Just two days short of a week ago, Thursday, August 14th, rising music artists, eROC and Matt Narks, dropped their highly anticipated debut album, "Love Me Now." It has been well over a year since the release of Narks debut EP, "Red Room," executive produced by eROC; including hit singles Red Room, 80 proof, and Camera Flash. Since then, Narks has exceeded in maintaining relevance in the music industry; working with eROC to generate tracks like Green Paper as well as attending Trade Shows to network with well-established music artist such as Bow Wow, Gunplay, Waka Flocka, etc.
Personally, I have been following Matt Narks' music career for quite some time now. For that reason, I am both honored and ecstatic to present to you the "Love Me Now," full track-by-track album review:
1. "Love Me Now/U Know": Serves well as the allurer of the album; the sample background creates a sound that resonates with gladiators entering the arena. Both artists' transition of flows is quite intriguing and their ability to maintain synchronization with the beat is even more captivating. The segue into the latter song is very smooth, as the latter song is complementing to the track as a whole; however, I would have disintegrated the one track into two separate tracks. They are both of good enough quality to stand tall on their own. - (9/10)
2. "Who Is This": Paints the vividest picture for me, as both artists illustrate scenarios in which people are captivated by their presence given their visual and aural appeal. The chorus is simple yet very catchy. I was most absorbed by eROCs' line, "I'm the IV for the streets," as it reflected the cultural aim to keep hip-hop alive. - (7/10)
3. "Everything": Seemingly depicts the artists's ideal female and relationship. The chorus is most appealing as it transitions from the highlighted experiences with gold-diggers to those with queens. - (6/10)
4. "Old Thing Back": Invigorating background sample. This track is full of quotables. eROC epitomizes 'getting back to priorities' as he says, "Niggaz slave for that income, no outcome. How you got a platinum wrist with gold albums?" Narks strikes bar after bar with usage of metaphors, similes and double entendres (e.g. "Either way you gonna get this work like a syllabus.") - (8/10)
5. "You Got Some Nerve": Smooth and mellow feel; Lauryn Hill's "Ex-Factor" sample is most complementing. The song is deep, emphasizing a women's audacity to make various contravening decisions and have pessimistic views, in regards to intimate relationships (not to say that men aren't equally guilty as charged). Women, we love you; but sometimes it is crucial to set aside emotions so that the problem, if any, may be dealt with logically via source of reason. The problem is not always the problem; rather sometimes the problem is simply our perception of what we perceive to be the problem. - (9/10)
6. "2 of Those feat. King Pryze": This track is my favorite which is why I expressed the most constructive criticism and maintained meticulous judgement in rating it. This is the club-banger; the chorus is popping as the beat is enchanting. The song provides another set of lyrics full of quotables (e.g. "This one's for them niggaz husting on the low, selling work and paying off they student loans...," -eROC, "My momma working hard, yeah she deserve a raise. I can lose it all, long as my momma paid." -Narks). The only component, if any, that this track is missing is ad-libs because there are so many bars that one just craves to add emphasis to (e.g. "I be balling with my team, we 82-0," -eROC, "Watch your mouth, yeah watch your step, just don't scuff my J's." -Narks). On another note, I wasn't quite able to distinguish the featured artist from the major. Despite the minimal contrary, the song is a phenomenal work of art and I definitely foresee a remix in the future. - (9.5/10)
7. "Me and My Money": With another classic chorus sample, Jay-Z & Jermaine Dupri's, "Money Aint A Thang," eROC and Narks talk about the significance of money yet highlight the fact that it is only so valuable. It does, however, seem like for the majority of the song, money is being glorified so I wasn't quite sure of the message I was supposed to receive. Nonetheless, it was another great, smooth and mellow track, well complemented by the electric guitar. - (6.5/10)
8. "None of My Business": Least favorite, if I had to choose one yet still very hip and well complemented with what sounds like an electric piano. - (6/10)
9. "Hate Me Now": Message to the haters, non-believers and lost-fans; serves well as the clincher. The combination of maraca and drum sounds create a potent rhythm that makes you want to move around and snap your fingers. Mid-song, there's a very appealing transition into more of a smooth jazzy feel. I never thought I'd appreciate auto-tune so much. The song allowed me to step outside of my comfort zone and completely vibe out. It's so mesmerizing that the antagonist themselves will not be able to circumvent temptation to listen, enjoy and appreciate. - (10/10)
My top three favorite tracks include: 2 of Those, Hate Me Now, Love Me Now/U Know. I really want to squeeze "You Got Some Nerve," in there but I already lucked out in being able to choose the latter (two songs in one). Despite equivalent track-quantity, I definitely have more "Love Me Now," track favorites than I do those of "Red Room;" there was a major enhancement in lyrical content and beat production. Overall, "Love Me Now," earns a rating of (7.89/10). Matt Narks and eROC are up next; they represent the sound of the future. I'm looking forward to their next project, as should you be. "I bet you love them now!"
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