Short but sweet, KOTA the Friends drops Lyrics to GO, Vol. 3 on January 14th, 2022. Filled with Lo-fi beats, chill flow and lyrics of motivation and women problems, KOTA's newest release is one you need to check out and vibe too.
Quality over quantity
Clocking it at 21 minutes with just 10 tracks, this release is extremely short, a true EP to the definition. However, because of the length, it's a very easy listen and each track doesn't over-stay its welcome with half of the tracks being under 2 minutes each. The easiest way to describe KOTA the Friend is lo-fi beats with a chill relaxed flow. This a perfect album to relax to and listen in the background, but don't let that prevent you from listening to the lyrics, as they are great.
KOTA starts off the album with the track Scapegoat, which serves as his demonstration of flow and style and why he deserves a spot in the industry. The track functions as a motivational track with some key lines like: "I put the work in on my mind, I had to see something new/I share my journey with my people, here, read something cool/It make me happy when I hear that it's helping you and your growth/'Cause I know that feeling well, and you should feel that too" or "Made it with people around me saying, "You'll never make it"/Now they get the point, I don't need to hear the exclamation". The album moves back and forth from inspirational, come-up lines like these and issues KOTA experiences in his life. We see this displayed in the second track, Twenty-Nine.
In Twenty-Nine, KOTA raps about his life chronologically from age twenty-one. In this short story we learn about his come-up trying to make his way into the industry, the birth of his child and his forward grind mindset. I like the subtle growth in this song too, when talking about himself when he was twenty-five he states "Ignoring my mental health, I'm focused on dollar signs/'Cause lil' Kota is growing, I'm focused on bottom line". By the time KOTA reaches twenty-nine he states "And give myself love 'cause, fuck, it's about time/Show so much love the haters get outshined", showing his growth to taking care of his own mental health and his well being.
The track after that however, Bitter, delves back into the women problems KOTA faced that he referenced in the previous track. The track Bitter KOTA talks about his bitter ex and the toxic relationship that they had. It's a good listen, and KOTA basically tells the story from his perspective and alludes to how he was accused to abuse, when in actuality he was the one physically abused and how when physical abuse happens to men it is swept under the rug and not addressed. The song gets a bit messy as KOTA seemingly has receipts for all interactions with this EX, and it the track feels like a track to release his emotions more than anything.
The next track, Prodigal Son, comes out in a much more positive light, with KOTA breaking free from the issues before and looking forward to maintaining his peace and coming back from being pushed down. This positivity follows up in the next track, Breathe, in which he raps to the listener about the positive things about them and asking the listener to stop and breath, to take in life and re-evaluate your situation.
One of my favorite tracks follows afterwards, For Troubled Boys, in which KOTA raps to those whose going through the same things he has and raps as an outlet for those feeling the pressure of the world and the issues they face. This track serves more as a "look man, I get it" type of talk to the listener as KOTA is letting the listener know, he's been there before in that mental state and he gets it. KOTA even talks about his mindfullness activities that he does in the lines "lately I'm feelin' my feelings fully/Risin' to all my challenges, fearlessly facin' bullies/I'm happy in my routine, I used to get overwhelmed/Until I started puttin' the work in to love myself/Every day, I wake up and run, shower, face mask, read/Journal, sit down, breathe, and then I school my son". I personally feel that we need to give weight on mental heath and self-love in Hip Hop music and understand how that outlet can help others.
Overall, Lyrics to Go, Vol. 3 is a solid album, short, sweet and to the point and perfect for a relaxed Sunday listen (which ironically is the day that I listened to it). Once you listen past the chill lo-fi beats, there's some great substance here packed with skill and emotion that's really refreshing to hear. I've only gotten in KOTA in the last few months but I've been very pleased from what I heard from him so far and look forward to his next project.
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