Quelle Chris’s latest album Deathfame is a dark and layered examination of where the revered wordsmith has been since 2020s Innocent Country 2. Through 14 tracks that span over the course of 42 minutes, Chris depicts to us his mental state from the point of the 2020 lockdown to the present-day through moments that emulate his broken and jagged thoughts. Quelle Chris is reminiscing on events and experiences that took a toll on him and this is conveyed through his bleak delivery and the project’s phantom-like production. The instrumentals from producers Chris Keys, Knxwledge, and Chris himself are some of the best sounding of the year so far. They set the tone to every single track to the point where sometimes Chris’s vocals are drowned out too much. Still, this is hardly a flaw as the performance the vocal and instrumental aspects of the record culminate into are something very special in their entirety. While the actual writing and buildup to the album’s conclusions could have been stronger, Deathfame is a very good record and one of the best mental health examinations hip hop has seen in quite some time.
Rating: 7.7/10
Tracklist Ranked:
- DEATHFAME
- The Sky is Blue Because the Sunset is Red
- Alive Ain’t Always Living
- Excuse My Back
- The Agency of the Future
- So Tired You Can’t Stop Dreaming
- Feed the Heads
- King in Back
- Cui Prodest
- Die Happy Knowing They’ll Care
- How Could They Love Something Like Me?
- PS1 (Pontiac Sunfire 1)
- Help I’m Dead
- TEYC
