YoungBoy falls short with i rest my case

By Callie Yuan Staf Writer

Kentrell DeSean Gaulden —

professionally known as YoungBoy

Never Broke Again — lives up to his stage name as the rapper with the fth most charting albums on the Billboard 200. Following the success of his prior album, e Last Slimeto, which took rst on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 2022, YoungBoy came out with his fth studio album, I Rest My Case, on January 6.

YoungBoy’s latest 19-track musical venture contains experimental tracks that tap into the futuristic rage genre with buzzing sounds and high-energy rapping, though the latter half of the album sees YoungBoy return to his consistent southern hip-hop sound mixed with trap elements. I Rest My Case opens with songs like “Swag On Point” and “Red” that pander to the rage scene, but their bland beats and rudimentary production hold him back from adding his own spin to the raw and buzz-worthy qualities of rage music. While YoungBoy’s rapping on his previous album was melodious and contrasted well with the ripping synths, his vocals on I Rest My Case fall at due to their lack of originality and bland wordplay.

Despite the album’s rough start, YoungBoy eventually lets aspects of his original style of music peek through in “Not My Friend,” “Mini Me,” and “Clear,” contributing toward a more enjoyable listening experience onwards as he raps in an R&B-adjacent ow and dramatic tone. e album ends on a classic YoungBoy type of song that balanc- under the radar alix page

By Goonja Basu Staf Writer

Among a wave of young artists paving their way into the music industry, Alix Page stands out above all. A singer-songwriter from the age of 15, Page’s musical style borders the line of pop and indie. She makes her mark through a foating voice that contrasts the biting production behind her lyrics.

Page frst began creating her own music in her sophomore year of high school, when she took a songwriting class. Being around the age of existential teenage dilemmas was a huge source of inspiration, such as in “June Gloom,” when Page sings “Eighteen / Haven’t changed all that much / But I’m dying to.” After Page’s teacher introduced her to a producer, the pieces of her budding career easily fell into place. Page began ofcially releasing music in 2020 with her debut single, “Stripes,” which has now garnered over one million streams on Spotify.

Page’s music is faintly reminiscent of those she takes inspiration from: ethereal vocals comparable to Clairo, lyrics similar to Phoebe Bridgers’ (“June Gloom” features a Bridgers mention: “Think I mentioned Scott Street”), and production akin to St. Vincent with fast-paced beats. One of Page’s main idols is Frank Ocean, going as far as to name her song “Frank” after him, with lyrics that reference Ocean’s song “White Ferrari.” Her songs are representative of this blend, mixing the melodies into her own personal sound. Moving away from the trademarked indie girl soft sounds, Page chooses to focus on aggressive drums and electric guitar.

Despite not having released a studio album yet, Page has a collection of seven singles, as well as a four-song EP called Old News, released in 2022. Since coming out of the pandemic, Page has also frequently been on tour, opening for Gracie Abrams on her North American and European legs of the This Is What It Feels Like tour, as well as for ella jane’s Marginalia tour. Her endeavors are only the beginning for Page. She is currently teasing a new song titled “automatic” on social me- which moves into more of a synth

SMOKIE PLAYLIST: Jealousy es trap-inspired singing with country-style beats. is ending track, titled “Hey Pops,” uses soft piano chords to lead into punk and melancholy singing as YoungBoy addresses the new role of fatherhood and the responsibilities that come with it. However, the promising latter half of the album is not enough to make up for the formulaic and lackluster rst half: a majority of the songs on the list feel incomplete, are lyrically void of emotional depth to relate to his listeners, and end up being indistinguishable from each other by the end after nearly 40 minutes.

I Rest My Case clearly lacks in the vocal department, but its message ts in well with the rest of his releases: YoungBoy isn’t done and his music is always evolving. Ever since he began making music at 14 years old with a microphone that he bought from Walmart, YoungBoy has been exploring his personal pain, trauma, and feelings of love through rap. I Rest My Case builds upon his past emotions and introduces new issues he has been dealing with. In “Fight With My Sheets,” YoungBoy delves into his relationship issues and re-

puss in boots: the last wish fulfills our wishes

By Jason Tang Staf Writer

ects, “Fight with the sheets nightly, they never gon’ tell / … / ey said, ‘ ere’s a re in the building.’” YoungBoy’s troubled relationships are clear to the public eye, but no one really knows the true events that occur behind closed doors. Although their relationship goes through rough patches, YoungBoy con rms his love for his partner will never falter and o ers reassurance with the line, “Just wan’ say I’m here to stay, my love, I ain’t changin’ with the seasons.”

YoungBoy Never Broke Again dives into new subgenres of the rap scene to try and produce novel music for his fans, but this experimentation costs his songs their lyrical depth and the signature sound he is most known for. YoungBoy’s work ethic is applaudable, having come out with eight full-length releases in 2022 (a mix of studio albums and mixtapes), though a shorter and more condensed version of I Rest My Case could have let his potential shine through rather than have been muddled by a number of unimaginative tracks.

Grade: B-

January 2023 MSJ Faves

MOVIE: Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith — Nishita Deshpande, 9

TV SHOW: Kaleidoscope — Shardul Marathe, 10

ALBUM: Luxury Disease by ONE OK ROCK — Himani Malur, 11

BOOK: Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale — Alyssa Chen, 11 GAME: Company of Heroes 2 — Leo Jiang, 12

Beautifully animated and masterfully written, Puss in Boots: e Last Wish is an easily digestible hour and forty-two minute long ride from DreamWorks Animation. First pre- miering on Dec. 21, 2022, this se- quel to Puss in Boots is the latest edition in the Shrek cinematic universe, following the fearless hero cat Puss (Antonio Banderas) coming to terms of his mortality after reaching the last of his nine lives and a newfound fear of not living up to his own leg- end. Puss, along with a cast of other colorful, famous fairy tale and nursery rhyme staples, race to nd the titular Last Wish — the remnants of a shooting star capable of granting the user their deepest desires. e animation in the movie is one of its greatest boons. With a technicolor and paintbrush aesthetic, Puss in Boots: e Last Wish has a modern looking artstyle that still di erentiates itself from the bubbly animated characters of the 2010s. Depending on the pace of the scene, the animation is animated at either the standard 24 frames per second or a more stylistic 12 frames per second. When the framerate drops, each pan- el in the action sequences feels more punchy and visually distinct, almost like how a cat might process the in- formation. e fast-paced camera movements and unorthodox angles create some visually interesting ac- tion scenes only possible through the medium of animation, and the exaggerated character design of an already eccentric cast can only be de- scribed with one word: fun.

Despite six di erent characters vying for the audience’s attention, it never once feels overwhelming or confusing to watch. Each character is likable and humorous, the banter between enemies and friends alike adding depth and dimension to the main cast. Goldilocks (Florence Pugh) prioritizes family, Kitty Soft- paws (Salma Hayek) is learning to trust, Perrito (Harvey Guillén) values friendship, and “Big” Jack Horner (John Mulaney) is a menace to society. Even as a kid’s movie, the humor is never too blunt and simplistic, the script including plenty of jokes and comedic subversions that entertained people of all ages. e most memorable character from the movie is the Big Bad Wolf, or Death, played by Wagner Moura. Death is a bounty hunter after Puss’ head with a true menacing aura. e combination of his blood red eyes, twin sickles, and signature whistle that follows him from scene to scene give the audiences goosebumps and some much needed tension through- out the lm. Each of the voice actors for the lm brought their A-game, taking the simple characters to the next lev- el with an emotional and energetic delivery. Even the most one-dimensional character in the movie, “Big” Jack Horner, is brought to life by Mulaney’s trademark deadpan de- livery that perfectly complements the crimes against humanity Horn- er casually commits, and Guillénn’s hyper, optimistic portrayal of Perrito the dog comes o endearing rather than grating. DreamWorks took a classic, straightforward fantasy movie for- mula and executed it almost perfect- ly. Although the plot never deviated too far from the expected, all the emotional beats still make an impact. Between the characters, writing, and the animation, it looks like DreamWorks latest project hit the mark just right.

Grade: A-