As I have been reading various Hip Hop blogs and websites over the last couple of weeks, I have noticed that Lakeyah has once again been slept on. I have seen very few music sites mention her new project, and I have not seen one review of it yet(I realize that until now I have not written about it either, but I have been on vacation and I have planned on writing about it since it came out). Lakeyah is and up and coming Hip Hop star from Milwaukee, Wisconsin who recently signed to Quality Control Music. QC is the label behind Migos, Lil Baby, City Girls, and Lil Yachty; obviously, they recognize real talent and have been pumping out so much of the best Hip Hop music over the last decade. Although elements of Lakeyah’s music do remind me of the City Girls and Migos, I think her sound is very fresh and individual to her. She has a swagger and feel to her music that is unlike a lot of other artists making Trap music right now; Lakeyah’s music definitely stands out among the current state of Trap music. Lakeyah is a rising star that deserves more credit from the online Hip Hop world, as she is becoming very popular on streaming websites and starting to pop off on Tik Tok as well. As a resident of Milwaukee, I am very excited to see the career of Lakeyah continue to rise because she can be an artist who can put Milwaukee on the Hip Hop world’s map again. With all of that being said, here is my review of Lakeyah’s new mixtape In Due Time. Please let me know in the comments below how you feel about this project, and also let me know in the comments what your favorite songs are from the mixtape.
I had a million bitches hatin’, said I wouldn’t make it, but look at me now, yeah. Wasn’t in the limelight back then, but niggas been bookin’ me now. Wrist wasn’t lit, but come look at it now. Bitch, I’m exclusive, no basics allowed… – ‘Look At Me’
In Due Time starts with ‘Freestyle,’ which is exactly what its title states it is. This track is about 1:27, and it consists of a quick verse Lakeyah spits over a fast-paced piano-driven instrumental that reminds me a lot of the kind of Drill music that has become very popular in Milwaukee over the last several years. The melody has this menacing and almost scary tone to it, and it has a distinct sound and tempo that is so reminiscent of a lot of other great artists hailing from Milwaukee who have started to pop off online recently. As this project starts, Lakeyah is quickly shouting out and highlighting the music that’s relevant where she is from before she transitions to more of a traditional Trap sound later in the project. Lakeyah’s flow on this track is so smooth and so effortless; she has the kind of delivery that one could listen to for days because it sounds so easy and effortless. On ‘Freestyle,’ Lakeyah is bragging about how quickly she has risen to stardom and how much her life has changed since she started to blow up. She is not even close to satisfied with where she is at though, and she wants to rise to the top of the rap game as quickly as possible. The next track, ‘Pressure,’ is another song that has a fast-paced, quirky instrumental that has a Milwaukee Drill music kind of feeling to it. The melody on this one is almost scary and anxious sounding; in fact, it sort of reminds me of the Michael Myers theme from the Halloween movies in a way. This sound is so fresh and cool, and I am glad Lakeyah is exposing it to a broader Hip Hop audience through this mixtape. The way that Lakeyah flows on this track reminds me a lot of Milwaukee Drill music too. The way she delivers her bars is a little off-kilter and she hits the beat in a very interesting way. On ‘Pressure,’ Lakeyah is letting the rap world know that she is coming for the throne. She has been on the rise as quickly as anyone over the past year, and she knows that she is poised to become big very soon and she is ready to do so. The next song, ‘Easy,’ has a bit more of an upbeat modern Trap feeling to it. The melody has a bit of a gruff and dirty element to it that reminds me a lot of the kinds of instrumentals made by North Memphis producers. The beat is very past-paced and paired with Lakeyah’s super silky flow it will make anyone bop their head and move to the rhythm. On ‘Easy,’ Lakeyah is comparing herself to other girl rappers trying to make it and explaining how simple and nonchallenging making good music and blowing up is for her. She thinks that everyone else around her trying to make it is boring, and she knows that she is the shit. I love the confidence Lakeyah exudes on this track, as it shows that she knows she has what it takes to achieve her dreams. Following this, we get ‘Look At Me,’ which has quickly become my favorite tracks from this project. It is one of my favorite Trap songs of the year so far. This song has an instrumental that reminds me a lot of Migos’ old stuff; the melody and beat have the very mid-2010s Trap feeling to them. Lakeyah murders the beat on this track, with her flow going so hard and being so addicting. Every time this song comes on while I’m listening to Spotify, I have to immediately turn it up because it is a banger and it makes me so hype. On ‘Look At Me,’ Lakeyah raps about how she came from nothing and is now in a better place than anyone around her thought she would ever be in. She wants everyone who has ever doubted her to see that she was right to believe in herself because she is achieving her goals and dreams and they are not.
‘Poppin’ is the first song on the record to have a feature on it, and that feature happens to be none other than Gucci Mane. The fact that Gucci Mane agreed to be on this track is a very big deal because he is the kind of legendary rapper that will only go on a new artist’s track if he believes they will be a superstar. Gucci Mane is one of the kings of Trap music, and getting his co-sign is a very big deal in the Hip Hop world. ‘Poppin’ has become the most popular song from this project up until this point; this is not exclusively because of the Gucci Mane feature, though. This track has an instrumental that reminds me of a late 2000s/early 2010s Gucci Mane track. The melody and beat have such an “old school’ Trap feeling to them. Once again, Lakeyah’s flow goes so hard on this track and she just murders the beat in the best way. On this track, Lakeyah is talking about stealing someone’s man and pleasing him more than the other girl ever could. Gucci Mane’s verse on this track goes super hard as expected. Whenever Gucci Mane is featured on a Trap song, he adds so much to it because he has a presence that is unlike anyone else. The next song, ‘Too Much,’ is another song that has been blowing up in a major way since this project came out. It is the first song that has a softer and calmer feel to it. Even though it is still strictly a rap song, the instrumental for ‘Too Much’ has an old-school R&B feeling to it. I have loved the new trend in Hip Hop where Trap beats are put onto smooth R&B instrumentals, and this track is such an excellent example of that. Lakeyah proves that she can flow over this kind of instrumental just as easily as the harder stuff earlier on the record; I enjoy hearing this more intimate side to her music. On ‘Too Much,’ Lakeyah is talking about a man that fills her needs sexually but does not fill her needs emotionally. She feels like he just does not care about her and that he feels her wants and needs are a burden. ‘Perfect,’ which features Yung Bleu, is another track that has an R&B Trap feeling to it. This track has become another one of my favorites from this project; the instrumental is just so catchy, and the performances from Lakeyah and Yung Bleu are so good. I appreciate the fact that Lakeyah does a bit of melodic rapping on ‘Perfect,’ as it shows off another skill she has. Yung Bleu on this track reminds me a lot of Kevin Gates. If you know my music tastes, you know I love Kevin Gates, so I enjoy this performance. Following this, we get ‘Young and Ratchet,’ which gives us yet another style of Trap music that Lakeyah can excel at. This track has a very super modern Trap feeling to it that goes super hard. If you are familiar with some of the music Kenny Beats has made with Rico Nasty and IDK, this track will remind me a lot of those tracks. Lakeyah’s flow and attitude on this song reminds me a lot of Flo Milli. I love the confidence and swagger that Lakeyah raps with on ‘Young and Ratchet.’ This track shows off yet another sound that she can excel at; it has a different feeling than anything on this record up until this point.
Part of me just wanna move on, but whеn I try to, I always move back. Part of me I wanna prove wrong, word to Stella, get my groove back. But I just want for this one time for this fuck nigga just to feel me. ‘Cause if your lies was the knife behind my back, niggas could’ve killed me like… – ‘XO’
‘Dirty World’ is a song that has yet another kind of Trap instrumental that has not been used yet on this record. I love how the instrumentals on this project are so diverse, as it shows that Lakeyah can excel at so many different kinds of Hip Hop music. ‘Dirty World’ has a sound that reminds me a lot of mid-2000s Trap music. I would compare the instrumental to this song with the instrumentals from artists like the Crime Mob and Lil Scrappy back in the day. Lakeyah’s attitude and flow on this track are different from what precedes it as well. The way Lakeyah raps on ‘Dirty World’ has a sassy and in-your-face quality that reminds me a lot of Rico Nasty and Flo Milli. ‘Dirty World’ is yet another example of the many different flows and styles of rapping that Lakeyah can go with. The next song, ‘From The Bottom,’ brings us back to the sound that reminds me of North Memphis music. Although it is slower-paced ‘From The Bottom’ has a sound that reminds me a lot of the song ‘Pressure from earlier in the record. Lakeyah has a much more rapid-fire flow on this song, which provides an excellent juxtaposition with the beat. On ‘From The Bottom,’ Lakeyah is once again rapping about how she has come from the dirt and made it to the top. ‘From The Bottom’ is another song where Lakeyah is proving how far she has come. Following this, we get ‘XO,’ which brings us back to the R&B Trap sound from earlier in the record. Although Lakeyah has shown that she can excel at a bunch of different kinds of Trap music on this track, I feel like this R&B Trap style of music is the thing that fits her best. ‘XO’ is the only song on this record where Lakeyah sings. I did not know she was this good of a singer; this is yet another element of music she can excel at, and it helps show off how diverse she is. On ‘XO,’ Lakeyah is rapping and singing about a former significant other that she is trying to get over. Even though she knows this person is not good for her, she can not get over them. The sound of ‘XO’ fits with its lyricism so well; this is just a very well-put-together song. In Due Time closes out with the song ‘That’s Real,’ which has a melancholy old school Trap sound that has not been used on this project yet. The instrumental for this song reminds me a lot of Jeezy’s late 2000s music. Lakeyah’s flow on this song also matches up with that era very well. If I did not know this song came out in 2021, it would not surprise me if someone said it came out 12 years ago. If you are into this style of Trap music, ‘That’s Real’ is a banger. This song may not be the kind of Trap music a lot of young people listen to today, but it is still very good for what it is. ‘That’s Real’ once again shows us that Lakeyah can not be put in a box and that she can excel at any kind of Hip Hop music she wants to make.
Although Lakeyah has been slept on by most of the big Hip Hop music publications up until this point, she has still been popping off on the internet in a big way. This is because the Quality Control Music signee has a level of talent that is undeniable; her new EP, In Due Time, proves time and time again that she is a rising star to be reckoned with. In this project, Lakeyah shows that she can excel at making many different types of Trap music. This record has songs with an R&B Trap feeling, an old school Trap feeling, and a Drill music feeling, and she sounds great on all of these kinds of songs. On In Due Time, Lakeyah demonstrates a variety of addicting flows and styles of melodic rapping, and she even sings on one of the tracks. Lakeyah’s In Due Time is easily one of the best Hip Hop mixtapes of 2021 so far, and I can not wait to see what she does next as she continues to improve at her craft.
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