Lil Mosey is back with his debut album titled Northsbest. Over the last year, Lil Mosey has had singles absolutely blow up, he disgruntled a lot of rappers from his hometown and he’s performed on some of the biggest live stages that hip-hop has to offer. From scoring a Cole Bennett music video, to placing as high as #10 on Pandora’s Trendsetter’s Chart. It has become obvious that the youngin’ from Mountlake Terrace has all the potential to be a bonafide superstar.
Now, Lil Mosey did what every up and coming artist eventually has to do to in order to prove they aren’t just a flash in the pan; he dropped his debut studio album Northsbest! The question is, does it bang?
To answer the question: Yes, for sure! Lil Mosey sticks to his guns by utilizing fun-to-sing-along-with melodies over triumphant, full instrumentals. While switching up his flow at just the right time to keep your head bobbing.
The mixing on the project is very clean as well. Mosey’s autotune is perfectly dialed in to let his drawl add some flare, but at no point is it ever unintelligible. The layering is sparse and simplistic. So, when Mosey comes in with an ad lib, it stands out and adds a nice memorable moment. Overall, Northsbest is a very easy listen that rides clean all the way through.
Lil Mosey Northsbest
Now, if you’re sticking around for the nitty gritty, there are definitely some critiques to be had. For starters, while it is easy to press play on the first track and let it ride, he never truly leaves that airy, pop-rap sound that he’s known for. There is no doubt that he can make hits using that style. But, when putting together a whole project, you need to provide some variety to keep the listener’s attention. I would love to hear him go over some harder, trap-influenced beats and hit a double-time flow or use a Meek Mill-esque yelling delivery.
Lil Mosey also missed a strong opportunity to mend his relationship with some of the Seattle hip-hop community by not featuring a single Seattle artist on Northsbest. After completely dismissing the scene in his No Jumper interview earlier this year, he tried to invoke some kinship with Seattle with Northsbest’s cover art. It would have been great, though, to see Key Nyata, Parisalexa, or Ghoulavelli on a track. Instead, the only feature was Blocboy JB on “Yoppa” and in my honest opinion, it didn’t add a whole lot to that song.
However, I’d like to end on a positive note because like I mentioned earlier, this is definitely a solid first outing for Lil Mosey. Overall, Northsbest is a very enjoyable album.
Lil Mosey – Kamikaze
The highlight, must listen song of the project is undoubtedly “Greet Her.” The instrumental features a VERY recognizable sample from “Excuse Me Miss (Yo!)” by Chris Brown. As soon as I heard it, it transported me back to my room in my parent’s house when I was 13 and bumping Breezy’s debut album like it was God’s gift to humanity. It was awesome hearing Lil Mosey over something a little slower, it almost gave me some Kirko Bangz type of vibes.
At the end of the day, Northsbest proved that Lil Mosey isn’t just an artist that you check on for a single here and there. He has the talent and production (shout out Royce David) to put together whole projects that bump all the way through without the need to lean on features. Hopefully moving forward, we’ll see Mosey leave his comfort zone and try out some different styles. But for his first studio album, he did exactly what he had to do.
By titling his debut album Northsbest, he is essentially doubling down on his comments that sent Seattle rappers into frenzy earlier this year; putting a ton of pressure on Lil Mosey moving forward. This project serves as proof that he certainly has the potential to claim that top spot.
