Young Fades makes any marketer happy. He is extremely active on his socials and clearly has seen success from some Twitter campaigns, one post having nearly 4.4 million views. This is how Young Fades came onto my radar. Honestly, a white dude out of Oklahoma rapping in camo shirts is not usually my go-to listening but Fades seems to be developing his own brand. It’s sexy, raunchy, and fun. Are you going to listen to this in the car with your parents? Hell no. Throw it on while your studying? Eh. Play it at a party and just have some drinks, dance around, and enjoy? You bet your ass! Fades isn’t for everyone but seems to be gaining more traction day by day. Fades World is his debut album.
The Vocals:
As a singer, Fades is honestly not that bad. He has flow and can hit the melodies pretty well. Throughout the entire project, we see a very sexual side of him, which is no surprise after his initial EPs, singles, and mixtapes. It’s clear to any listener of his preferred hobbies: liquor, partying, and female associates. As a fan, I was hoping for a bit more from Fades, as we saw this version in the early EPs. I understand that is who he is and his brand but we don’t see a ton of depth from him. The only song on the 14-track album that discusses a different topic is “Coming Down”, in which he describes his come up in the rap game, his successes, and where he wants to go from here. While the subject matter on “2:15” is a bit silly, it has the best flows we see from him. The smooth, almost crooning verses leading into a solid chorus is a route he should definitely look at exploring more on future albums. Fades is party rap. Plain and simple. When I put this album on, it’s not to get introspective or question the powers that be, it’s to get lit and enjoy a few beers (maybe more than a few). However, I can’t talk about the vocals on this project without bringing up the best line on the album from “Beeper”:
“Not from the city, country like I’m Willie
Bad boy like I’m Diddy, trying to hop off in that Bentley”
The Beats:
In no way are the beats on Fades World trash, however, at the same, they don’t fully stand out at you. That’s not to say that I mark them down in any way. I feel that they end up perfectly matching Fades sound and style. The piano samples throughout are solid, like the clean loop on “Glide” and the poppy piece on “Wave” (easily making it my favorite beat on the project). Overall, Fades’ team of producers on the album cultivated his unique sound, a poppy, yet hip-hop focused vibe aimed at getting you hyped anytime you hear it come on.
The Production:
The value here is lost for me when you realize that a majority of the tracks are between two and three minutes long. I could go on a whole rant here about the current status of the music streaming industry. However, that isn’t the point of this review. I understand that to succeed in this new era of music, songs have to be short, so it only makes sense that that’s how this album turned out. Aside from that, the flow between songs is very fluid and there aren’t many skips on the album. He opens with his party tracks, flows to slower, more “romantic” pieces in the middle, then right back to that braggadocious style at the end.
The Essentials:
“Glide”, “Lodi Dodi”, “2:15”, and “Wave”
The Rating:
I have been listening to Fades for a while and for his first project, I am honestly impressed. While he references his country attitudes, this is far from the new wave of country trap. He remains on brand, demonstrates his style and vibe, all while providing some pretty decent flows and melodies. I just wish he would mix it up a bit more on future projects instead of talking girls, parties, and drinking nonstop. However, with that said, this is a solid debut album from the rapper out of Oklahoma and Fades World gets a…
7.2
– Heff
Colossus Music 