Kreayshawn releases debut album this week
There is a magical place where life-size Technicolor dinosaurs and wolves gyrate and mingle with giant, creamy cupcakes puffed as big as clouds. Smiling Popsicles bob alongside karate-kicking toddlers. Sidling down the street comes a rather flirtatious purple roadster, batting her big blue eyes and puckering sparkly red lips as you slide into the passenger seat. And the driver? Why it's none other than California's own Kreayshawn.
It's been more than a year since the San Francisco native became an overnight YouTube sensation with the release of her music video "Gucci, Gucci," an all-out callout to the snooty upper crust of Rodeo Drive. Dissing all of the "basic" chicks stepping out in brand-name price tags, Kreay was soon touted as the next big thing to storm into hip-hop for her humorous lyrical stylings and experimental rhythmic style.
And storm she did, amassing more than 38 million views to date in a tornado of cutoff shorts, Minnie Mouse headbands and platform shoes. A full-length album was soon promised to follow, though it's taken quite some time to finally surface. Until now, fans were only allowed to satiate their Kreay cravings through a few leaked singles and her constantly updated Twitter feeds, counting down the days until "Something 'Bout Kreay" dropped on the public. In fact, many followers were concerned Kreayshawn wouldn't be able to harness the same crafty genius that had shone through so vividly on "Gucci" and labeled her as queen of the White Girl Mob (a now defunct female rap trio consisting of Kreay and partners in crime V-nasty and Lil' Debbie). Has Kreay gone basic?
To be clear, Kreayshawn has never once claimed to be the best out there. In fact, she prides herself on her ability to avoid being heaped under the label of a female rapper — and even worse — a white one. Instead, Kreay tends to focus on the fun in music, opting out of the poppy super bass à la Nicki Minaj and overtly sexual shock value of Lil' Kim. That being said, her debut album is a mixed bag of great tunes and a few that will leave you with little more than an "eh." Prime real estate on the album includes the flavorful "Go Hard (La.La.La.)" cut. Featuring an intro cameo courtesy of Lil' Debbie, the tune rides fast with an electro beat amped to almost video game soundtrack proportions.
"Do you really, really, really wanna go hard / Go in the crib / Steal your stepfather's credit card / And take the car / Do circles in the parking lot," Kreay speed-raps over beats souped up with plenty of go-hard synth and pulsating rhythm. Perhaps one of the best tracks to be included on the album is one that was originally supposed to be left on the cutting room floor. "Twerkin!!!," featuring the DJ stylings of Diplo, is an open ode to the booty-bouncing craze that is sweeping the nation — twerking. Over a speeding backbeat that drops lower than the ladies dancing to this track, Kreay invites every girl to hit the floor and move it. For extra encouragement, Queen Kreay even pops in a few "That booty!" calls every few seconds.
If Kreayshawn's album rides a little rough for your ears, then "Summertime" is the perfect song to ease into the Kreay sound with a bit more ease. With a rhythm that almost seems like a throwback to the '80s days of light rap, "Summertime" mixes up Kreay's signature synth sound in a drippy tune that flows gently through your veins rather than making your heart do jumping jacks. The cut even includes a quick bit tossed in by V-Nasty, who trills on about a few of her favorite summertime things: water fights at hood picnics and girls in short shorts. This track could be right at home whether it's thumping through your Caddy cruising down the sunny Cali highway or swaying with your boyfriend at prom in 1986.
Even if you don't know who V-Nasty or Lil' Debbie are, you'll certainly know another guest on Kreay's debut. Kid Cudi fields an appearance on "Like It or Love it," a thunderous beat of pounding drums and marched-out rhythms. Here, Kreay doles out the facts of her career, including the raining kitties and giving all of her love back to the people who got her to the top: "Throw my shades now I'm off on a world tour / Get less but a mind wanna give more / Boom boom for my girls on the dance floor / Pour some for the people; they work hard."
Other singles explore Kreay's more humorous side, including one deliciously sugary sweet "Breakfast (Syrup)" On this track, featuring an infamously brief guest blurb from 2 Chainz, Kreay digs in (literally) to her big money stacks and douses herself in all the syrup the proverbial rap maple tree has to offer. Hint: syrup isn't really syrup, and breakfast isn't really breakfast. The track provides a few laughs with Kreay's ridiculous metaphors, but all of the talk about cheese and bread might leave you drooling (whether for the money or syrup is up to you). "Left Ey3" is a poignantly fun poke at TLC's Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, who made music headlines when she torched her boyfriend's house down after discovering him cheating on her. Drawing blood from almost every famous celeb breakdown running the gamut from Amy Winehouse ("I'm going to make a scene like Amy Winehouse!") to Courtney Love ("I just need some THC / Higher than Miss Courtney Love") Kreay details the follies of heartbreak and her implicit plan to take down the offending cheater. She's hot, crazy and not afraid to shave her head like Britney Spears. Watch out, fellas.
In short, Kreayshawn's album is a fun ride. The beats are a riot, and the lyrics are meant to be taken with the rapper's humor in mind. Is it going to win for lyrical aesthetics? Will Kreay get a Nobel Prize for her work? Probably not. But she's having a great time on the trip, and you'll enjoy the ride with her.