When Fluent was working on his sixth album, Carolinafornia Nightmare, his goal was to push himself creatively and convey what it was like moving from North Carolina to Los Angeles. And it would be an understatement to say the end result accomplishes what he set out to do. This is Flu’s most fully realized project to date, and it also proves that dude is indeed a problem—or a nightmare, as it were.
“With this tape, I delved into different areas of my skill set to show my audience what I”m fully capable of when it comes to the art of songwriting,” he says, adding that he wrote or sang most of the hooks on CN. That’s a big part of why tracks like “The Bed” and “Rain” (feat. Lantana) are so successful. They have the potential to garner the emcees more mainstream attention while also staying true to his ability to straight-up spit.
His pure talents as a rapper are perhaps most apparent on “Wave,” his favorite track on the album. “It reminds me of where I came from originally, and musically with that bar-for-bar braggadocio and punchline flow,” he says of the banger produced by North Carolina beatsmith, and Dr. Dre collaborator, D.R.U.G.S. Flu also loves “Wave” because so many people want to get hot (or “ride the wave”) without putting in the necessary work. “If you want it, you better work for it,” he adds.
The album’s other highlights further demonstrate Flu’s versatility as an artist. That goes for whether he’s flexing over bangin’ production on “Now You Know,” examining artistic determination on “Make It,” or dishing out old-school lover-man raps on “The One.” And that’s just a sampling of where he takes the listener on this journey through his life at the moment, which flickers between hedonism and self-awareness.
“I had fun with this one,” says Fluent, ”and I truly believe that this is my best work yet both creatively and sonically.” If you don’t take Flu’s word for it, play the album stream right here courtesy of RESPECT., and see for yourself. Carolinafornia Nightmare is now available through all digital retailers, via Supreme Regime.
Tracklist:
01. Carolinafornia Nightmare (prod. by J. Thrill)
02. Wave (prod. by D.R.U.G.S.)
03. The Bed (feat. Colby O’Donis) [prod. by J. Cardim]
04. Getting Paid (feat. Yung LA) [prod. by J. Cardim]
05. Way You Do It (feat. Kaze & Defacto) [prod. by TwanBeatMaker]
06. The One (prod. by TwanBeatMaker)
07. Make It (feat. Blu) [prod. J. Cardim]
08. Now You Know (prod. by D.R.U.G.S.)
09. Me & You (feat. Alexis Brooke) [prod. by Gotti]
10. Rain (feat. Lantana) [prod. by TwanBeatMaker]
11. In Love (prod. by DJ Shaw-T)
12. Ready, Aim (prod. J. Cardim)
Buy/Stream Links:
• iTunes: http://bit.ly/
• Amazon: http://bit.ly/
• Google Play: http://bit.ly/
• Spotify: http://bit.ly/
• Tidal: http://bit.ly/
Fluent Online:
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/
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