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Final verdict: 8/10 ★★★★☆
Another fortnight long elapsed, another hip-hop record in the bag. I think that through my perusing this terrain, I am starting to grow fond of a genre I have long felt neutral about… either this is a new beginning (a “renaissance,” if you will), or it is a special kind of beginning – that is, the beginning of the end.
But this is not what music is all about, now is it? No beginning or end can be announced by music as it is. Music – as applies to all other art forms – is meant to color our lives first and foremost, not be definitive of any major event. That, of course, looks different for everybody, but the base sentiment remains the same; so I am glad to report that I’ve been feeling plenty colorful lately! And a prominent stone in the musical mosaic that is to be blamed for my vibrant outlook has been none other than Fried Fred’s 5-track EP “Nonchalant,” which hit the ground running just this January.
Now let me tell you a little something about Fried Fred – unlike what his moniker implies, he is far from fried. I do not enjoy fried stuff in the slightest, yet I found this fellow’s music to be most tasteful, indeed. Yet while the “fried” label here is misleading, the EP’s title is not so much – this guy is nonchalant, alright. Rapping over a layer of chill, smooth hip-hop beats, Fred tackles some oft-debated topics in a relaxed (and honestly quite distanced and spaced-out) fashion – see “Rolling Stone,” which is about gaining and maneuvering momentum in life, and “Never Change,” an ode to retaining one’s identity and integrity in the face of fortune and fame. His flow here is crisp, and equally crisp are the tunes – the lyrics are to the point with no beating around the bush, and the production is as clean as it is filthy (see; “gritty”).
But in case all that was not enough to convince some of you; piano, o piano! If you know me in any meaningful capacity, you will know that the way to my heart is the fuckin’ piano. And there’s plenty of that to be seen (or rather heard) here! Like so, I have been conquered – haven’t you, my dear reader? Fred strikes again.
In an attempt to mirror Fried Fred’s cool energy, I’ve been trying to play nonchalant this entire review. Did it work? I hope you’re dumbfounded when I tell you that I did, in fact, really enjoy this EP. A mere 11 minutes in duration, it is the short-and-sweet listen I needed to introduce some optimistic-yet-grounded energy to my otherwise spiritually empty Friday night. 8/10.
Silia 
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