LUCKI’s “FLAWLESS LIKE ME” needs no luck to truly be flawless
Defying the odds, the king is back. Rapper LUCKI, who has been prevalent in the underground scene since 2015, gifts fans with an album titled “FLAWLESS LIKE ME,” a 54 minute project featuring 24 tracks and appearances by rappers Future and Babyface Ray. By releasing “FLAWLESS LIKE ME,” LUCKI has not only crowned himself as the king of the underground rap scene but also solidified a spot in the mainstream rap conversation.
LUCKI’s last album, “WAKE UP LUCKI,” was a collaboration project with producer F1lthy. Using F1lthy’s electronic style trap beats, LUCKI was able to mainstream a sound heard throughout the underground since the album’s release in 2021. However, being a highly anticipated release, “WAKE UP LUCKI” didn’t perform as expected. Being that LUCKI’s lazy flow was absent throughout the project, it’s only natural that “WAKE UP LUCKI” was not a fan favorite.
But in the first track of “FLAWLESS LIKE ME,” fans are relieved to hear LUCKI’s lazy style flow return. “MADE MY DAY” not only intrigues listeners with the mellow style trap beat but also allows fans to process each and every lyric because of his slow and paced flow. This flow continues throughout the album in songs such as “GEEKED N BLESSED” and “BEEN A MINUTE”.
On “KAPITOL DENIM,” we see one of two collaborations on this album, with rap superstar Future featuring on the track. While a captivating and intriguing song and fan favorite, the track gives fans an insight into what consistent collaborations with A-tier rappers would sound like. LUCKI’s flow throughout the song resembles that of rapper Roddy Ricch in a way that is more of a melodic flow. On “KAPITOL DENIM,” LUCKI seems to preach to listeners instead of speaking to them in a descriptive formative way.
On the album’s other feature, LUCKI manages to give fans a collaboration that listeners never knew they needed. LUCKI’s collaboration with rising rapper and one of this year’s XXL Freshman Babyface Ray on “WHITE HOUSE” allows the listener to hear the duo over a Detroit-style trap beat. This Detroit style is heavily influenced by an easygoing lyrical flow and sharp bass-boosted beats. Being that “WHITE HOUSE” is one of the most streamed songs on “FLAWLESS LIKE ME,” LUCKI’s experimental beat choice can be labeled a success.
Apart from the beat, it’s almost as if LUCKI took on the role of a Detroit-style rapper to record this song in the studio. Everything about this track is reminiscent of the motor city, from the flow to the lyrics. With the amount of success that this choice of style had, it wouldn’t be surreal to expect LUCKI to collaborate with Detroit-style artists such as BabyTron and Tee Grizzley.
“DNA,” the album’s tenth track, is one that LUCKI connoisseurs have heard months before the release of the album. “DNA” features an all too familiar chorus, which was leaked about a year ago and released on SoundCloud and Youtube. Once again, fans hear LUCKI’s lazy flow, but instead of a dark electronic style beat, fans are introduced to a morning sunshine type of beat. The beat gives the listener a sense of optimism that is quickly clouded by the dark meaning behind LUCKI’s lyrics.
What establishes the success and timelessness of “FLAWLESS LIKE ME” is its ability to feel short and insufficient, despite being 24 songs. LUCKI cracked the code on supply and demand. LUCKI was able to give hungry fans 24 tracks, each with its own unique beat, style and flow. But despite the long track list, the abrupt end to the album leaves listeners and fans with the feeling of wanting and needing more.
Even with the feeling of incompletion that “FLAWLESS LIKE ME” brings to listeners, the album not only lived up to its expectations, but reminded those who doubted LUCKI’s consistency that he is not only a rapper but an artist as well.
For the entirety of 2022, rappers such as Destroy Lonely, Ken Carson, Yeat and others have been overlooked by many. Despite putting up more streaming numbers than certain “mainstream” rappers, the term underground is still placed upon them. In releasing “FLAWLESS LIKE ME,” LUCKI gives listeners another reason as to why the term underground should be removed from the description of certain rappers.
Overall, 2022 has been an emotional year for rap fans. With albums such as Kendrick Lamar’s “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers” and Future’s “I Never Liked You,” it is hard to say where “FLAWLESS LIKE ME” sits in the album of the year conversation. The only thing that can be certain is the ability for “FLAWLESS LIKE ME” to be mentioned in the conversation, creating a resonating sound for all listeners, giving it the versatility to be considered mainstream and establishing LUCKI’s presence in rap.