Kamaiyah – “Got It Made” Album Review
Kamaiyah released her much anticipated album “Got It Made,” this past week and it definitely made a statement to say the least. This album has ten songs on it with a few features including J. ESPINOSA on “Get Ratchet,” Capolow on “Digits,” and a member of Hip Hop royalty, Trina, on “Set It Up.” Kamaiyah is from Oakland, also known as the “Bay Area” where some of the greatest rappers have come out of including E-40 and Tupac Shakur to name a few. She is very different compared to other female rappers like Saweetie, also a Bay Area native, Cardi B or Meg the Stallion because she truly has an original sound. It is hard to say she resembles the sound of one person or another.
Kamaiyah was an independent artist when she released her first album, “A Good Night in the Ghetto.” Following the release of that album she was a member of the Interscope Record artists, and is now an independent artist again to release her most current album. In spite of not belonging to a record label, she created her own label known as GRND. According to VIBE, she never wanted to be a part of a record label and referred to it as going to “music business school.”
The majority of her songs on this album have a fun and up-beat energy to them that are good in any party setting. It’s easy to say she doesn’t conform to any style and makes every song her own. Kamaiyah could be called the modern-day Missy Elliot because of her originality and how she brings an energy that only she can uphold. One of the songs on her album is titled “10 Toes High,” which resembles a song like “Dreams and Nightmares” or “Get Up 10” talking about how hard they’ve worked to get to where they are today and what’s like being in the music business.
The great thing about this album is that it is short and straight to the point. There are a lot of albums that have twenty to twenty-five songs just because that artist wanted to put out a long project. This album showed that quantity over quality is the way to be successful. Her confidence shines through her music and even her slower rap songs are still upbeat. In between this four-year hiatus has been a growing period for Kamaiyah especially since she was still releasing great singles in the process. The only disadvantage is that Kamaiyah is starting to sound similar in all of her songs, which is where the album falls short.
Kamaiyah chooses not to focus on her second project, “Before I Wake,” because she classifies it as a project that was just her letting some steam off. She doesn’t recognize it as something she felt was meaningful. Kamaiyah went through a lot of hardships through the composing of this album including her brother dying from cancer and her label complications. This is where she puts her thoughts into lyrics and where she truly shines. Overall, this album is going to speak to a lot of people because of how real it is, but also how fun it is to just listen on a regular day.
Rating: 8/10
Reviewer’s Favorite Track: “Mood Swings”
Reviewer’s Least Favorite Track “Whatever Whenever”
Emily Mugno is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, e-mail esm6@psu.edu.
