Deante’ Hitchcock, the Atlanta, Georgia-based rapper, has released the deluxe edition of his album BETTER just over five months after its initial release.
Hitchcock has been steadily rising in popularity over the past couple of years and has an extremely impressive catalog of features on BETTER. The standard version of this album features artists such as JID, 6LACK, Miguel, Yung Nudy and more.
Although the features are consistent throughout the album, what really made the original album phenomenal was Hitchcock himself. His versatility is something that can’t be reciprocated among many hip-hop artists out nowadays.
He easily showcases his lyrical ability on tracks like “Shadowman’s Interlude” and “Growing Up/Mother God.” He taps into his softer side on the tracks “How TF (feat. 6LACK)” and “Flashbacks (feat. Miguel & St. Beauty).” He also creates carefree, upbeat tracks with infectious hooks and instrumentals.
The standard edition of BETTER takes the listeners on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Hitchcock does the same thing on the deluxe edition. The deluxe doubles the track list from 10 to 20 songs, but there are still no fillers or tracks where Hitchcock seems to slow down.
“Demons,” the intro for the deluxe album, is a phenomenal narrative track that sets the standard for the remainder of the album. He proves track after track that his style and songwriting goes unmatched.
“How Does It Feel (feat. Kenny Mason)” features a striking, heavy instrumental with very lively verses from both Hitchcock and Kenny Mason. Mason’s verse further demonstrates how unique a lyricist he is. His raw, unfiltered and gritty sound bleeds through the track effortlessly which makes this one of the most complete tracks on the deluxe and one of the best features on the album.
The most solid track from the deluxe is “Reflections.” Although it sits at just over a minute in length, it features one of Hitchcock’s best verses to date. His introspective, transparent side is evident on the track, and his ability to make his words flow over the distorted instrumental with his equally distorted voice makes this one of the most flawless tracks in his discography.
“My B***h” was originally the second half of the outro, “Angels.” Hitchcock’s decision to split the song into two parts emphasizes each half perfectly. It also gives “Angels” the ability to end the album with an uplifting and ethereal sound.
From start to finish, BETTER is a strong narrative album that consists of Hitchcock’s best verses. The standard edition is one of the most solid projects of the year and the deluxe edition only solidified it as one of the frontrunners for album of the year.
Rating: 4.5/5
