Brent Faiyaz released his debut mixtape album Larger Than Life without a pre-announced date on Oct. 27. The tracks consist of 14 songs released independently through Faiyez’s new record label ISO Supremacy. Popular artists like A$AP Rocky, Babyface Ray, Cruddy Murda, FELIX!, Lil Gray, Missy Elliott, N3WYRKLA, Tommy Richman, and TTM Dawg are featured in this new album.
Faiyaz’s previous album, and my personal favorite, Wasteland set a high bar for this release. With this in mind, Larger than Life still left me satisfied.
Larger than Life contains slow jam tunes with pops of rap entwined in selective songs. The use of rap is unexpected and exciting, making the music more engaging for those listening. Each song sets the mood with a rich, sultry, and slow tempo feel.
Although a portion of the songs were a bit dull, I relished the beginning song entitled “Tims Intro.” The repeated lyric “larger than life” is used to emphasize the greater importance of one. The song creates the overall attitude of the album, describing the “larger than life” lifestyle. A somewhat prosperous feeling is evoked through this song as well. I believe this was the perfect way to kickoff the vibe for the track.
“Moments of Your Life” featuring Coco Jones was another favorite of mine. The instrumentals continued through the entirety of the song and were a nice touch. Faiyaz’s voice used blandished lyrics, giving the romantic elements. The rhythm and lyrics pared perfectly with each other.
“Outside All Night” was also particularly enjoyable. I appreciated the steady beat, accompanied by rap and a woman’s soft singing. A$AP Rocky and N3WYRKLA added flavor to the song while Faiyaz maintained a simple tone. Combined, they were a suitable balance. The composure of the song was done very well and was not overly repetitive.
This was not my favorite of Brent Faiyaz’s work—though I still highly appreciated Larger than Life. I particularly liked the vibe of the album because it radiated flourishing emotion within downtempo music. It was also exciting that the album was released as a surprise.
I rate this album a 7/10.
