Album Review: Broken Hearts and Beauty Sleep by Mykki Blanco

Over the first nine years of their career, Mykki Blanco has crafted a personality so strong and memorable that even a five-year holdover couldn't hurt the SoCal rapper's momentum. But on this nine-track, 28-minute mini-album (which may or may not count as the follow-up to their strong 2016 debut, Mykki), Blanco makes such a strong and innovative proclamation that it may go down as the rapper's defining statement -- no matter the format. Starting with the bustling '70s groove of second track "Free Ride," co-produced by Hudson Mohawke, Broken Hearts and Beauty Sleep sets off on a nearly non-stop run of mugging raps, often hilarious lyrics and truly great backing vocals spearheaded by Mykal Kilgore, Leah King and L1ZY.

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At a time when many rappers seem to reach astronomical levels of fame within literal months of their first release, Mykki Blanco works at their own pace. For almost 10 years, they've cycled through multiple musical identities and genres, always prioritizing creative exploration over any particular niche. The diaristic, introspective lyrics and relatively sleek production of their most recent full-length album, 2016's Mykki, represented a watershed moment in Blanco's output--perhaps the nearest they've come to full self-realization in their music.

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