Review by I.S. Jones @isjonespoetry

I grew up with a distinct and particular understanding of what I thought hip-hop was supposed to be. From the legends: Nas, Snoop, Missy, KRS-One, Lil’ Kim, and even to contemporaries: Kendrick, Joey Bada$$, Nicki Minaj, I felt as though there was a blueprint, set guidelines if you will, of hip-hop’s capabilities. Ryan Caraveo’s music insists on you stepping away from what you understand hip-hop to be and consider the different ways in which this genre can evolve based on the talent of the artist.

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/121214076" params="color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /]

Admittedly, my initial reaction to Happy Now was to shrug. I thought “Another artist picking up hip-hop because they thought it sounded cool.” But I listened again. And again. I listened on the bus ride to work. In my living room. At 2 in the morning. I really sat down with Caraveo’s work and he peeled back my defenses, my prejudices. He brought me into another side of hip-hop I didn’t even consider, and to be honest, I probably never would have if not for this mixtape. A tri-fusion of Aesop Rock, Drake, and Imagine Dragons, Ryan Caraveo is not the rapper you would expect, but I am delighted by the surprise. This mixtape is short, a comprisal of seven songs in total, however each individual track touches on the subjects of  a critical introspective view of life’s hardships, perseverance, being young, and "making it"—the recognition of fans and those in positions of power within the industry.

Track 2, “Eat” talks about the rapper being worn down by problems going on around them on their way to success: “I keep my foot on the gas ‘till the caskets shuts / blowing gaskets till the cash gets touched / they want to see me get crashed and crushed / they tried to break me down but can’t crack the crust.” I enjoyed the repetitive ‘c’ sound which creates a cyclical movement throughout the lyrics. Here the rapper calls out his enemies or people who intentionally have stood in the way of his progress. He talks about being tough and the necessity of have a strong exterior against the backdrop of an environment which lives to see him fall.

There’s is a sharp moment of vulnerability after: “No, I’m not afraid of my lady leaving me for lust” and this line can be interpreted as a pressure point of fear. Up until this now, he’s talking about factions waiting for his demise, yet he moves us into an intimate space in which someone he trusted could very well betray him. I appreciate this, despite its brevity, because it’s nice when we see the artists we admire can be just as susceptible to hurt and loss as we are. He creates a humanizing tone for the listeners, and which one of his fans have not been felt the fear of losing a significant other or a trusted confidant? He recovers with a powerful line: “[…] because if you command respect, you don’t ask for trust. If have to double-count it, you’ve probably been shorted.” Reminiscent of kings in plays, they toggle the ideas of making their subjects obedient: subjects can either respect you or they can fear you. If you respect a ruler, doing any task for them can be a source of joy, but if you fear those in authority, eventually that kind of power must run its course.

With respect comes trust, and with trust comes, I would argue, belief. He wants those who have listened to his work to believe in his message. This track was personal for me because he also speaks on unsupportive friends and how there is no such thing as an overnight success no matter how talented you; especially as an artist, everything you earn you must work for until your fingers wear down to the bone. Nothing in this line of work is simple even if you are gifted. “Eat” has some lyrics which attempt to be clever, fail to fully deliver anything captivating: “Yo, look, I block them out like the Hoover Dam. Smoking hookah, inhaling like the Hoover. Damn.” He also has a metaphor about a kid in Anatomy class, and I found these lackluster lyrics to be a little disappointing when we consider how crafty Ryan Caraveo can be.

“Can’t Say No” the fourth track on the mixtape is when Caraveo’s sounds mirrors that of Drake, and while the track is short, I enjoyed it because it’s something I would blast in the car when while riding with friends during summer. One of Caraveo’s many strengths is the ability to create atmosphere. For example in track one, the chosen beats and inflection of the voice creates a smoky club ambiance. Which seems methodical because “Floating,” the succeeding track, picks up on the same tone of smoke, perhaps weed, and just hanging out with homies.

Production for this mixtape is an eclectic samplings of electronica blended with hip-hop beats. Often times the background vocals are a mergence of a bass voice type further manipulated with what seems to be auto-tune. Happy Now has no features which allows the rapper space to further explore his subject matter. My main criticism of this mixtape, however, is the rapper seems to call out women for being petty or fame hungry—this happens particularly in “Can’t Say No” and “Floating,” although it takes place in other tracks as well. While is this a common trope in hip-hop, the way Caraveo goes about it seems accusatory and even demeaning without explaining where this begrudging attitude comes from. He compares women to dogs in “Can’t Say No”: “Yeah my dog is a dog, but at least he stays / don’t trust women ‘cause they creep these days / that’s why we duck them then we dodge them.” Previously, Caraveo touches on the fear of loss and loyalty or lack thereof, but without further explaining where this resentment comes from, I’m left to wonder why are women lumped into this one category of being disloyal and why they are avoided?  If there was more follow-through on the tense subject matter then I could at the very least understand Caraveo's perspective on the matter, but I wonder if he wants to blame all women for how a few did him dirty.

The range of topics Caraveo is able to navigate seamlessly shows this is a methodical artist still growing in terms of technique and craft. Initially, I questioned if this was even hip-hop. It's fair to come to any body of work with a healthy dose of skepticism, however Ryan Caraveo isn't interested in sounding like "what you're used to hearing" and this is his greatest strength. A reason as to why you should keep your eye on him. A successful collection should reinvent the genre it functions in. Kanye has shown us a true visionary plays lyrics ahead of everyone else. Now isn't to say Caraveo is the level of base god Yeezus, but his approach to hip-hop is refreshing. I personally liked Happy Now more than Swings simply for the fact that Caraveo shows continuous growth in his abilities. If you haven’t already, please check out Happy Now. You won’t be disappointed.

Overall Rating:  3.75/5

Connect with Ryan Caraveo
Facebook.com/ryan.caraveo | Twitter.com/ryancaraveo
Instagram.com/ryancaraveo