Imagine if Christian Grey decided to leave his financially cozy corporate life to become a rapper. Would he utilize his words to deliver his kink? Would he lean more towards a smoothly alluring aesthetic or would he take more of a dominating aggressive approach? Would he be too stiff? Welp, keep dreaming because this musical composition is not going to give you any voyeuristic view into that fantasy.
In his latest project, South Carolina lyricist Frank Peters takes a stab at his own creative rendition inspired by the cinematic hit. Fifty Shades of Frank offers an ambitious effort to exhibit multiple sides to Peters as an artist, but underwhelmingly falls short. Connected by smokey and sensual interludes, Peters' flow delivers stamina in a lackluster manner; the kind that will leave you laying there wondering, "Is he done yet?"
Listen to Frank Peters' project Fifty Shades of Frank after the jump!
Mixtapes or EP's are known for being utilized for artists to deliver content to hold listeners over or simply dump leftover tracks that aren't album worthy on. While this experimental space is capable of becoming wildly successful (See: If You're Reading This It's Too Late), there is less pressure to deliver a solid piece of work. Even still, that does not excuse indicators of low quality: incohesiveness, lack of structure, and flat lyricism.
Fifty Shades of Frank is a mixtape unlike most; while the majority of interim projects supply the listener with various cuts, Peters offers what sounds like one long, extended song. Other than providing suggestions that a track has ended or a new one will start with interludes and beat changes, there is a lack of smooth transitional material. Sewing subjects and lines together with ragged stitching rather than seamless hems, Peters delivers a not-so-subtle, mashedup performance.
With a marathon flow that's more exhausted than paced, it's hard for listeners to not only differentiate between tracks, but also determine which ones could stand out as personal faves due to a lack of structure. Where are the choruses? How about a hook? Can we get a solid bridge? Maybe verses that end? Such components of music are utilized for a reason: to break up monotony, offer depth to a song, and give listeners a chance to connect with the work. It's hard listening to a mixtape that sounds like a run-on sentence.
Speaking of depth, Peters' wordsmanship could utilize an upgrade from its current one dimensional position. With various similes in use such as, "Kush so stank, smell like assholes" on "Seat Sit Back" (according to the tracklisting, that is) and many similar examples of lyrical attempts running rampant throughout the project, Peters builds up a case that his style is clearly flat. Slightly imaginative, but still flat. With a surplus of such deflated punchlines, Peters needs to find a way to inflate them in order for them to take off.
At the completion of Fifty Shades of Frank, as a listener, I feel unmoved. Feeling no different than before the mixtape begun, except for a feeling of relief that it was over, I can honestly say this mixtape is simply not noteworthy. In the words of the fictional Grey, this lyrical effort was vanilla as fuck.
Check out Frank Peters' project Fifty Shades of Frank below:
*Sponsored review. All opinions are my own.
Miz Kane
