No Hard Feelings
Dreezy
Interscope
By Dennis Huffington for ddlist.net
August 26, 2015
The first time I heard Dreezy’s single “Body” featuring Jeremih, I thought it was an exciting addition to a growing body of work and list of hit singles by fellow female rapper DeJ Loaf. Excited for DeJ, I looked for it on Apple Music but couldn’t find it. I was trying to figure out the name as nothing by DeJ Loaf came up under the titles “Body” or “Catch a Body.” I gave up looking for it. Maybe it was one of those Tidal exclusives that I could only hear by subscribing.
Months later, a search for “Body” on Apple Music led me to Dreezy. Of course i was shocked to find out that these two artists were, well, two artists. I originally dismissed Dreezy for sounding too much like DeJ Loaf. Their tone and midwestern twangs endear both of them to the listener, and on “Body” it was my irresponsible listening that kept me from recognizing their differences. Sorry, Dreezy. Will you please forgive me? No, really, forgive me.
As I skimmed through Dreezy’s album, I didn’t expect to find anything that would keep my attention. I thought she sounded like DeJ Loaf and I never even listened to DeJ Loaf’s album. Dreezy caught my attention though, something that Dej Loaf never fully did for me. I bumped “Try Me” and “Back up” and even listened a few times to a few other tracks but never fully got into Dej Loaf. Dreezy hooked me with “Don’t Know Me.”
The title of “Don’t Know Me” was a perfect invitation for a listener such as mind. I didn’t know her. Dreezy was as clever and charismatic as possible while dismissing the idea that she is only after a dollar or an overnight sensation. There was more to her. She rides a semi-rhythmic beat intertwining raps and good-enough singing vocals. The homerun came when she asserts that “You think I sound like her/ She know I did it first.” Dreezy delivered that line with such confidence that I switched my thinking to DeJ Loaf sounds like Dreezy. I assumed she was talking about DeJ Loaf but after further research, I realized that she and DeJ Loaf collaborated on a track titled “Serena.” I read that she may be addressing another Chicago female rapper and since everything on the internet is correct, I’ll assume she and DeJ Loaf are on good terms.
“Wasted” got my attention as I wanted to know how Dreezy would approach the cliched rap- liquor-turn-up anthem. I was pleasantly surprised by this also smooth and piano-laden track about unrequited love from a guy who only contacts you after the club or a drinking session. Dreezy’s play on words was genius when she said “I don’t know if you into me or enemy.” She gives the song a double and deeper meaning by lamenting on wasted time with a wasted lover. Reliving my own personal experiences, I played “Wasted” over and over again. I needed a song like this when I was 25. Dreezy had me hooked. I could only imagine there were plenty of others besides just Dreezy and myself who had played ourselves by having flings when that one jerk decides to hit you up, only when he’s wasted.
As with most albums, I rotated my favorites and stumbled upon new tracks to take their place. She knows what she’s doing and she does it well. Her album plays like a perfected playbook of contemporary hip-hop. Following in the footsteps of her megastar contemporaries Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Future, Dreezy mixes smooth singing with clever raps over flawless production. Impressingly, Dreezy isn’t overshadowed by the production nor features from established hitmakers Wale, Jeremih, T-Pain, and Gucci Mane. She even delivers a Gucci-Inspired flow on “We gon’ ride” featuring Gucci Mane. The track about ride or die friendships is a club banger that both males and females can get excited about. She ends the track with a “Who I sound like now?,” acknowledging her Gucci-inspired flow throughout the track and once again addressing that while she may sound like other females, she is by no means a carbon copy.
Other standouts include a standard rap torch-bearer track titled “Bad Bitch,” in which Dreezy asserts her dominance of other female rappers and “Close To You,” a radio friendly mid-tempo in which Dreezy has a Missy Elliot-esque all-singing, no-rapping moment.
Overall, Dreezy’s debut is an awesome representation of late 2010’s hip-hop and r&b fusion. Dreezy may not find herself selling a ton of units, as no artist does these days. Dreezy should find herself with a loyal fanbase and a buzz that is sure to keep her contemporaries from getting too comfortable. Dreezy knows that comparisons are being made and the title “No Hard Feelings” plays upon that. It makes sense after you listen and realize that she is an amazing talent in her own right. You will change your mind and ask for forgiveness for comparing as I did. Apparently, Dreezy just wants the respect she deserves. Give her a listen, you’ll change your mind about comparing her and she’ll have no hard feelings about it.
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