Album Review: D.R.A.M. - Big Baby D.R.A.M.
By Cailynn Beck, Contributor
[Atlantic; 2016]
Rating: 6.5/10
Key Tracks: “Monticello Ave,” “In a Minute / In House,” "Cute"
There’s no denying that D.R.A.M.’s hit single “Broccoli” wasn’t the most fun trap song released in 2016. Big Baby D.R.A.M. was released in October 2016, and although “Broccoli” was and still is a classic, the rest of D.R.A.M.’s debut album is not as big as a bop that it might’ve been hyped up to be.
“Cute” is a song that still keeps up with fun and bouncy rap consistency that most listeners mainly think of when they think of D.R.A.M. Lyrically, this song might not have a lot of depth, but one thing D.R.A.M. is very good at when it comes to writing songs is that he keeps it very “2016,” with phrases like “Even though it’s cliché I saw you on your Instagram and / I think you’re cute,” and, “Scrolling through my feed I saw you just had post a pic / I choose you like a Pokemon.” The excessive use of air horns throughout the chorus cannot go forgotten as well.
D.R.A.M. does manage to surprise listeners with track number four, “Monticello Ave.” He displays his richest and most soulful vocals on this track and it stays very smooth and consistent with its soul R&B sound. Reflecting on old times and old relationships with his one and only love, this song is definitely a stand out lyric wise, and it’s definitely something one can listen to when “in their feelings.”
“In a Minute” is one of the more disappointing tracks on this album. With a boring chorus and monotonous rap verses, the first half of this bipartite song really dulls out the rest of the poppy, hip-hop sound D.R.A.M. was trying to master with the rest of the album. There was a bit of a recovery made in the transition to the second half during “In House.” This wasn’t much of a spontaneous recovery, but D.R.A.M. brings back the slow R&B, where he belts out his smooth vocals once again, saving the song from the boring tragedy of what it could’ve been as a whole.
This debut was not groundbreaking for D.R.A.M.’s career, but he is definitely an artist that stands out amongst the rest with his different uses of instrumentation throughout the album, his assimilation of other musical genres within each song, and his choice of lyrics that help him connect with his older teen/young adult audience.
