reunited in “Once in a Lifetime.”
“Bacon Egg & Cheese” is a soulful Bap intro advising not to fix something that’s not broken, while Logic’s “Blah” is full-blown jazz rap about their shooters. If you puke, the greens will be washed. Your head takes the crap out of your mouth. “How It Is” maintains a jazzy boom beat, pulling up on their opponent’s new crib, like “fuck yo couch” as if he were the late Rick James, but then the calming “Let It Go” talks A place where you can spend time.
Meanwhile, on “Free My Dogs,” we have Kota calling for all his brothers to be released from the fences over soft bap instrumentals, just before “Northside” gleefully talks about buying northern land. “What You Need” featuring PhearNone asks about their romantic interests in a lo-fi way before the jazzy “Mr.” “Mellow” talks about the cold. “Get It Done” wears his heart on his sleeve as lovingly as jewels, while “Count Your Days” ends with a show of his fearlessness.
If you, like me, consider Kota the Friend’s two previous albums with Statik Selektah to be the best work of his entire career, then “Once in a Blue Moon” will undoubtedly recapture the magic of its predecessors for a personal level. Fans on both sides are satisfied. Statik’s set is mostly jazzy but lo-fi, and Kota’s own performance is his most focused in a while.
Rating: 9/10
