I’m very excited to talk about this EP from my boy ILOVEMAKONNEN. Any amount of significant time between projects from this genius is too long for me. It would have been awesome to hear that full collaborative album from Makonnen and Lil Peep, man. In wake of Peep’s untimely passing, the two singles we got from this pair, ‘Sunlight On Your Skin’ and ‘I’ve Been Waiting, ’ truly show the unlimited potential this record had. Hopefully it still comes out! Makonnen’s latest project, titled M3, is the first thing had has released in two years that wasn’t a single or feature. Hip Hop’s Cyndi Lauper is just as great as ever on this EP, singing his heart out as usual on every track. The instrumentals are a little more different and diverse than Makonnen has been on in recent memory; one highlight is the alt-rock song on M3, because it shows a side of Makonnen that hasn’t been shown before at all. I really really dig this project, guys, and highly recommend it. Trust me on this one, y’all.

The first song on M3 is a bit of a departure from the styles of music Makonnen tends to gravitate to. It is called ‘Liquid Supply Daily, ’ and is a low-key alt-rock song. It is definitely inspired by late 90s to early 2000s British alternative music; in fact, the riff and tone of the song remind me a lot of that song ‘Dancing in the Moonlight’ by Toploader. I’m not going to lie, this is one of my favorite songs of the year so far. It is just so nice and smooth. Makonnen really shows his singing chops on this one. In fact, I turned it on in the car with my mom the other day and she commented on how good his voice was. I just love the chorus, man, it’s so catchy: “I wanna move with my Liquid Supply Daily. Never leaving without my baby.” I mean, he uses the word ‘liquid’ to describe money. Makonnen is so cool. The next cut on this glorious EP is ‘Not Ok.’ This song is also a bit of a departure from Makonnen’s usual styles. The instrumental is an R&B flavored trap joint that honestly reminds me of a mix between what The Weeknd usually does and Justin Timberlake from the early 2000s. The singing sort of sounds like a mixture of Kyle or Lil Yachty and PARTYNEXTDOOR. It is truly unique. The third song on M3 is also R&B flavored, and is called ‘Drunk on Saturday.’ Instrumentally, it sounds like Lil Yachty’s Lil Boat mixtape mixed with PnB Rock or Rae Sremmurd’s pop-rap music. Once again, Makonnen shows off his singing voice, proving he’s way more than a normal trap rapper. It is another song by Makonnen that has more of a sad tone, with him singing to his significant other “I can’t love you as I should.” Definitely another must-listen.

The next two tracks on this short six-track EP are more typical trap joints you would expect of an auto-crooner from Atlanta. The first of these two is ‘Shoot Shoot,’ which has a nice melodic trap instrumental I could see someone like Fetty Wap or Rich Homie Quan rapping on. The hook of this song is so infectious it makes this song worth checking out definitely. In his way above average singing voice, Makonnen sings “Pull up, shoot shoot. Get out, shoot shoot. Let the whole clip go.” It’s a very cute and sweet sounding way to let someone know you’re going to shoot up their car or house. The second typical trap banger, ‘Money Fiend,’ has an instrumental that is pretty typical for modern Atlanta trap; I could totally see someone like Gucci Mane or the Migos rapping on this song. Makonnen seems to be doing his best Future impression on this song. He is rapping in triplets all over the song and his voice is soaked in so much auto-tune he sounds like he’s mumbling. Lovers of Future or really any modern trap should dig this joint. The last song on the EP, ‘Spendin,’ ’ which features Gucci Mane, is sonically pretty similar to the sounds that made Makonnen popular in the first place. The instrumental sounds pretty similar to his first hit ‘Tuesday.’ I love the weird melody of this one. Makonnen is rapping about how he’s finally getting money again, whether or not his haters believe it. In the first verse, he says “Motherfuckin’ big ballers tryin’ to look at me funny. Like does he really have it? Goddamn, is it a bad habit? You know I’m out here bouncin’ around like jackrabbits.” This is totally another can’t miss song on this record, and once again I highly recommend it.

M3 showcases everything I love about ILOVEMAKONNEN. This EP really shows off his diversity, some songs highlighting his pop sensibility and others showing he’s still a great trap rapper. Hell, there is even a dope alt-rock song on this project! Seriously, please check it out. You won’t regret it. To listen, click the Spotify link below.