Since dropping 3 genre-blending EPs back in 2021, Philadelphia rapper Tierra Whack has remained mostly quiet. Her groundbreaking debut album Whack World showcased a unique blend of sounds and vibes when it dropped in 2018, though the project was criminally short with each track clocking in at just one minute in length or less. On March 15, 2-24, Whack finally released her long-awaited follow-up, World Wide Whack. The latest effort from the 28-year-old contains 15 tracks with a total run-time of 37 minutes, offering the most robust look into her growing catalog yet. World Wide Whack has no features and already serves as an easy contender for best album art of 2024.
Tierra Whack Is Ms. Morale
While Tierra Whack has gone above and beyond to carve out her own lane in the music industry, crafting sonically unique tracks that sound unlike anything else, a few songs on World Wide Whack seemingly prove that she does have one major rap influence. The fried vocal effects and jungle-style drum patterns on “Ms Behave” make the track sound like it belongs on the Top Dawg Entertainment Black Panther soundtrack from 2018, curated by former TDE signee Kendrick Lamar. This isn’t the only time Kendrick Lamar’s influence is felt on the record, either, as the track “X” sounds like it could have easily been an early demo for Kendrick’s 2022 track “Mr. Morale.” The discordant piano melodies that open “Snake Eyes” are also reminiscent of the intro instrumentation to Kendrick’s “Count Me Out," proving that the Compton, California rapper has an unshakable impact on the state of modern music.
Despite a few instances of World Wide Whack wearing its influences on its sleeve, the album is wholly original and entirely peerless, as no working artist is creating the specific blend of out-of-the-box sounds that Tierra Whack has mastered. One track near the back-end of the album, titled "Invitation," offers the lyrics "Every song I drop I change the sound” showcasing Whack's penchant for delivering a flurry of sonic curveballs.
The Album's Themes Are Very Dark
Unlike Tierra's previous work, this album is very dark and often references depression, self-harm, and even suicide. The earliest and most glaring instances of these themes crop up on the track "Numb." "Numb" is an especially vulnerable song, offering a haunting spaced-out instrumental with lyrics like "How'd I make it this far? Long sleeves cover scars/ My tears in a jar/ Drink 'em like I'm at the bar/ To the bridge in my car, now I'm swimming with the sharks/ Can't swim so I'm goin' down/ Can't swim so I'm goin' drown."
From there, the album continues to provide additional thematic gut-punches, with tracks like "Burning Brains" and "Accessible" telling a tale of lost love in the final days of a failing relationship. While Tierra Whack's woes do not all stem from her difficulty connecting with her partner, this impending break-up weighs heavy on her and worsens her already depressed state.
All of this comes to a head on the song "Imaginary Friends," which sits dead in the center of the album's tracklist. The song ties each of the major themes of World Wide Whack together at once, focusing on the cyclical nature of fighting and making up with your partner, depression and suicidal thoughts, and childhood innocence. On the surface, this song is about the nature of friendship, though reading between the lines offers a heart-breaking glimpse into Tierra Whack's fractured view of love and loss.
Conclusion:
Tierra Whack concludes her latest album with a one-two punch of "Two Night" and "27 Club." The former is a delightfully upbeat song that sees the Philadelphia native succumbing to her feelings about death, and finding herself in the throes of blissful acceptance. The track is a certified tearjerker, solidifying the album's dark themes before transitioning into the haunting "27 Club." World Wide Whack ends on an especially dour note, with Whack waxing poetic about the possibility of taking her own life.
While the album is sonically fantastic, fans of Tierra Whack's music will surely be left in tears when the final track cuts to silence. Despite the album's sad closer, World Wide Whack showcases Tierra's generational talent, and offers some deep insight into her creative process. The project is handily one of the best releases of 2024 thus far, and is all but guaranteed to appear on several "best albums of the year" lists this coming December.
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