Review: "Saved By The Bag" Album by ItsFee
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Chicago based rap artist ItsFee displays true finesse and a sense of fury on the intense rush of “Saved By The Bag”. Trap, hip-hop, ambient, and R&B all come together to create this dense mix. Attention to detail feels impeccable. His cleverness in speeding up and slowing down his flow show off his unusually wide range.
On the hard side ItsFee raps with ease as the verses are spit out at a hyperkinetic speed. For the slower pieces, he shows off his clever storytelling, as the word choice features a great deal of wordplay. References abound and race through.
The references abound throughout the album, especially heavy on the classic side of things. With his velocity during the faster paced pieces, ItsFee touches upon the magic of Busta Rhymes in terms of how rapid fire his delivery can be. Many of the arrangements possess a degree of unpredictability as there is a geometric quality to the works, with the beats folding and unfolding into each other like Danny Brown’s most fevered dreams.
On “ItsFee 101”, ItsFee sets the mood for the work, featuring some sheer physical presence. Very clever usage of samples race on through, as the woodwind give it a symphonic quality. There is a degree of swagger with “MBT”, featuring NamedBran, as the whistling has an intensity to it. Layers intermingle giving “Paparazzi” a grandeur. Beats hit with such velocity on the pitch shifts of “Picture Dat”. Tempos get slowed down on the luxurious “Beat Beat”, with Keem Singing”, one of the highlights of the album.
Stripped down to the essentials is the thoughtful “I Do’s It”. Elements of tech enter into the fray with “On Elon”. Pure grit sculpts the wide-eyed “Feeling Myself”, featuring Double Ave & DB. Woozy to its core is the dreamy “Fukumean”. Poppy aspects move to the forefront on the communal “Remember”, featuring Aliana. Bringing it all to a close is the delicate “Got 2 Go”.
“Saved By The Bag” shows off the undeniably strong style of ItsFee in tying together old school and nu school influences in a way that is truly his own.