Ex-Odd Future Emcee’s Promising, Not Unique, Debut

It is impossible to examine Hodgy’s career without taking note of its constant correlation with absurdism and atonality. A progenitor of the Odd Future collective, Hodgy arose from a culture of lo-fi minimalism and grating lyrical nonconformity, embracing the taboos of exaggerated violence and faux satanism. These were embodied through the vehicle of MellowHype, Hodgy’s collaborative efforts with producer and occasional rapper Left Brain, and frequent features in releases from those in the Odd Future family.

Fireplace: TheNotTheOtherSide, however, finds Hodgy moving away from this sonic universe, a decidedly large and perceptible step toward the mainstream. The output is interesting and well produced–if less markedly unique than his prior releases–as Hodgy navigates the twists and turns of budding lyricism with panache. Of particular note is the fantastic drum programming throughout, which merges chip-tune drum sounds with jazz-influenced rhythms, resulting in a powerful rhythmic backbone over which the songs are structured.

When Fireplace simply commits to its organized verses and well-tempered production, it’s at its best. Hodgy’s lyrical dexterity has evolved since the horrorcore and inanity of his early work, and he flexes these muscles to good effect. The up-tempo “Turkuoise” provides an opportunity for Hodgy to show off his impressive diction and flow, while “They Want” provides the opportunity for social outcry, though Hodgy’s sentiments feel slightly unoriginal, if not regurgitated.

The success of the record, however, is marred by attempts at disjointed rhyme schemes and nostalgic mumble-melodies (“Glory,” “Final Hour”) that hearken back to the early Odd Future mixtapes. With instrumentals that can sometimes sound more like J. Cole beats than the fuzz of past project MellowHype, these techniques don’t communicate in the studio as effectively as they once did on his basement demos. In fact, the Achilles’ heel of the album is this very attempt to maintain the freneticism that once defined Hodgy’s music.

Fireplace is a debut record through and through, and Hodgy’s artistic maturity has yet to reach its peak–he too easily lets one idea or concept dominate an entire song (note the triplet monotony of Hodgy’s flow on “Final Hour”), resulting in an album that seems to be yearning for greater meaning than it contains. The voicemail-philosophies that punctuate the record are reminiscent of a technique used on Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, M.A.A.D city, but to lesser effect and with muddled intention. Linear rhyming, as recently highlighted on The Life of Pablo’s “I Love Kanye,” is pervasive throughout the record (“Barbell,” “Resurrection,” “The Now”), a concept that grows tiresome when utilized so frequently.

Hodgy has a ways to grow as a rapper in the mainstream. That being said, Fireplace is indisputably a strong first appeal for permeation into hip-hop culture… or, at the very least, into a hip-hop culture that aims outward from the indie leanings of the OFWGKTA fan base.