The Kid LAROI, F*CK LOVE (SAVAGE) | Album Review 💿

💿 2

“Maybe”  

Beginning 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, as is the case throughout SAVAGE and F*CK LOVE, 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.

“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 quite 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, 🎙 Omer Fedi, 🎙 Nick Mira, and 🎙 Tito.  Juice WRLD, the perfect collaborator, is melodic in his own right. They join forces on the final chorus of this surefire gem.

“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 definitely up to the task.  The Kid LAROI is definitely 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.

“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 actually like his tone here. Another stellar production by Khaled Rohaim (and 🎙 JOY.) make 🎵 “SELFISH” a pretty sweet coda.

Final Thoughts 

After failing to review F*CK LOVE when it first arrived, I knew I didn’t want to neglect the deluxe edition. Ultimately, F*CK LOVE (SAVAGE) shows ample potential and a bright future for The Kid LAROI.  Yes, I’m a guy who’s twice his age, but I definitely find The Kid to be charming, chocked-full of swagger, and quite talented. F*CK LOVE = 4 stars.

✅ Gems 💎: “Pikachu,” “So Done,” “Tragic,” “F*ck You, Goodbye,” “Maybe,” “Wrong,” “I Wish,” “GO, “Tell Me Why” & “Running”