Plainville, New York's latest rapping sensation, Hoodie Allen has arrived on the scene with his brand new EP entitled All American. Hoodie, whose real name is Steven Markowitz, is taking the skills that he learned when he was younger and is applying it to real world situations that is starting to take shape and get noticed by the general public.
The disc starts off with "Lucky Man", a breezy and simple structured tune that features Hoodie's fluid and direct rhyming approach that allows each song to break through upon first listen and keep your interest all the way throughout. "No Interruption" features some slick rhyming skills and more intricate beats heard distinctly in the background that see a progression into a more diverse and creative track than the preceding song. "Eighteen Cool" features some surprising pop elements that show off Hoodie's diversity as an artist and his ability to transcend genres and bring in music listeners who aren't traditional hip-hop fans into the mix here.
The second half of the EP kicks off with "No Faith in Brooklyn" featuring Jhameel. The song has a more pure, authentic urban edge and sees Hoodie trying some different rhyming skills that will have the listener stop and take notice of all the skills and qualities that he is capable of. My favorite song off the album is "Small Town", a track that sees Hoodie slowing down his rhyming speed a little so that you can take notice of the lyrics and the more upbeat tempo will have you grooving along to the song as you're playing it. The EP winds down on "Ain't Gotta Work", a track that features some slight piano rhythms and an overall aura that closes out the disc on a proper note and brings together all the musical elements that we heard in one way, shape, or form on this disc and presents an overall synopsis of the album to give an idea to the prospective listener what to expect to hear on the EP. Hoodie had a rather interesting path en route to his musical career, he worked at Google headquarters out in California and would focus on his music after he got out of work, and would stay up til 3AM sending out e-mails to schedule concerts. He eventually left his job at Google to focus on his music career once he got openings to play at live shows. This shows how smart and educated he is, and also how much drive and ambition he has and how dedicated and focused he is to practice his craft every day and do what he loves to do every day from the moment he wakes up until he goes to bed late at night.
Overall, a solid and well focused effort from Hoodie Allen, who has shown that hard work pays off and the fruits of his labor have already shown with his album debuting at #10 on the Billboard 200 album chart upon its release two weeks ago. An awesome talent with a wealth of potential for greater success further on down the road.
Album Score: 3.5/5
Track Listing:
- Lucky Man
- No Interruption
- Eighteen Cool
- Top of the World
- No Faith in Brooklyn (f/Jhameel)
- Small Town
- High Again
- Ain't Gotta Work
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