By: Dawson Finley
Never before has trap seen such a mainstream appeal as it has in 2017. While the subgenre’s definition is more fluid as it continues to intertwine with pop, there’s no doubt that there are still hits to be made by many of the artists and producers in the industry. As the year is coming to its close, we see one of the more interesting collaborations to come out for a producer/rapper pair project: "Double or Nothing" by Big Sean & Metro Boomin.
Metro Boomin is one of the biggest producers right now, responsible for creating some of the biggest hits in the last few years, like “Bad and Boujee” by Migos, “Congratulations” by Post Malone, and “Bank Account” by 21 Savage. "Double or Nothing" is only the latest of the producer’s collab projects, and it’s a little baffling from the get go to see him pair of with Big Sean, a largely inoffensive artist who has trouble staying relevant in the fast-paced genre.
“Go Legend” leads the album with mediocre start, with a half-baked Travis Scott hook acting as the centerpiece of some truly boring verses from Sean asserting his perceived “legend” status. But it’s hard to make those claims when you’re putting out lines like, “In my castle like Mario,” directly after.
“Who’s Stopping Me” acts as a highlight for Metro’s production skills, making great use of a sample from Brazilian singer Nazare Pereira to create a Latin vibe to the track, differing from most of the other songs on the project. Again, Big Sean is fairly forgettable on the track, but manages to bounce along it to make it passable.
“Savage Time” provides a lot of nice moody production, and is split into two parts – the first representing Sean’s struggles growing up, while the second part has him flexing about the current lifestyle he’s living.
“In Tune” features a really nice working of Lori Perri’s “Up Against the Wind,” where strings playing on top of the trap-style drums makes for cool sound.
Double Or Nothing is an interesting project because it pairs a talented producer with an average rapper, but what makes it disappointing is that these beats feel completely wasted and could have gone to a better artist.
While "Double or Nothing" might satisfy some, at this point I’d rather take nothing.
"Double or Nothing" releases on Dec. 8, 2017
