Who is Killer Mike?
The question ran through everyone’s head during the grammys. Everyone knows Travis Scott’s generational album, “UTOPIA.” From its smooth production and the high quality features from Drake to SZA to Westside Gunn. But who is Killer Mike and is his “Michael” album better than “UTOPIA?”
No.
“UTOPIA” was robbed.
Nineteen songs of pure quality and passion. All overlooked. There’s not a bad song on the tracklist. Each adds so much to the story of the album while also offering something different to the listening experience.
Killer Mike released “Michael” on June 16, 2023, and it’s a good album. But with “UTOPIA” sitting next to it, it is not deserving of the Grammy criteria of the best rap album. It’s not as consistent as “UTOPIA.” “Michael”’s beats throughout were excellent, having angelic-like and complex rhythms, but on some tracks like “RUN” they were generic and boring, reduced to just a simple trap beat; it was too safe and dragged on for too long. Now while his lyricism is significantly better than Travis Scott’s, some of his opinions are contradictory on the album which left me confused. In one breath he supports woke policies like breaking free of the prison system, and in the next he is insensitive and is defensive of critiques of him being too woke. Which left his message to be unclear. Don’t get me wrong, the album has great songs such as “SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS” and “MOTHERLESS,” but it doesn’t come close to the complete package and story that is “UTOPIA.”
“UTOPIA” is more versatile. There are hype songs like “FE!N” and “MELTDOWN,” along with bouncy songs like “THANK GOD” and “SIRENS.” There’s also melodic songs with “TELEKINESIS” and “TILL FURTHER NOTICE.” There’s nothing not to like. Travis Scott’s unique production is heard throughout each song, creating a totally different ambiance. You are transported to a utopia. Never bored. Everything is perfect, creating an amazingly produced and executed album with killer features.
The features add so much but are used sparingly, never taking away from Travis Scott’s spotlight. Like Westside Gunn’s grimey verse in “LOST FOREVER” to fit an equally grimey and gangster beat and beat drop. Or Beyonce’s angelic voice on “DELRESTO” that sounds heavenly with the floating beat. Each feature artist has a great performance. Even the worst from 21 Savage on “TOPIA TWINS” wasn’t that unbearable, it was just vanilla and empty.
Track by track “UTOPIA” wins. The highs on “Michael” are not enough to overpower “UTOPIA”’s stacked tracklist. The flaw for Michael is its overreliance on features. They overshadow Killer Mike, like Andre 3000’s verse on “SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS.” He’s the reason it’s such a good song. But sometimes they don’t land very well. It’s not as consistent as “UTOPIA.” And its highs aren’t as good either, with no song coming close to SZA and Future’s verse on “TELEKINESIS.”
This robbery has told us nothing new, only confirming that the Grammys are rigged. This has happened to Travis Scott previously, with his “ASTROWORLD” losing in 2015 to “Invasion of Privacy” by Cardi B. Let this be a message to not take the Grammys too seriously as we already know who had the best rap album of the year.
