6lack: East Atlanta Love Story Album Review
Atlanta native Ricardo Valdez Valentine, known artistically as 6lack (pronounced “black”), emphasizes the necessity of communication within relationships in his sophomore album titled East Atlanta Love Story. Sitting somewhere between R&B and hip hop, 6lack established his deep, moody aesthetic in his 2016 debut project Free 6lack, which peaked on the US Billboard 200 at number 34. The eleven-song album included popular singles like “Prblms” and “Ex Calling,” and focused more on the artist’s past relationships and his child on the way. East Atlanta Love Story offers a smooth transition from his first album, continuing the same laid-back ambiance particular to his sound.
East Atlanta Love Letter is a fourteen-song project that features artists Future (“East Atlanta Love Letter”), J. Cole (“Pretty Little Fears”), Offset (“Balenciaga Challenge”), and Khalid (“Seasons”), and includes an interlude dedicated to Young Thug (“Thugger’s Interlude”). Each collaboration offers insight into themes such as love and fame. Including the single “OTW” with Khalid and Ty Dolla $ign, this will be 6lack’s second time collaborating with Khalid.
The album mainly delves into the intricacies of communication that plays into the ups and downs of relationships. Particularly, in “Disconnect,” 6lack describes a discrepancy between the intentions of both him and the woman he sings about. In the song, he sings, “Love is not looking over shoulders/ Love is you should trust what I told you” alluding to the feelings of betrayal and distrust that can cause a relationship to fall away into nothingness.
As for the instrumental, the songs in the album put a spotlight on 6lack’s voice and lyrics, accompanied with mellow and chill beats. For some of the titles, such as “Thugger’s Interlude,” piano can be heard playing softly, cultivating a quieter atmosphere and emphasizing the lyrics themselves. The laid-back vibe from the instrumentals contributes more to the moodiness of each song.
6lack also tackles what it’s like to be a new artist in the music world, and how fame has changed his life and the way others treat him in songs like “Loaded Gun,” “Scripture” and “Switch.” In “Switch” he raps the lines, “Ain't nobody gotta go through what I'm going through, no/ But it seems like they all know what I'm supposed to do so,” discussing his personal experiences as an artist in the public eye. The songs offer an inside look into new fame, the expectations placed on musical artists, and wishing for time away from the media surrounding him.
East Atlanta Love Letter is exactly that — a letter to 6lack’s listeners, to the people in his life, that he is doing what he loves and writing music for who he loves. As he mentions in “Loaded Gun,” his new experience with having a daughter is the reason for him to change his life and to write new music. The album is consistent and stays primarily focused on the topics of communication and the changes in 6lack’s life within the past two years after releasing Free 6lack.
6lack’s music is dark and moody and invokes this sense of melancholy for the past and present. His lyrical arrangements give depth and emotion to the very human experiences of miscommunication and the effects of social perception on a person. The listening experience itself is thought-provoking, as 6lack openly raps about his personal life, allowing his audience to connect further to his music. For new projects, it will be interesting to see if he continues to create music in the direction of relationship intricacies, and what kind of growth he undergoes stylistically and lyrically.
Rating: 7/10
Rachel Wong is a sophomore majoring in telecommunications. To contact her, email at ruw82@psu.edu
