The Kid LAROI, F*CK LOVE 3: OVER YOU | Album Review 💿

Rising Australian rapper/singer The Kid LAROI continues to expand his debut mixtape, F*CK LOVE with a third EP, F*CK LOVE 3: OVER YOU.

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n 2020, Australian rapper/singer Charlton Howard aka 🎙 The Kid LAROI, had an awesome year.  His mixtape, 💿 F*CK LOVE, performed well on the charts. Still a teen, Howard has already proven his viability as a legitimate melodic rap and pop artist.  Howard has added to his mixtape for the second time.  The first was the release of 💿 F*CK LOVE (Savage), where I reviewed both the then new EP and the original tape. Now, he’s back with 💿 F*CK LOVE 3: OVER YOU.  The Kid continues to build his brand.

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💿 1: F*CK LOVE 3: OVER YOU

“Over You” 

F*CK LOVE 3: OVER YOU commences emotionally and expressively with its title track, ✅ 🎵 “Over You.”  The Kid LAROI sounds pained as he sings the first verse, asserting, “I’ve been scarred since the day you left.” By the chorus, he’s even more amped up, asserting sheer frustration: “I’m over waiting on you /… Yeah, you don’t have a place in my heart no more.” Notably, on the second verse, he embraces rap more, with quicker paced lines.  “Over You” sets the tone.

After The Kid LAROI appeard on 💿 Hall of Fame (🎵 “No Return”), 🎙 Polo G returns the favor by dropping the second verse of 🎵 “Not Sober.” Also joining the mix on the third verse is 🎙 Stunna Gambino.  Is Charlton promoting substance use? Well, he does assert, “I feel better when I’m not sober.”  The big takeaway is that he seeks to atone for heartbreak and numb the pain. “And fuck my ex bitch, she did me dirty, I got no trust,” he spits melodically, continuing, “I was only young, but I learned that these hoes ain’t shit.” Woo! Also, adding to the emotions is a reference to his mentor, 🎙 Juice WRLD: “And R.I.P. my brother, never got to say bye-bye.” Numbing the pain isn’t the answer, but emotionally, you see what The Kid, and his featured guests, are getting at.

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“Stay” 

The biggest attraction on F*CK LOVE 3: OVER YOU is undoubtedly ✅ 🎵 “Stay”.  The Kid LAROI collaborates with 🏆 Grammy-winning, Canadian mega-popstar 🎙 Justin Bieber.  This short record is pleasant – a vibe. “Stay” is ‘expensive,’ with a songwriting team comprised of Howard, Bieber, 🎼✍ Blake Slatkin, 🎼✍ Charlie Puth, 🎼✍ Isaac Debon, 🎼✍ Cashmere Cat, 🎼✍ Michael Mule, 🎼✍ Omer Fedi, and 🎼✍ Subhaan Rahmaan.  Four of those – Slatkin, Fedi, Puth, and Cashmere Cat – also produce.  The results are positive sound wise, with The Kid and Bieber delivering on their respective verses.  Vocally, they mesh well with coarser pipes by The Kid and smoother, chiller ones by Bieber. Thematically, matters of the heart guide both.  Howard sums it up on the chorus, asserting, “I know that I can’t find nobody else as good as you / I need you to stay, need you to stay.” Several times, he asserts, “Oh, I’ll be fucked up if you can’t be right here.” Bieber is similarly dedicated, though his dedication is to his wifey. 

As brief as “Stay” was, 🎵 “Same Energy” is even shorter.  A minute-and-a-half of song is all the listeners get. Regardless, The Kid possesses that energy – greater than the ‘same energy’ to be honest.  He’s still in his ‘fuck love’ mode in case there was any doubt.  He’s joined by 🎙 G Herbo and 🎙 Lil Durk on the fifth track from the ‘EP,’ ✅ 🎵 “Don’t Leave Me.”  G Herbo brings some toughness on the chorus and post-chorus.  At the same time, he petitions for mercy to fight adversity.  Expectedly, The Kid and Durk bring more melodic sensibilities the first and second verses respectively.  Still, they’re honest and hard-nosed as they work through their own demons over a lush, minor-key backdrop (🎛 Yung Talent and 🎛 Turbo).  Howard, gets personal as he shares his come up: “Just two years ago, my mama was off the drugs, tweakin’ / Now I’m in L.A. eating sushi next to The Weeknd.”

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🎵 “Bad News”

Charlton is in full, melodic force on the EP’s penultimate number, 🎵 “Bad News.” Notably, he sings about how money changes people. “A lot of people changed that I never thought would,” he sings, adding, “But my family straight, my money long, so fuck it, I’m good.” Furthermore, he doesn’t ‘lie’ when he states, “Money make the best guys turn into some bad liars.” It’s a respectable moment for The Kid.  He concludes F*CK LOVE 3 with ✅ 🎵 “Still Choose You” featuring 🎙 Mustard.  Hmm, this one gives the Bieber collaboration a run for its money! Despite his frustration with love, once again, he finds himself falling in love again. “I know I said I wouldn’t, but I feel in love again /… I just pray that you don’t do me like the other ones did.” Hopefully, things end up better for Charlton this time.  Regardless, “Still Choose You” is a winner thanks to fine production, a great performance by The Kid, and perhaps most of all, the catchy chorus:

“All of these hoes and I still chose you
With all that I want and I still want you, oh
I can’t believe that I’m trippin’ on you
‘Cause that’s what I promised I was never gon’ do.”

✅ Gems 💎: “Over You,” “Stay,” “Don’t Leave Me” & “Still Choose You”

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💿 2: F*CK LOVE: Savage

“Pikachu”

✅🎵 “Pikachu” commences 💿 F*CK LOVE (SAVAGE) with a certified BANG…ER.  The Kid LAROI covers familiar rap territory – the come-up.  “My teachers said I wouldn’t be shit, now look at you,” he asserts on the chorus, later addressing the hardships of his beginnings (“My mama used to sell drugs to pay for my school / My Uncle Dub got knocked, ended up on the news”).  He does all this over sweet production by 🎛 Haan, 🎛 Keanu Beats, 🎛 FnZ, and 🎛 Khaled Rohaim.  So, where does Pokémon come into play exactly? “Pull up, in a yellow Lambo’ like Pikachu.”

“I’m done, so done, I’m done with all the games you play,” he asserts on the chorus of ✅🎵“SO DONE”. So, what exactly is young Charlton ‘done’ with? Love – he’s not ready for it right now! The result of his pain is the enjoyable, melodic single that arrived in advance of F*CK LOVE (SAVAGE). Given the melodic nature of this track, as well as Howard’s distinct, expressive sound, he perfectly captures the plight of love.

“Sometimes, I sit, and I think about why
I even trusted you...
Want you to walk out and walk out of my life.”

Howard never goes incredibly deep, but whether you’re his age or older, it’s quite relatable.

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“Tragic” 

The 🔥 nature of F*CK LOVE (SAVAGE) continues with ✅🎵 “Tragic,” featuring 🎙 Internet Money and 🎙 YoungBoy Never Broke Again.  The production is strong, with warm piano anchored by a hard-hitting trap beat. The Kid LAROI is on autopilot, showcasing an agile flow and continuing to show off his melodic abilities.  He keeps it real, bringing the ‘emo’ lane of rap in, yet also sounds older than 17. Again, he remembers times when the money wasn’t rolling in, and acknowledges lost family and friends.  Naturally, YoungBoy – 21 at the time – is a great fit, remembering a lost ‘soldier’:

“I’d give it all back right now just to see you smile
I’d give my hoes back, on slime, just to hear you now.” 

The Kid continues to exude confidence on 🎵 “Always Do,” which manages to straddle hip-hop, pop, and contemporary R&B superbly. Like everything else, Howard has sleek production work propelling to even higher heights.  He’s bothered, however, by the four-letter word, which gets a big ole middle finger in the title of this album.  His bothered nature and pain, however, continue to be our listening pleasure, as “Always Do” yields another irresistible chorus.

Things keep on rolling without a hitch on 🎵 “Feel Something,” featuring 🎙 Marshmello, where the Kid is definitely alright.  Well, actually he’s not – “I need to pour me up a cup just to feel something’” – but musically, the consistency is awesome.  Boxes continue to be checked off starting with Howard’s expressive, nuanced pipes, another catchy chorus, and excellent production courtesy of 🎛 IllaDaProducer, 🎛 Scott Storch, and of course, Marshmello.

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“F*ck You, Goodbye”

“Fuck you, goodbye / You hurt me, for the last time.” At this point, it should come as no surprise that The Kid LAROI is partial to the f-bomb.  I mean, there’s F*CK LOVE as a whole, and then there’s the song at hand, ✅🎵 “F*ck You, Goodbye,” where the first line of the song begins with a lyrical middle finger.  While parents everywhere may cringe at Charlton’s potty mouth, he perfectly captures teen angst and matters of the heart superbly.  “It’s the last time I let you hurt me,” he asserts on the first verse, continuing, “Fuck you, goodbye, I did not deserve it / None of this bullshit was ever really worth it.” Woo! The Kid gets reinforced by 🎙 Machine Gun Kelly, who contrasts Howard’s more youthful delivery with an older, more experienced take on pain:  

“Red in the eyes, lately I’ve been on a cocaine diet
I’ve been tryin’ to feed my high.”

On 🎵 “Without You,” The Kid concludes F*CK LOVE (SAVAGE) with a straight-up, emo-infused indie-rock cut. He steps away from hip-hop completely here, even if stylistic lines are blurred more than ever these days.  This is an intriguing change of pace and feels like an appropriate coda.  Is it the best song from the tape? Not in my eyes, but it’s effective as anything else, continuing to masterfully capture a ‘fuck love’ sentiment.

✅ Gems 💎: “Pikachu,” “SO DONE,” “Tragic” & “F*ck You, Goodbye”

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💿 3: F*CK LOVE

“Maybe”

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eginning with the self-explanatory 🎵 “Booty Call” (skit), the original F*CK LOVE commences.  The first full-length record arrives courtesy of  ✅ 🎵 “Maybe.” A striking takeaway, again, is just how expressive The Kid LAROI sounds while singing.  The nuances – cracks, syrupy tone, unorthodox vibrato, and grit – are quite interesting. Perhaps they wouldn’t appeal to the classically trained vocalist, but there’s a certain charm he exudes.  The chorus is a big-time pro.  Also, 🎛 Donn Robb, 🎛 Omer Fedi, and Haan put it work behind the boards.

Following a solid start with “Maybe,” ✅ 🎵 “Wrong” keeps the momentum on the ‘up and up.’ Howard is assisted by another young standout, 🎙 Lil Mosey. Although Mosey provides a fine contrast on the third verse, The Kid LAROI is never overshadowed over the course of two verses and another golden chorus. “Yeah, I wish there was a way I could take away the pain…But I can’t, I wish I could, this shit affects me every day.”

With ✅ 🎵 “I Wish,” the hits just keep on coming.  Again, listeners are treated to another sleek backdrop (🎛 WizzleGotBeats and 🎛 Rio Leyva), and most importantly, those bright, youthful, and incredibly assertive vocals by Charlton.  Even on a short number like this one, the potential shown by this kid is incredibly notable.

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“Not Fair”

🎵 “Not Fair” features 🎙 Corbin, who lends his own unique vocals on the intro, chorus, and his own verse.  The blend between him and The Kid LAROI on the chorus is ear catching – quite the timbre you might say. Adding to the uniqueness of this number is the production, which includes some classy strings at the end. “Bathroom (skit)” is quite similar to the aforementioned “Booty Call (skit)” where The Kid LAROI’s ex- isn’t too pleased with Charlton in the least (“You’re a fucking piece of shit, Charlton… I hope you die”). Well, then…

Among the biggest attractions of F*CK LOVE (SAVAGE) is none other than ✅ 🎵 “GO,” featuring 🎙 Juice WRLD (RIP). Again, Charlton may be young, but The Kid doesn’t depict childish happenings.  He focuses once more on the issues that plague many a man’s brain – girls. “You fuck up my brain, you don’t know no better, yeah / Wish I knew you better, shit, but I don’t know no better,” he raps melodically on the first verse, filled with swagger and serving up a syrupy delivery. Setting him and Juice WRLD up for success is sleek production by 🎛 24Degrees, Fedi, 🎛 Nick Mira, and 🎛 Tito.  Juice, the perfect collaborator, is melodic in his own right. They join forces on the final chorus of this surefire gem.

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“Tell Me Why”

“Tell me why, tell me why, it’s so hard to say goodbye.” “Go” may be tough act to follow, but ✅ 🎵 “Tell Me Why” is up to the task.  The Kid LAROI is emotional, as he reacts to the losses he’s had in his life.  Filled with angst, at the end of the second verse, a highly expressive Kid asks, “Why the fuck does God keep testin’ me? / Put my heart to bed, let it rest in pieces.” It’s a very ‘emo’ line, yet it’s also feels and sounds totally authentic, whether you’re a teen or older, asking the same of The Most High. 

On the brief 🎵 “Same Thing,” both Charlton and his girlfriend could be characterized as being, um, sketchy when it comes to their relationship. The big takeaway is that both are young and have a way to grow.  At least he rightfully states, “I can’t be mad at you / ‘Cause I do the same things.” Following another entertaining interlude (🎵 “New Guy (skit)”), we move on to the Cashmere Cat, 🎛 Happy Perez, and 🎛 benny blanco produced 🎵 “Erase U.” Continuing to keep the run time short, “Erase U” follows a chorus-verse-chorus format, common in much of contemporary rap. At this point, Howard doesn’t necessarily give us anything brand-new, but he rides the wave well, without a hitch.

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“Running” 

“I know that you mad at me, givin’ attitude / Can I make you feel comfortable?” Clearly, the two-and-quarter-minute-long ✅ 🎵 “Running” fits the concept of F*CK LOVE. Beyond the pre-chorus, The Kid asserts on the chorus of the 12^th track, “I just keep on running back to you, you, you, you.” There is only one verse, which sufficiently captures the situation, as unapologetically as the mixtape title:

“Girl, I know you
Talkin’ to all of your friends, tell ‘em you don’t fuck with me
Now you fuckin’ me, 2AM, you tellin’ me you lovin’ me
No trust in me, everything you do now because of me
Girl, I really gave you it all.”

“Running” was produced by The Kid LAROI, Khaled Rohaim, and Haan. 🎵 “Wish You Well (skit) is the final skit of the album, preceding the penultimate joint, 🎵 “Need You Most (So Sick).” Note the parenthesized portion of the title.  That’s right, the no. 1 Ne-Yo hit, 🎵 “So Sick”, fuels the fire. While the original will always get the most notoriety, I like his tone here. Another stellar production by Khaled Rohaim (and 🎛 JOY.) make 🎵 “SELFISH” a sweet coda.

✅ Gems 💎: “Maybe,” “Wrong,” “I Wish,” “GO, “Tell Me Why” & “Running”

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Final Thoughts 💭 

F*CK LOVE 3: OVER YOU continues to find The Kid LAROI ascending toward superstar status. He fits the new brand of pop artist (or rap artist) that both sings and raps – it’s the current ‘in’ sound.  Furthermore, he appeals to both kids his age but also people who are older than him – yours truly.  I couldn’t say the additions to F*CK LOVE (SAVAGE) and F*CK LOVE totally ‘rocks my socks off’ or shows me something I didn’t already know Charlton could do, but there’s plenty to sink one’s teeth into with the gargantuan F*CK LOVE 3.

✅ Gems 💎: “Over You,” “Stay,” “Don’t Leave Me” & “Still Choose You,” “Pikachu,” “So Done,” “Tragic,” “F*ck You, Goodbye,” “Maybe,” “Wrong,” “I Wish,” “GO, “Tell Me Why” & “Running”  

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🎙 The Kid LAROI • 💿 F*CK LOVE 3: OVER YOU • 🏷 Columbia • 📅 7.23.21

[📷: Columbia]

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