Kid Ink has recently become one of hip-hop’s most exciting new artists. With a great repertoire of albums and mixtapes behind him, it’s no wonder that his fans are always excited to hear new releases. His most recent album, “My Own Lane,” is no exception. Kid Ink stays loyal to the traditional formula he’s stuck with throughout the years. He combines upbeat production with catchy, clever lyrics that never cease to get the listener’s adrenaline rushing.
“My Own Lane,” released on Jan. 7, has some of Ink’s best work to date. The whole album is perfectly structured to allow each song to shine individually and doesn’t overwhelm the listener with popular singles. It was a great move on Kid Ink’s part to only release two singles and to not include previously released tracks like “Sunset.” It allows the listener to appreciate the album in its entirety instead of its previously released tracks.
The album starts off strong with a more pop inspired song titled “Hello World,” but immediately changes direction with a more rap oriented track titled “The Movement.” One of the strongest tracks on the album is “Murda,” which features Pusha T. Kid Ink really shows diversity with clever lines throughout his two verses. That, coupled with his ability to rap a verse, include a hook and work into the chorus is astonishing. Ink’s ability to hold his own with one of rap’s most legendary artists, Pusha T, is amazing. Other gems include “Rollin’,” which in traditional Kid Ink fashion is a track explaining his indulgence in the fruits of his labor. “No Miracles” combines great chorus vocals by Elle Varner and a tremendous verse by MGK that really compliment the theme of the song; overcoming odds and never giving up in order to make it big one day.
The production is strong and diverse throughout “My Own Lane.” Whether it utilizes upbeat piano and guitar samples such as in “Hello World,” an orchestra of horn samples in “The Movement” or is heavily bass influenced like “No Option.” The album’s producers made a plethora of beats and samples that really compliment Ink’s style of rapping and allow him to continuously shine throughout the album.
Kid Ink is shows consistent growth as an artist, and demonstrates that growth in his music. In his previous work, Ink emphasized a punchline style of rapping to the fullest, and is evident throughout “Crash Landing” and “Daydreamer,” two of Ink’s earlier mixtapes. The style is rarely shown on “My Own Lane.” Instead, Ink utilizes consistent flow and solidly delivers rhyme after rhyme. Combined with hidden references in every song, Ink is becoming stronger with each album or mixtape he releases.
Kid Ink isn’t an innovator, but that’s not a problem as the music he creates is always a fun listen. But with more releases like “My Own Lane,” it is a strong possibility that Kid Ink will soon become one of the most recognized rappers coming out of California.
Andrew Kratochwil can be reached at [email protected].
