2022 has been a year to remember for the underground scene, seeing artists such as Lucki, Destroy Lonely, and Yeat become trailblazers for the new sound of rap. However, almost a year after his latest album, K Suave proved once again that no matter how much the rap game may change, he will always be able to keep up with his own unique sound.
Despite having a quiet year, K Suave was a recurring name involved in the underground. His ability to put out hits in the past such as Trippple H was bound to leave him with a fan base ready for new music at any time. Nearing the end of the year, the release of his highly anticipated album Hit Me When You Land was looking bleak, but fans gladly received an early Christmas gift on December 16th in the form of twenty-three songs. Picking up where he left off with his latest album, Sexually Active, Suave showed that the year was well worth the wait.
With only releasing one prior single (Daycare) that would appear on the album, I was unsure of what to expect from Suave. If the features were any indication of the album’s worth, the fans were definitely in for a treat. It showed just how tapped in most of the underground scene is with each other, with features from KanKan, Summrs, and Tana. Suave also showed love to EastBayTae, an artist to be on the lookout for this year. And of course, it wouldn’t be a K Suave album without a feature from his affiliates in 1400/Slayer Academy, Zelly Ocho and superstar Trippie Redd.
Suave’s album was more than a good way to set the tone for the new year; it also left me with no doubts in who he is as an artist. Hit Me When You Land let his creativity shine through while staying true to his “Thot Slayer” persona (in which he included a number of phone-calls from past romances). The mixture of his silky voice and crazy instrumentals from a variety of producers made for an album I really had fun listening to.
At first listen, I enjoyed songs such as Different Countries and Make it Back, as they reminded me of the classic ambient, spacy songs found in his Thot Slayer series. However, each listen gave me something new to appreciate. In tracks like EVERY16th and Urus Freestyle (feat. Summrs), Suave’s smooth delivery combined with the “pluggnb” genre that has taken over the underground created some of my favorite songs, while other tracks like Perfect Timing and Miami highlighted his ability to seemingly float on the beat with ease.
Listening to this album was a breath of fresh air and a hopeful way to go into 2023. Suave proved his talent of being able to adapt to the changing music scene, as he did a solid job at using each song to show off his different talents. He showed why he is Trippie Redd’s prodigy, starting with his near-perfect beat selection and tapping into his bank of endless flows and cadences. I think it’s safe to say that K Suave has solidified his potential to how far he can go in the music world, and I’m excited to see what’s in store for him this year.