<p><span><span>- Cordae has gained traction over the past several years as a standout rapper who is able to blend solid lyricism and soulful production into a mainstream direction. His collaborations with the likes of <strong>Anderson Paak </strong>and <strong>Chance the Rapper</strong>, to name a few,<strong> </strong>made Cordae’s 2019 debut record <em>The Lost Boy</em> a noteworthy project; even if the young artist had plenty of room to grow. Before the release of his upcoming sophomore album <em>From a Bird’s Eye View</em>, Cordae has dropped an EP of four throwaways with several more big name guests to boot entitled <em>Just Until….</em>.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>Opening track <em>More Life </em>featuring <strong>Q-Tip </strong>should be an easy winner, especially for Cordae’s style of rap, but sadly it’s just fine. The main issue with the track is Tip’s decision not to deliver a verse; instead choosing to flatly sing a boring chorus with such poor mixing that it sounds like it is delivered through a pillow. Cordae’s lyricism borders on living up to the annoyingly constant <strong>J Cole </strong>comparisons because he just has to remind you how underrated he is as if <em>The Lost Boy </em>didn’t go gold.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span><em>Dream in Color </em>catches listeners up on Cordae’s life since <em>The Good Boy </em>over production that has moments of his usual soulful sound, infused with quite nice autotuned samples. While I’ve always appreciated Cordae’s lyricism, none of his bars or stories on the track really stand out except maybe the time his tennis star girlfriend forfeited a game to meet his grandma. A big part of what made <em>The Lost Boy </em>work was other people singing the hooks. Cordae really tries here but his range is just not high enough to meet what he’s attempting and the end result is pretty stilted.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span><em>Wassup</em><strong> </strong>is the attempted trap banger which of course features Atlanta legend <strong>Young Thug</strong>. As a Young Thug fanatic myself, I can tell you when he cares and it’s certainly not here. Despite the monotone verses, I will praise the track for allowing both rappers to go back and forth over the pretty standard plucked guitars and heavy snared production which shows some semblance of chemistry.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>Closing track <em>Thornton Street</em><strong> </strong>is easily the gold nugget of the EP as well as a hopeful sign for the album to come. Cordae’s performance is his strongest across the four tracks as he skilfully dissects his childhood hardships and rise to the tops. The production is simple yet catchy with looping female soul vocals and straight-forward drums. The overall result is reminiscent of <strong>Drake</strong>’s grand introspective outros but scaled down and less whirl-winded. While nothing extraordinary, <em>Thornton Street</em> gives me the Cordae that I’ve come to expect and hope to see continue to be built upon in the future.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span><em>Just Until</em>… would be a disappointment if it weren’t what it’s advertised to be, a throwaway EP before a bigger project. Cordae could have easily delivered something better or much worse but has instead landed directly in the middle with most songs having an awkward element that I just can’t get behind. That being said, I’m still hopeful for <em>From a Bird’s Eye View</em> as with enough care, I think Cordae could truly delivers something special.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>- James Chadwick.</span></span></p>
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