Cover Art by Kristopher Carter
Everett’s Arkh Zeus likes to keep himself busy. Wielding the double-edged sword of being a rapper/producer combo, he aims to be equally dexterous behind the decks as he is with his lyricism. In the past, we’ve covered his Tensai series, an cycle of concept albums that find the artist living vicariously through a fictional avatar. However, for his 2021 releases, Zeus has put Tensai on the backburner to explore other themes. This was first apparent on BUTTERFLYTRAP, which saw Arkh Zeus emulate his idol Kid Cudi (brief aside and plug: Zeus and I discussed his work, Kid Cudi, and a lot more a few months ago when he appeared on The Puddcast, a two-part interview you should definitely check out).
Last week, Zeus released his second project of 2021, entitled The Blue Album. When listening to this release, I recalled something Zeus had told me in our last interview when he talked about how he wanted to battle rap some of his all-time favorites. Hearing the songs from The Blue Album, it feels like that was the whole mindset behind this project, which is to say Zeus came ready with the bars for this one. As mentioned before, he’s got a deep fondness for the work of Kid Cudi. The man on the moon’s influence can be unmistakably heard on the Tensai albums and BUTTERFLYTRAP; but on The Blue Album, Zeus takes the emphasis off of melodicizing and focuses it on his lyricism.
This is the case from the start, too. Opening track “Blunt Wrap” features Kofi Lost, who you don’t put on a track if you don’t want someone to drop a hard verse. Kofi is one of those rappers that will make you think twice about inviting him into the studio for a feature; how many artists are trying to get flexed out of their own track? It’s a conscious choice of feature on the producer’s part; and to Zeus’ credit, he holds his own lyrically. In fact, as a whole, this album features a lot more guest rappers than previous Arkh Zeus releases. He’s collaborated with plenty of singers in the past, but here there is more of a spirit of friendly competition.
Other highlights of the album are “Ayo, wheredahookat?” featuring CASiMiRx and Linden Vo, as well as “Mama Knows,” an ode dedicated to the artist’s mother. But, in the spirit of saving the best for last, it’s the album’s closing track “F-T-K” that stands out as one of Arkh Zeus’ best songs, a perfect showcase of both his skills as rapper and producer. The track has three distinct rhythmic sections over its five minute runtime. The first section features bars and melodies from Zeus, who remains in a much more atmospheric, Cudi-esque zone. Soon it picks up the tempo, taking on a much quicker feel for the introduction of an anonymous featured artist who delivers a white hot verse that it feels more reminiscent of a guitar solo in the most climactic moment of a hard rock track. It’s gripping. After another beat and tempo switch, Zeus takes over again and closes the album out. It’s this sort of progressive and varied beatmaking that help Arkh Zeus standout as one of the best sounds in Massachusetts hip-hop.
Listen to The Blue Album below via Spotify or via the streaming service of your choice.