Treladdin is a fresh artist from the 804 and it shows. One of my favorite things about listening to relatively new artists is the energy they bring in the booth. The establishing of a persona, where an artist is willing to draw lines or break them, the raw aggression and carefree attitude placed in the lyrics and the instrumentals. Treladdin is no different. His first album on streaming, Dai's View dropped about a month ago, and it hasn't aged one bit. The album shows poise, with very catchy hooks, ethereal beats reminiscent of the work of Divine Council and Lucki, and a flow and energy that has become welcome in the DMV area.
The album kicks off with 2:02 am, it contrasts a soothing guitar sample with a deadly bassline that would definitely make it insane to hear live. LouieReem builds the song with bragging lyrics that progressively grow in intensity as the song goes on, a tactic I wish more rappers would commit to. Starting from struggles with mental health and money making mental wealth, and ending with a friend's anguish in prison making him forget his "face." Another sample that adds to the song is the sound of Darth Vader's breathing, giving the track a threatening sense of life.
Mind Racing, GTA, and 7 Shots are all extremely catchy, Treladdin and Otgshawn prove quickly to be a dynamic duo, listeners are smacked with a 3-song combo of trap bangers back to back to back. Mind Racing is fast paced and rapid fire rapping with no hook, the themes speaking for themselves. GTA's hook is infectious and deserves to be screamed by hundreds in a crowd (The title not standing for the video game but for Gangster, Trapper, Actor (when people try to imitate the first two). GTA gives me 2 Chainz energy. 7 Shots combines the flow and brashness of Q Da Fool with the effortless delivery of another Richmond native, $ilkmoney. I can picture so many rappers having a verse on 7 Shots.
Prosper might be one of the fastest songs on the project, though it doesn't reach two minutes, there's much more than two minutes worth of pen presented. Good breath control and a "don't cross me" rage permeates the track.
Happy 21st, the beat stands out first, a steady bassline and Pierre-like synths roll across while Treladdin asks "how you a shooter you ain't even scorin'" and contemplates what his life would be like without music. A reflective song, for sure, at the halfway point of this project.
Glo Day Gang has a really emotional guitar that immediately stuck out to me. The song itself feels very intimate, lyrics centered around smoking with a crush, "Yeah it's me and you" as it is repeated. The way the beat slows down to allow us to hear the layers within it is also a great touch to this.
Forever Long Live jumps out after the last one, with much more bounce and pull, the lyrics are much grimier, while still being tongue-in-cheek and tasteful, return to the braggadocio.
Ms. Akira Renee is my personal favorite cut from the project, the beat is dreamy and the synth feels like it's slurring across the drums drunkenly. JUJURULEZMAN's vocals dominate the song, imprinting in your head long after the song ends. "Lord knows for love I was fiendin'" she sings softly. I can't tell if the song is tragic or affirming, or if it exists in that weird position where you don't know what to feel. When the music ceases, the song continues for an extra minute and two seconds, a moment to breathe and allow your head to digest what it's heard so far.
"Knock shit out the park, change my name to Babe Ruth. I got so damn high I seen this shit from Dai's View." The eponymous song delivers with wordplay and clever bars. HAJJ takes control and never lets his foot off the gas, while the beat echoes unto itself. Considering the only one after this is a bonus track, Dai's View is a thematically fitting song to close the project on.
For Dai (Bonus Track) starts with a funny Rick and Morty sample, then turns quickly into a Jaws-like deep piano beat with a quick bassline that the vocalists seem to be built for, it feels like they were competing to have the best verse in the studio. There's no room to stop for air while the trio spit quick over this dark, brooding beat, which ends as quickly as it began.
All in all, Treladdin's debut album presents great potential, dynamic instrumentals, and has introduced me to so many new rappers that demand to be recognized, and can speak that in only a couple lines or verses.
Stream Dai's View here.
Follow Treladdin on IG: @tdr.treladdin
Written by Max Olarinde, @mobeige1 on all social media.