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
, and some from
Lil B
, while forgetting all that makes
the Kid
unique. Still, with worthy singles "Body Language," "Hotel," and "Be Real" added to the mix, there's much more fire than fodder here, enough to satisfy returning fans along with party people of all flavors. ~ David Jeffries