The new ILoveMakonnen (known to his true die-hard fans simply as Makonnen) EP came out the other day. Not a huge milestone, as he’s been dropping one or two ‘bangers’ every month since his one true hit single, “I Don’t Sell Molly No More” came out in the Spring of 2014. 

One of ILoveMakonnen’s signature sounds is painfully out of tune faux-emotional sing-rapping that begs for more autotune. Unfortunately, this plagues 2/3 of the album. His other rap voice is slightly more aggressive and really reflects that good ol’ Atlanta Trap Sound that allows for far more interesting lyrical rhythms. This style is found on the only tracks worth listening to, ‘Trust Me Danny’ and ‘Where Your Girl At,’ which also feature the most intricate production on the album. 

Makonnen’s reputation as a ‘trippy dude’ has spawned some vaguely psychedelic influences into the world of hip hop, these two songs being prime examples. 

Sure, ILoveMakonnen is the psilocybin king of Atlanta. He is tapped into his third eye enough to freestyle most of his verses in the studio, but “I don’t even hit the mall no more I shop at the house/I just buy shit online like I work for a spouse/I swear I just try to keep it quiet like I’m a mouse/” from “Being Alone With You” sounds like it came from your little cousin Brent that swears that he could “slay any sucka in a rap battle.” 

If you go the club, you have probably turned up pretty hard to Makonnen songs, and if you keep going to the club, you will probably continue to turn up even harder to even more Makonnen songs. 

I can guarantee that when you hear “Trust Me Danny” at popular nightclubs over the winter break, you and your crew will smash bottles. I can also guarantee that the popular DJs will not be playing duds like “I Love You” and “Flippin All Night” at their successful club nights. 

In closing, ILoveMakonnen 2 is resoundingly pretty “meh.” 

- Mischa Decter

Published in Volume 70, Number 12 of The Uniter (November 26, 2015)