In the past couple of years, the musical evolution of Benjamin Lasky, more commonly known by his stage name Quadeca, has been one of the most thrilling journeys to witness in modern music. After beginning his career as one of numerous quirky white internet rappers, Quadeca has slowly grown into one of music’s most interesting voices with his undeniable artistry. SCRAPYARD places him at the forefront of internet based hip-hop as he runs with the torch passed along from artists like Lil Peep and XXXTENTACION.
Coming off a strong LP with I Didn’t Mean to Haunt You, the West Coast artist continues to become more versatile with his latest mixtape SCRAPYARD. This mixtape has almost everything to offer within the current musical landscape. There are traces of postmodern hip-hop, cloud rap, indie rock, and folktronica. The combination of these genres makes for a fun and creative record. Despite the various mixes of different musical genres and influences, Quadeca’s sense of melody is strong throughout the project and every hook lands.
Quite honestly, SCRAPYARD sounds like the project that artists like Yung Lean and Lil Ugly Mane have been trying to make over the entirety of their groundbreaking careers. The triumphant instrumental of the incredible “A LA CARTE” sounds like something that would sound at home on a Bon Iver record, while “GUESS WHO?” is an energetic EDM trap banger. “U TRIED THAT THING WHERE UR HUMAN” has a distant almost alien like sense of emotion that is commonly seen on Björk albums. Quadeca’s confidence throughout this record is exuberant as he tackles an array of challenging styles, putting his own emo hip-hop spin on the various genres incorporated on his latest mixtape.
One of the biggest flaws of Quadeca’s unbridled creativity is the lack of cohesive thought. Even though most of the songs off on this project sound good individually, the great variety in styles spreads the main focus thin. It leaves us with undercooked tracks like “I MAKE IT LOOK EFFORTLESS” and “WAY TOO MANY FRIENDS”. Despite Quadeca showing proficiency in many different styles of music, he has mastered few of them.
Nonetheless, the potential that he shows across the fifteen tracks of this mixtape left me awestruck with the possibility of what he could do in the future. Quadeca has the raw talent to create classic records for years to come. If he simply hones in and develops some of the styles showcased across this diverse mixtape, we are going to be in for something special in the near future. If SCRAPYARD is merely a bare bones skeleton of a great record, I have seen few that are more appealing.
Official Maurice Crawford Score: 8.2/10
