Project Review - To Be Continued by WhoIsJovie
J. Cole once famously said something along the lines of Sometimes you have to flex and show folks that there are levels to this game. I, of course, am paraphrasing, but the sentiment remains the same; no matter how good you think you are, you’re not me.
While rappers often try this tactic to remind people that their pen game is sharp, nobody executes this better than #WhoIsJovie, who once again, brings forth his iron fist to remind people that when he puts pen to paper, there’s rarely a soul willing to match him letter-for-letter.
To Be Continued is, if nothing else, a stark reminder that Jovie possesses not only one of the smoothest flows in all of rap but a skillset that can effortlessly switch from slick-talking to braggadocious to threatening small talk at the push of a button.
Through a project less than 10 minutes long, Jovie manages to capture your attention while navigating life lessons and clever one-liners to morph the project into an imaginative exercise in schooling, while using only what you have to shape what it means to take even the smallest of victories and turn them into anthems that define your progress.
Regarding the content, this project, if nothing else, is a preview of what’s to come or at least what Jovie has been up to, with four of the five songs lasting under two minutes. However, what the project lacks in time, it makes up for in substance and top-tier rapping.
“It ain’t no secret I’ve been distant, trying to close the gap, toast to that, had a way with words before I wrote a rap”
He raps on the opening track “Faith,” a one-verse reintroduction to the Detroit rapper that sounds more like a celebratory dinner table speech than a rap. As someone who is viewed as one of the better lyricists in the game, it’s jarring to see when a top-tier artist manages to find their way to a new plateau. Rapping-wise, To Be Continued is just that. Jovie is finding a way to explain to the world that he is simply that good.
In terms of production, it’s always fun to find an album where the production and the artists feel like partners instead of fighters. Rappers, especially, have recently developed the mantra of taming their instrumentals. However, for To Be Continued, the production is a dance partner willing to go wherever Jovie leads.
From the aforementioned “Faith,” where a smooth guitar riff oozes into the song, to the soulful “Minute More,” where a sample featuring a subtle saxophone gives Jovie the right tempo to cascade across the track. It’s something beautiful about the five instrumentals of this project, where everything feels right at home. There’s also more to be said about the artist who can maximize the sound without sacrificing a single bar to sound out of place or flat-out awkward.
Overall To Be Continued is a fun project that you can hear multiple times before finishing an errand. Filled with clever rhyme schemes and life gems preached by Jovie, the only issue that you may find yourself saying is that you wish there was more.
