Have you ever felt too old for one song and too young for the next? Have you ever tried to listen to a Trap record without getting a recipe for an overdose? Or listen to a super lyrical record without falling asleep on the beat? No worries. Shawn and Beyoncé Carter have a new genre for you. Contemporary Trap. Yes, for the listener who wants to bang in the trap until the streetlights come on. Everything is Love is a 9-track joint effort between rap-legend Jay-Z and mother of the universe, Beyoncé.
First and foremost, when I heard that these two might have a joint album, my initial thought was, ‘Please not another faux-Watch The Throne effort.’ However, I was wrong. Everything is Love is the conclusion to Lemonade/4:44, and it is the perfect ending. From “Summer” starting off this album where “All Night” from Lemonade ended. To “LOVEHAPPY” giving us the final chapter in this musical trilogy. On the surface, it might come off as braggadocio and over-compensation, but it’s not. Tracks like “Apeshit” have the Carters bragging about wealth but it also had Beyoncé asking about equal pay. While standing in front of The Louvre, Jay-Z has men kneeling while he is telling the NFL he doesn’t need them. This is my kind of Trap music. I want you to talk fly to me while still bringing up important issues. Because what’s the point of your Lambo going fast if they refuse to pay you in equality?
In Trap music, when the rapper wants to tell a story, they have yo reminisce of the ‘bando’ and ‘the stove.’ Here, The Carters are telling stories about their first date and why Kanye’s wedding wasn’t a top priority to them. “Friends,” which is one of my favorites off the album, tells us about whose in the inner circle of Jay-Z and Beyoncé. The melodic sound of Mrs. Carter telling us that her real friends are goals while our friends are foes, will be seen all over folks Instagram and Snapchat accounts this Summer. While they may miss Kanye’s big day, they are still good on any MLK BLVD. “Black Effect” is a pro-black record that lets the listener know that The Carters are good on any MLK block in America. Why is that important? With the recent events of rappers, who are cashing in their Blackness for Trump invites and Off-White jackets, The Carters stayed true to themselves and are still welcome in the Black community.
Everything is Love is the perfect album for the Adult-Contemporary-Trap listener. This album is for the people who pop Advil and Excedrin instead of percs and mollies. This is for the people who are too old for the clubs but too young for the Tom Joyner boat cruise. Hopefully, this is a one and done effort from The Carters, though. Yes, this a great album but no we don’t need anymore tracks of these two together. Their chemistry is like Summer in Wisconsin. They get hot here and there, but most of the time it’s cold air. However, this record was recorded on their hot days. Everything is Love is worth the bandwidth and your coins. So next time you’re mobbing in your hoodie like Melo, press play on track number one and let Shawn and Beyoncé Carter take you on a little boughetto boat ride. And remember that we’re good on any MLK BLVD. We good. –Pooh Bailey
