Kid Ink
Full Speed
Release Date: Feb 3, 2015
Genre(s): Rap
Record label: RCA
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Album Review: Full Speed by Kid Ink
Acceptable, Based on 8 Critics
Based on rating 7/10
A club-worthy artist who's not entirely crass, rapper Kid Ink loves hooks and slick beats above all else, and yet he's always entertaining, sometimes surprisingly nimble with his lyrics, and often comes up with wonderfully odd touches that are inspired by the left field. That latter bit is reflected in the DJ Dahi-produced "Faster," a grinding, post-Yeezus number squeezed through a compressing filter so that it comes out sounding like precog rap-rock. The medium warm "Every City We Go" is risky enough to recast the traptastic Migos as Drake-like dreamers, but "Blunted" is a bigger misstep from the pop side as it borrows some from Migos, and some from Lil B, while forgetting all that makes the Kid unique.
Based on rating 3.0/5
Its origins are steeped in club crazed ignition fluid, but not much respect is paid to Hip Hop that glosses over lyricism. Whether consciously or not, most listeners tend to categorize “mainstream” artists as manipulative, mediocre talents out to come up. But the absence of witty bars does not always translate into the absence of quality, necessarily.
Based on rating 3/5
When you’re young, unknown, and with however much disposable income, the painful ritual of tattoos is a short-cut of individuation and branding on one’s own, most superficial terms. Kid Ink, so-named after the dark and elaborate stains of literally every limb he’s got, is pastiche per se, as ubiquitously vapid as Iggy Azalea but with better features and a steadier stream of potential hit records. In the shadow of his own tattoos, he’s grown to resemble the previously slender Chris Brown, the occasionally gully Jeremih—whomever radio wants him to be, really.
Based on rating 5.5/10
Kid Ink :: Full SpeedTha Alumni Music Group/88 Classic/RCA RecordsAuthor: Grant JonesKid Ink has always struck me as somebody who strives to do things bigger and better than his peers. Oh you got tattoos? I got a hundred tattoos. Oh you got a club banger? I got an album's worth of club bangers. Oh you got bars? I got bar...
Based on rating 2/5
L.A. rapper Kid Ink stormed the charts in late 2013 — not as a unique hip-hop voice but as a conduit for DJ Mustard beats and Chris Brown guest spots. On his second major-label album, he has more artistic aspirations, though they're mostly flat Kanye retreads: obscure prog-rock samples ("Faster"), "All of the Lights"-style horn arrangements ("What It Feels Like"), and recruiting today's hot young regional sensations (Dej Loaf, Young Thug, Migos) as supporting cast.
Based on rating 4/10
Kid Ink. I know it’s unprofessional to just go all first person and say I typed those words and then sat through three listens of this album, unsure what else there was to say, but here we are. I suppose a little backstory is in order considering he’s a near 30-year-old with a child’s nickname who’s been rapping on a major label (RCA) for nearly four years with no discernible excuse as to why.
Opinion: Excellent
Kid Ink isn’t some hip-hop purist who forces his brain cells to come up with jaw-dropping metaphors. But he’s still an MC and his rhymes and melodic hooks command attention. As an independent artist, Ink’s 2012 album, Up & Away, peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard 200. The outcome of his hard ….
Opinion: Mediocre
Capitalizing on the success of last winter’s “My Own Lane,” LA rapper Kid Ink jumps in with a follow-up that sounds hastily crafted, displaying little development or attention to detail. Some of these short tracks are slivers of ideas in search of realization: “What It Feels Like” and “Faster” barely break two minutes. To mask a dearth of imagination, Ink recruited star vocalists — Usher, R.
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