By: Ryan Martin
Hoodie Allen has always been a pop rapper. If you haven't heard of Hoodie before, don't expect hard lyrical content or to take this guy too seriously. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's good to make fun of yourself for the sake of just having fun. And that's what Hoodie does with his new album, Happy Camper. Hoodie brings some fun music to the 10-track offering with limited features including his new tour mates, SuperDuperKyle and Blackbear. These two are also featured on the first single, 'Champagne and Pools'. Throughout the album we get a brief look at Hoodie's anxiety in the intro which goes into his second single off the album, 'Are You Having Any Fun?' A fun track with a decent chorus hook from Meghan Tonjes. My favorite part about this track is probably the music video that comes with it. It's got some light humor in it but the big thing to be admired is the creativity behind it.
Hoodie Allen has always been a pop rapper. If you haven't heard of Hoodie before, don't expect hard lyrical content or to take this guy too seriously. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's good to make fun of yourself for the sake of just having fun. And that's what Hoodie does with his new album, Happy Camper. Hoodie brings some fun music to the 10-track offering with limited features including his new tour mates, SuperDuperKyle and Blackbear. These two are also featured on the first single, 'Champagne and Pools'. Throughout the album we get a brief look at Hoodie's anxiety in the intro which goes into his second single off the album, 'Are You Having Any Fun?' A fun track with a decent chorus hook from Meghan Tonjes. My favorite part about this track is probably the music video that comes with it. It's got some light humor in it but the big thing to be admired is the creativity behind it.
The album was released for free which is a pretty bold statement from Hoodie. He released his debut album People Still Talking back when 2014 was winding up. With Hoodie's cult following and pop talent that he has already showcased in his earlier work like "No Interruption" plus features from big names such as Ed Sheeran the album should have blown up. But it really didn't. He sold 30,000 copies his first week and didn't even hit number one on Billboard's rap list. So with Hoodie releasing his next effort with $5 on iTunes and his upcoming tour being the only profit he is going to make, it says a lot. There's no doubt in my mind that Hoodie can be a much stronger force, maybe not in the rap game but in the pop world. Right now, Hoodie isn't even a part of the rap game.
Hoodie's making pop fun rap music to listen to at a party, but not the kind that gets you totally hyped up. If that makes sense. In this day and age to be really considered a hip-hop force to be reckoned with, you have to supply more than that. Some call it corniness but it really deals with the audience you're making music for. Hoodie is making catchy music that's popular with teenagers but mostly girls. With rap being as popular now as rock and roll used to be, it's easier to sift through the rappers making pop music (Hoodie, G-Eazy, Rae Sremmurd) rather than rappers who take their craft seriously and have been putting out some serious content (Kendrick, J. Cole, Run The Jewels etc.). There's a fine line between making some serious hip-hop and making pop-infused rap. With Happy Camper, Hoodie doesn't really break away from his signature style, which may be dope to his hardcore followers but he probably won't gain any with this album. It's hard to believe sometimes that a label wasn't involved in the making of this album because there are some aspects that just scream "radio play".
Hoodie's making pop fun rap music to listen to at a party, but not the kind that gets you totally hyped up. If that makes sense. In this day and age to be really considered a hip-hop force to be reckoned with, you have to supply more than that. Some call it corniness but it really deals with the audience you're making music for. Hoodie is making catchy music that's popular with teenagers but mostly girls. With rap being as popular now as rock and roll used to be, it's easier to sift through the rappers making pop music (Hoodie, G-Eazy, Rae Sremmurd) rather than rappers who take their craft seriously and have been putting out some serious content (Kendrick, J. Cole, Run The Jewels etc.). There's a fine line between making some serious hip-hop and making pop-infused rap. With Happy Camper, Hoodie doesn't really break away from his signature style, which may be dope to his hardcore followers but he probably won't gain any with this album. It's hard to believe sometimes that a label wasn't involved in the making of this album because there are some aspects that just scream "radio play".