“…That’s what I believe in, and I’m willing to die for it. Period.”
– Will Smith.
I’ve written a number of times about Chicago native [notice I didn’t call it Chi-raq?] Tooty. His management team initially put me onto his debut mixtape First Degree Murder, which I optimistically reviewed. Tooty, I recall initially thinking, was an unexpectedly dope listen; he comes off quite focused, and confident – especially for a newcomer. I’ve been buried in music over the past few weeks, but I’ve finally been able to sit with his follow-up, Suicidal Thoughts.
The seven song project is kind of…dark, to say the least; although, at the same time, quite motivating. The album has a therapeutic aura about it, almost as though I’m listening to a (slightly) more uptempo version of Biggie’s Suicidal Thoughts, with added psychological context. Coming from his first album, it’s tremendous growth. Von Vuai’s production perfect – and gives the album depth and consistency.
Trapo provides bars on the project opener, Underground Railroad – and XVRHLDY lends himself to my fave joint on here, Mile Before Perfect. Stepping Stone, which I talked about earlier this quarter when the visuals dropped, is another must-listen. He also drops serious nuggets on the Aaliyah sampled, All I Think About: “I might slit my wrists tonight, I might fuck your bitch tonight – I can’t be your Superman, baby you my kryptonite.”
Aggressive. Reflective. Cautionary. Tooty delivers a solid follow-up to his debut mixtape – and sets the bar for himself this upcoming year. Much like the Will Smith excerpts in the album’s outro, Tooty knows who he is, and what he believes. He is living in pursuit of his dreams; and If the underlying messages in this album are to be believed, he’s also willing to die for them!
Give it a spin!
