WASSUP - 'SHOWTIME'
Track List:
1. Showtime
2. Too Loud, U
3. Stupid Liar (Ft. NiiHWA)
4. Where Are You Looking? (Nada Solo)
5. Hug Me
6. Too Loud, U (Club Mix)
7. Too Loud, U (inst.)
8. Showtime (inst.)
Arguably best known for their twerking that seems splashed all over MVs these days, the lovely ladies of fierce and sexy rap group Wassup have just released their second mini-album. It's been a few months since we've heard anything from them ("Fire" did nothing for me), so I've been hoping for something more. What's even better is that Nada helped both compose and write the tracks on this disc, and banged out all the raps herself.
"Showtime" begins with an autotuned voice speaking Spanish. The only words I could grasp were "bonita" (pretty or cute) and the "uno, dos, tres, quatro" that kicks off the song.� And there's a synth riff in there that sounds like a bizarre mashup of desert and Latin grooves. As might be expected, this song is about celebrity life. Despite what I've written, this song pops, particularly Dain and Sujin's parts.� �
"Too Loud, U" features downpitched vocals ("Love my style take take my style") at the start. The track is a stuttering tune that reminds me of f(x). Nada's raps add attitude to the in-your-face lyrics. In a nice turnaround from the material I've reviewed recently, this has the girls telling their man to shut up and go away.
"Stupid Liar" features a meandering bass line that gradually creeps around the tune. It's a smooth track that's more chill than hip-hop. NiiHWA's rapping here I thought was a bit jarring, and didn't fit the beat at all. Did they not think that Nada could do it all to herself? She absolutely killed it with her raps earlier in the song.
"Where Are You Looking?" starts with the callout "N-A-D-A," the eponymous girl herself chanting the letters. It's NADA's solo song, and no doubt we will see this on her mini-album soon. The song drops the beat and then goes crazy, as synths bleep almost in protest and an insistent keyboard riff sounds like a madman mashing down one key repeatedly. While some parts of the song don't work as well as others, I still had fun chanting along: "What you looking at?"
"Hug Me" is a ballad that breaks up an enjoyable set of songs. I have to take issue with the placement, as we go from wild to restrained in a matter of seconds. Jinju and Jiae handle the main vocal duties here, and, taken by itself, it's a good song. Both of those girls sing like they mean it, and once I got used to the track it was quite soothing.
The rest of the album is instrumentals and includes a club mix. They should have been collectively titled "Not Going In This Review," cause they aren't.
'Showtime' is an album that is better felt than listened to. There no amusing turns of phrase or the like lyrically. But if I expect Shakespeare every time I crank up the stereo I'm going to end up disappointed. This album is prime material for bouncing. A top-shelf collection of synthesized hip-hop that should have you out of your chair and dancing. �
Recommended tracks: "Showtime," "Too Loud, U"
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