92baby – 1992

92baby – 1992 – EP Review

I mean…y’all know I’m here to comment on music & all, but when you see a profile pic at Facebook this dope you gotta shout it out for the awesomeness you see before you type another word, you feel me?

You might know him as Lorenzo…you might know him from his previous cuts as Zo…or ya might just know him as 92baby, the name he’s rebranded to as he pushes to the next level of his music-career.

Dude makes a fantastic first impression with “Love For Granted” opening up his 1992 EP, eventually revealing that hybrid style between R&B & Hip-Hop…a lil’ Soul sprinkled in…you know what I’m talkin’ about…it’s a versatile style that’s everywhere you turn right now, putting 92baby on solid ground with relevant sound built for the right here & now from the drop of track one.  What I loved about “Love For Granted” immediately was that you can instantly hear the balance…usually the risk in a hybrid artist is that you’ll know what the strengths are right away, but from the hooks to the bars, 92baby has clearly got game.  The melodic design of the flow on “Love For Granted” isn’t just good, it’s downright insightful when it comes right down to it…it’s got the kind of clever structuring that’ll cue you into how much work has been put in here, and everything you’ll hear throughout this lineup of six will confirm he’s done it right.  Of the cuts he’s got in this lineup, I think there’s an argument to be made that he’s got his most accessible track hittin’ us right in the one-spot from the very get-go here; “Love For Granted” has a lot of sparkling charm & highly appealing melody to it – and honestly, to listen to how deep this dude digs into the main theme through his words gives this whole cut a ton of lasting power.  Chances are, most are gonna notice how easy it is to get into 92’s sound on that first spin – but when you start giving this track the repeat it deserves, you’ll notice just how much detail & REALNESS he’s puttin’ through the m-i-c.  Don’t take the man’s “Love For Granted” y’all – and don’t be passin’ out any of that fake shit anyhow, no matter who it is – 92baby gives you a reminder of the importance of being real throughout this first cut.  Hooks are wildly on-point right at the start…he’s got his sound LARGE and his vocals even LARGER – and if there’s one thing you’ll come out with after listening to “Love For Granted,” it’ll be the fact that you can hear 92baby goes all-in without holding anything back from the very beginning of his 1992 EP.

Now…you’re gonna hear more than a few basketball references on this record…which is obviously awesome if you’re livin’ in my world.  That being said, if you’ve read any review I’ve written that has the opportunity to tie into the realm of roundball y’all, you know this is where I tend to jump up & down and scream about how no matter what team you’re rockin’ with, that James Harden will come out on top.  Been a bit tougher to get to that this year to say the least, from the trade at the start, to the current injury me & my bearded hero are sidelined with, it’s been hard to just proclaim the throne is all ours like we know it is.  That being said, here I am, looking forward to going to BATTLE this week with 92baby, who is from Wisconsin, and I’m all excited about how he’s barely GOT a ball club over there…  (Yes!  I just went there!) …and then of course the Bucks spanked the shit outta the Nets the other day, and I’m left here with nothing to say.  I can at the very least, pick on 92 just a lil’ bit for having multiple references to basketball on this record, but none that I’ve heard mentioned the Bucks either – so at the very least, perhaps it’s fair to assume he’s looking for a bit more than Giannis to land in Milwaukee before he starts rappin’ about his own state’s club, maybe he’s more on my side of thangs.  In any event…here’s to hopin’ The Beard is finally healthy so we can settle all this up in the playoffs this year once & for all & get that CHIP!  #Nets2021 yo!  Besides, redemption comin’ versus the Bucks TONIGHT at 7:30 EST!

Alright…I’m clearly off topic here…it was the lyrics of ”Mamacita” that got me thinkin’ about basketball…  92’s got authentic flair and a serious gift for the art of the rhyme – listening to him punch the syllables with all the right energy & emphasis to make his words continually stand out from the music has been nothing short of impressive.  He’s an expressive dude when it comes right down to it – and when you hear a track like “Mamacita,” you start to realize that he’s got no problem whatsoever getting right to the heart of what he wants to say, and that he’s unafraid to say it exactly how he wants to.  “I put my feelings on the table, you ain’t like it” – 92baby is battlin’ the balance of life & love on this cut, trying to navigate the emotions & drama that all come with it.  Listen to the detail put in from the lead to the background vocals though will ya?  He’s audibly ensured that there is ALWAYS something to listen to – and even when the beat drops out from behind him, he’s still rocking vocal hooks that carry the weight and keep the entertainment flowin.’  It’s an introspective cut in many ways, but with tons of relatable insight that people out there will connect with in their own experiences trying to figure out how in the hell love works without the million twists & turns that threaten it along the way.  92baby doesn’t spend the entire cut mired in reflection on relationships & whatnot…”Mamacita” is a bit scattered in its theme when it comes to the multiple directions that the lyricism will take, but all-in-all, it’s still a solid track that brings ton of personality to the mic & reveals the huge degree of X-factor appeal that 92baby truly has.

“I ain’t grow up to make no music – I was born for it” is one of my favorite lines on this record, and you’ll find it in “God’s Talking,” one of the most grounded cuts on the 1992 EP that gives you some of the most insight into the man behind the microphone as well.  “I need to be a better me” – 92 has no problem shouting out his skills and what makes him special on this cut – but at the same time, he stays seriously humble in many other ways, and gets right the core of who he really is – “that’s some real shit.”  Sincerity is a hard thing to fake to those that can authentically hear it, and when a song like “God’s Talking” comes my way, it’s easy for me to hear that these words 92baby is spittin’ are straight from the soul, and that he’s layin’ out the facts as real as real can be for us.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s professionalism that comes into play – if you know where the energy of a track is looking to express, you can get real damn close to what sincerity sounds like – but even though there’s no question that you’ll hear the professionalism in 92baby for sure, it’s the sincerity he has that remains the most dominant trait in what we hear.  “God’s Talking” is one of the strongest cuts on the 1992 EP from start to finish if you ask me; I might not be a religious man myself, but I have no issues whatsoever with an artist or band shoutin’ out The Lord to the high heavens above if I can feel that they really mean what they say – and this man right here, he does.  That’s really the key to what makes ALL of this EP as bulletproof as it is – the conviction & confidence in 92’s performances…he’s every bit the wordsmith he claims to be 100%.

In the mid-section, you really start to feel the weight of these cuts creep more into the vibe of this EP; ultimately all six speak on somethin’ about 92baby personally and what’s made him the man he is today, but in “God’s Talking” and “When I’m Right” you’ll feel that shift from more entertainment-focused tracks begin to slide into deeper vibes that’ll carry on even further into “Humble Or Not” as he gets into more serious terrain.  While there’s no doubt the man knows how to work in a pop culture reference into his lines here & there, again, you can’t mistake genuine sincerity when you hear it – and when 92 wants to flip the script from mere entertainment on the surface and dive into something deeper, he proves he’s fully capable time & time again of doing it in a way we couldn’t possibly miss.  “When I’m Right” flexes a brilliant dose of stylistic finesse – I mean, the man is BUILT on this strength when it comes right down to it – but I’m really digging how there’s so much more to his music than just a bunch of glossy sound too, you feel me?  It’s the fact that 92baby pulls no punches and says what he wants to say with such style AND substance that makes him stand out the way that he should be, that’s what I’m sayin.’  It’s awesome to hear this guy get amped-up in the lead and just let his vocals rip with full power – kind of similar to how he approached the opening cut in that sense, 92baby puts in another highlight performance to remember here on “When I’m Right” and lets his energy build to a full boil as it plays.

I’ll say this…he’s got a LOT goin’ on in the mix in his songs…and while I personally dig that, if there’s gonna be some kind of critique or criticism comin’ his way from the average everyday listener out there, it’s gonna come down to that most likely, and whether or not they can ‘hear’ everything goin’ on.  Which to be fair to those folks, I get it – it would be hard to take in everything 92baby throws down on a single spin – but like we always say around here, that’s what your repeat button is for, so fuckin’ USE IT!  In terms of a signature style and identity in the sound, what 92baby is doing actually stacks up really strong in that regard…on a couple spins through the 1992 EP I felt like I could pick the man’s music out of a playlist blindfolded, and he should be proud of generating that much recognition in his style.  Beyond that, again, this all speaks to the amount of work he’s truly put in – which is a literal TON when you’re listening up close; yes it’s a lot to absorb – but listen to how much happens in the background of 92baby’s tracks will ya?  And give the man some credit where credit is due y’all – the reality is, he could have played so much more of this straight-ahead and left it at a simple couple vocal tracks, but he’s been using his vocals like an additional instrument every step of the way throughout this record to his advantage, and pretty much put just as much melody into these cuts through his voice as the music does.  Goin’ way down low to start it up with his vocals, then springing to life at full-speed with a chilled-out beat surrounding him, 92baby becomes the master of time & space on “Humble Or Not” and has complete control of every syllable he spits, manipulating the flow & bending bars to his will, flexing an array of gears along the way that all contribute to the many twists & turns this cut takes in a short time.  Dude’s got an incredible way of switching it all ON when that studio light says it’s time to record, and just like he has on every other one of these tracks throughout the 1992 EP, he maximizes every moment.  “It’s easy to break a heart, but harder to fix it” – I could pull quotes outta this cut all damn day y’all – some of 92’s lyrical best is stamped into the emotional lines threaded into the fabric of this track here.

“Wisconsin Roads” is all-out stellar and a perfect highlight to end it on, giving us all one last track that lays out what a day in the life of 92baby is like, and what he gets up to outside of the music.  Dude’s got an intensely focused flow, and 92’s spittin’ his bars like his life depends on it – and all-around, he’s put the passion into his rhymes from the start to the finish of his 1992 EP that makes the entire difference.  The more personal he tends to get, the better the results seem to be – you can hear in a cut like this last one that 92baby knows the “Wisconsin Roads” like the back of his hand & knows where those roads will lead him – and what he’ll find when he gets there.  He knows the way out; he knows the way home too – and if you’re listening close, you’ll find we all get to take a fairly nostalgic trip down memory lane with him here, that’ll make a whole bunch of stops along the way at pivotal points in the story of 92baby.  It stays cohesive from start to finish – not just this last cut, but the record overall – it might start with a more noticeably vibrant set of hooks, but the progression into the deeper cuts on the 1992 EP has been gradual, keeping us locked into the vibe, style, hooks, and storylines along the way.  “If you my dog I got your back like I’m a fuckin’ flea” – c’mon y’all – that’s killer.  92baby has spit so many impressive lines throughout this EP that I could have simply pulled quotes and filled these pages til this review was twice the size it already IS – so take that to heart, the man’s got a way with his words that always makes a major impact.  Insightful, observational, introspective, aware…gifted with a natural rhythm that can’t be denied – 92baby packs in entertainment that hits hard & he brings fire to every second of the 1992 EP.

Find out more about 92baby at his official website at:  https://lorenzostillballin.wixsite.com

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