Lucki Eck$ has been developing his own brand of trap music, he aptly calls "alternative trap." While he still discusses the rigors of the street life, the love of multiple women, and the constant fear that comes with his illicit trade, his music is shrouded in numbing, slightly psychedelic haze. Instead of turning the club up and screaming witty one-liners or punchlines at listeners, Eck$ continues to explore the darker, slower side of cloud rap. His words move at an almost snail like pace, with his rhymes coalescing like sticky syrup run-off. An unusual and sometimes uncomfortable sound for sure, but one that always turns out to be a much sweeter deal, after multiple listens.
Eck$ latest project is the eleven track X, which came after his two previous tapes: Body High and Alternative Trap. Both of his earlier mixtapes were mostly exercises in incredible solo rapping; they included few features and murky ambient production, essentially to highlight his dense lyrics. X see Lucki move forward, attempting not only to craft fuller songs, but to also join in on the beat making side of things. Even if there are few hiccups along this progression, it still bodes well for his artistic journey.
"Stevie Wonder" dropped five months before X was released, yet it still remains one of the strongest songs on the project. The combination of Chance The Rapper's constantly shifting vocal delivery and Lucki's deadpan spitting, results in a thrilling double act. Chance is throwing his voice around, singing in the background, while the latter is focused on the bars and staying true. The two feed off of one another's energy. Hopefully this isn't a one time collaboration, both definitely need to get into the studio more often.
"LOWLIFE" is a song dedicated to the incarcerated New York rapper, Max B. Lucki doesn't hold anything back on this track, letting everyone know just what he thinks about his friends, family, environment, and himself: basically, they are all pieces of shit. It is a little sad to hear at first, but it continues in the tradition of "Cocaine Woman;" Lucki often acknowledges his terrible actions that come with his trapping and how it affects those around him, but also understands that he isn't going to change—the game is too strong.
It should be mentioned that "LOWLIFE" is one of three Lucki Eck$ produced tracks, and easily the best. "Mac N. Cheese" is a good attempt at cloud rap, but it gets lost in the stratosphere and never really comes all the way down. "BIRDGANG" is pretty good lyrically, but compared to the heat that PLU20 NASH and BULLETPROOF DOLPHIN are bringing, especially on "Lil Bitch" and "Mia Wallace" respectively, its production can't really compare. Even though it feels like "Mia Wallace" never really moves, it somehow still bangs.
SKYWLKR and Black Noise collaborated on "Finesse II," which is the most uptempo track on X. Lucki goes crazy, even though he is rapping at his pace. "This rap shit got me acting all rude now/but look enough about me, I heard you serving at school now/how bout we have your whole campus clucking and truant now," his flow has slowed down Juvenile vibe. It all works exceptionally well, worth multiple replays.
X isn't too long, even though it has eleven tracks. Thankfully, Lucki Eck$ made it a free release, which means you can pick it up at his soundcloud page. It is definitely a good listen, you can stream the project below.
