Album Review: Le1f - Riot Boi
By Jonathan Fuchs, Copy Editor
[XL; 2015]
Rating: 3.5/5
Key Tracks: “Swirl,” “Koi,” “Umami / Water”
New York rapper Le1f has been turning heads by being one of the most popular LGBT rappers in an industry infamous for being prejudiced and homophobic. His three mixtapes and two EPs have created a unique voice for those in the LGBT community who have been afraid to express themselves.
Riot Boi, Le1f’s debut album, is a collection of songs that covers a huge range of topics like homophobia, transgender rights and the Black Lives Matter movement while at the same time being a fun party album with plenty of great production and awesome beats.
With the opening track “Hi,” it is clear that Riot Boi is not an album that fools around with its production; every single track has excellent instrumentals with intense 808 bass that’ll make you want to dance for the entire runtime.
The first half of this album has an energetic delivery that tends to go from zero to 100 incredibly quickly. “Rage” and “Umami / Water” have moments where the instrumentals get crazy out of nowhere. Although the second half is not as intense, it’s still a good time.
The best track on this album by far is “Koi,” which features tremendous production from SOPHIE. His innocent and sugar-coated style is perfect for Le1f’s low-pitched voice.
The tracks that discuss more serious topics are the three that close out the album (“Taxi,” “Tell,” “Change”). These are much slower and provide interesting social commentary about how you should be yourself and love everyone for who they are.
For Le1f fans that would call Riot Boi one of their most anticipated albums of 2015, the slower tracks on this album could be a little disappointing. But nevertheless, it is still a really fun and smart rap album that has some of the best production of the year.
