FREDO THE RAPPER

from BandWagon Magazine - November 2021 - The Velveteers

BISON BONE

Movement

Valerie Vampola

BandWagon Magazine

Fort Collins-based Fredo The Rapper brings intricate layerings in his new EP Movement, featuring his long-time collaborator, producer (and step-brother) Suburb based in Chicago, IL. The movement is chill, and his relaxed tone glides over the complex trap and lo-fi beats.

Fredo is known for coupling his tracks with home-video style music videos which feature overlays of his own animated effects. In the past, his animation style and themes have referenced comic books or anime, along with doodles you might find inside a school notebook if it weren’t for the fact that they glow.

Movement’s opening track, “BREATHE,” featuring a cool, lofi beat, is coupled with a music video co-created by Yavez Fuller of Vez Visuals. The video was shot in a single take and features his touchstone animation style. Though the videos add a lot to his raps, Fredo mostly lets his music do the talking. “MAKE MOVES” features a standard trap beat with prose that demonstrates parallel phrases. The language and rhymes are satisfying to listen to, but the fun bits are behind his delivery, with little “woohoos” and sound effects. While the beat itself feels skeletal, the sounds thrown into the mix make the track bigger.

“SUTRA” fills the audio space in a similar way, doubling the lyrics with a distorted layer and sweeping sound effects. The noticeable difference in this track is the way the synths function more as the main beat with the drums acting as more of a support.

Movement is meditative when it comes to Fredo’s lyrical delivery, while the music behind him throws in surprises which, in comparison, feel chaotic. But this dichotomy is somehow familiar; a feeling of wanting to remain collected while the world feels disorderly.