Project Stripes

Scouse rappers debut project which catapulted him into stardom.

“Rebel”, released on the 20th of June this year, launched underground alternative rapper EsDeeKid into the mainstream. EsDeeKid has a formula when making songs, with the whole album featuring only one credited producer. His method works, but at what point does this become repetitive?

EsDeeKid rise in the underground can be credited to many things, his unique (especially to non British people) Scouse accent, impressive one liners, an ‘opium’ aesthetic (a term popularized by Playboi Carti describing mainly black, minimal and punk style clothing, however EsDeeKid has built on this and made it more his own rather than just being a follower) and also a mysterious image he’s built for himself by keeping his identity hidden.

The album is 11 tracks long but only comes in at around 20 minutes in length, with the longest song falling just short of 2 and a half minutes. It’s sonically very consistent, and lyrically consistent as well. The most unique production on the project is on the back-to-back songs “Prague” and “Dirty,” which are 2 standouts for me on the album, as they also feature different flows from EsDeeKid, which is refreshing to see.

The album mainly feels repetitive on 3 songs, “LV sandals”, “Cali Man” and “Mist”. All these songs individually are up to standard and enjoyable listens; however, the drums Wraith9 uses and synth patterns all end up sounding just a tad too similar for a project that is this short. This is even shown when it went viral on TikTok that at various shows from EsDeeKid’s tour, fans would get confused at what song was playing and sing these lyrics.

EsDeeKid has some incredible one-liners, with some of my favourites being found on “Panic” when he says “Got yer bird in a crop top, smoking top crop” or on “Cali Man” with “Get me Kush straight from Afghanistan, I think my plugs tapped in with the Taliban”. While he’s not a ‘lyrical’ rapper in the way people usually use that term, his lyrics are witty, sharp and cohesive, and he is proof that you can rap about non-important ‘flexy’ things like drugs and girls and clothes and still have good lyrics.

The final song on the album “Tartan” was previously released by rapper Fimiguerrero, who shares the same manager as EsDeeKid, and originally featured an alternative verse from rapper Reekz MB. I don’t know why the song ended up on “Rebel”, but the original is better, and it ends the album on a song where EsDeeKid feels like a feature, which is a large contrast from the opener “4 Raws”, a grand and empowering track. However, Fimi also features on a different song, “5 am”, in which he definitely delivers, and their chemistry is apparent.

“Rebel” is a very impressive debut album, especially given the fame it’s boosted EsDee into. I hope that what EsDeeKid does next feels just as fresh as how “Rebel” felt when it first released, and that we continue to get more music up to this standard.