6ix9ine - Day69 (Review)

Martin_Canine 6IX9INE
Day69
★★1/2☆☆

Day69 sounds like a mix of Lil Jon and Lil Uzi Vert - also it’s completely uninteresting. These words admittedly don’t sound right, as the savage crunk party rap Jon does and the introverted melodic trap of Vert are on the opposite poles of hip hop. It seems impossible to fuse them, and even more impossible to make the outcome completely average. But that’s exactly what happened.

It’s not that 6ix9ine is a bad rapper per se - his flow is on point, he has energy and a very distinctive voice and delivery - it’s just that on this album, it’s not used in a way that makes it stand out against the gazillion of other soundcloud rappers emerging despite the obvious differences. For most trap songs, lyrical masterpieces aren’t necessary; it’s more about the musicality and feeling rather than the words. There are trappers who use their words much like instruments, in a way that scat singers did for jazz in the 50s - remember that next time you call it mumble rappers. However, for every Young Thug or Future, who are dripping with personality and atmosphere, you also have a gazillion of artists who repetitively use the same patterns again and again without the slightest ambition of sounding distinctive.

6ix9ine’s raspy, yelling vocals has great potential to bring something new to trap. He’s wild and anarchic in a genre that’s usually calm and melodic, and he combines the oldschool vibe of crunk with the currently popular style in a way that’s very welcoming. One thing you can’t say about him is that he doesn’t have personality and just merely copies everyone else’s style.

However, the big problem of Day69 is not even as much his fault as that of the variety of producers. Most of the beats 6ix9ine raps over are very much the standard sound of his genre, with absolutely nothing memorable, ambient or catchy about them. It gives the rapper very little to work with, and the listener very little that leaves a lasting impression. Not even the hit single Gummo has much to remember musically, apart from the MC’s voice, which is probably why it became so popular in the first place, as its beat sounds like an outtake from the last Lil Yachty record. The opening song, Billy, as well as the closing track, Chocolaté, are the only two pieces that manage to fully live up to the premise. They are much more threatening and intense in their mood, which comes out great along with 6ix9ine’s ever-angry rapping. The other 8 tracks are basically Gummo with other lyrics and slightly alternate bass lines, most of which have their bass boosted to exaggerated extremes. In fact, one song is a remix of Gummo, which, as I said before, isn’t that great to begin with.

With all that being said, Day69 is not a bad album. The production isn’t actually terrible, and with a flow like this, 6ix9ine could become a big rapper. There’s just this constant feeling that he works with leftovers from other artists, and that at times the producers didn’t finish the mixing. It’s rushed and not thoughtfully executed, offering the newcomer a bunch of instrumentals too mediocre for the big names. It’s absolutely listenable, and it doesn’t get boring throughout its short length, but a voice like his belongs on much more unique beats, and most importantly, beats that actually fit the wild tone of the lines he spits. I’d suggest the dark, anarchic hardcore trap of Carnage. The way it is, it’s completely average.

Comments

Gummo was TERRIBLE, but to be honest, he has better songs than other terrible rappers. - visitor

I don't think it was terrible, it was just a bit underwhelming. What I like about this guy is that while most trap rappers are rapping calmly, slurry and apathetic (which isn't bad when it fits the atmosphere), he really has a lot of energy, but somehow most of the songs didn't get through to me. Most of them sound like fillers, and the beats are pretty standard. - Martin_Canine

No offense but day69 is the worst album in history and 6ix9ine is the worst rapper EVER! - visitor

To both I gotta say... do you know "souljaboytellem.com" by Soulja Boy Tellem? - Martin_Canine

6ix9ine is probably going to jail - iliekpiez

Yeah, I heard of that. If he's actually guilty of all charges and actively commited harmful acts, that's the right thing. From a musical perspective, I hoped for more albums which are better executed. I really liked that he had the energy of a rap rock artist, we need that back, but he needs to develop more lyrical innovation and pick beats that suit him ("Billy" was such a beat, "Gummo" absolutely wasn't). Maybe he'll release an album in jail like Lil Wayne. - Martin_Canine

I'll take that comment back and yeah he's innocent of those charges until he's proven guilty. - visitor

This album is garbage in my opinion. 6ix9ine's beats are really dull and I just can't stand his vocals. - AlphaQ

I kind of still don't know what to think of tjis album. In the meantime, I like the beats (particularly the heavier ones like "Billy", "93" and "Chocolaté", these three songs are where he comes closest to reach his full potential), and I also like that there is a modern rapper with an energetic performance, but still, on most tracks the outcome is very underwhelming, and sometimes the beat and the vocals don't go well together and sound unprofessional. "Dummy Boy" is a much better album because in the meantime he learned how to adjust his voice so it fits the tone of the instrumental.
I'd recommend his songs "Gigi (Zkittlez)" and "International Gangstas" to you. He recorded those with German rappers while he was in Germany and they received positive reviews from the German press and were top ten hits. I personally think the first one is really good, the second one is just solid. - Martin_Canine