Hi, everyone. Onethony Touchtano here, the internet's busiest music nerd. It's time for a review of this new RiTchie album, Triple Digits [112].

Rapper, singer, songwriter RiTchie, AKA RiTchie with a T. If you are an indie rap, underground nerd person, you are likely familiar with RiTchie's work through the numerous projects he was a part of as one-third of the now defunct hip hop outfit Injury Reserve, a group that was understandably decommissioned after the tragic and untimely passing of key member, Stepa J. Groggs. A year later, Injury Reserve's final album, By the Time I Get to Phoenix, would be released, a wildly daring and creative album that expanded the boundaries of experimental hip hop as we know it. But since the release of that album, there have been a lot of questions as to what the next creative moves for the remaining members of Injury Reserve would be. RiTchie and producer Parker Corey did seem to form this new duo named By Storm, which put out a single last year, but whatever progress was going to be made on that front seems to have been detoured into this new solo record from RiTchie, which does also feature production from Parker for anybody wondering if this record means their creative partnership has ended or anything like that. It's a surprise move, but one that I can't necessarily complain about especially since the teaser cuts leading into this album were pretty good.

There was the track "RiTchie Valens", where RiTchie brings these very expressive and elastic flows, where he's blending rapping and singing at the same time. His delivery, his inflections are very soulful, are cracked and strained, they're impassioned. In a way, it feels like a cross between ODB and a little Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, too. The instrumental is pretty out there, too, even by Injury Reserve standards, with lots of trippy, glitchy, synthy loops layered on top of each other combined with these pitched vocal chops that call out, "Why would you do this to me?" It's really odd and abstract on the production side, but simultaneously on the lyrical side, there is a moral clarity, a message clarity that makes for an interesting contrast. This also carries over onto a preoccupation with fakes, weirdos, and an individual who seems to be trying to force becoming famous, making it in music, art, whatever it is they're doing on the track "Dizzy" featuring Aminé. Whoever's being described on this track really comes across as a character taking fit pics at his grandma's funeral. This person may even be secretly rich, too. Once again, a lot of lyrical and narrative focus on this one combined with production that is just very creative, very oddball. RiTchie continues to experiment with different vocal inflections and is just exploring the deeper range of his voice.

Leading into this record, again, there are some very strong musical moments, but the rest of the album is something else. It is a fully independent release that is a little on the short side at 32 minutes in length. It's loaded with interlude cuts and shorties. A lot of tracks on this thing don't really have a lot in the way of development or song structure, and some of the vocal mixes on the record, especially toward the front end, ride a little high and are rough. Clearly, this thing, when you listen to it, is not going to be the most well-groomed project out there, which makes me wonder what RiTchie's creative process on this album was, how much he fine-tuned some of the details on here because definitely some stuff sounds a bit thrown together. But simultaneously, the rapping and elegant layers of pianos and vocal harmonies on the track "Looping", for example, you don't often hear this kind of artistry on albums that are just completely ham-fisted.

Despite these examples of on-the-surface chaos going on in this LP, there is a lot of consistency among the vocal performances and production aesthetics on this thing, I can give it that, as well as a handful of illusions throughout the album about how hot it is outside. I presume while this whole thing is being recorded, that seems like what the title is all about. There are some things about this LP that I can appreciate on a thematic on a macro level, as well as a couple of very specific undeniable highlights. The issue is, though, a great deal of the songs on this album just leave me wanting more. Again, many song structures come across as very underdeveloped, very one-note, there's not a whole lot of change or contrast, even when RiTchie is trying to work in a chorus or refrain of some sort. A lot of the production, while definitely unorthodox, it's also not very rich or dynamic. There are a lot of novel, cool, weird, and interesting ideas showcased in these beats, but many of them aren't given enough progression or breathing room to keep from going stale, if the song does actually happen to even reach two minutes.

For example, "WYTD?!?!", it does start pretty strong, but it's also really redundant and lo-fi to a fault. "The Keepers" also has quite a bit of potential with it being this spacy, atmospheric, abstract attempt at a drill cut, but it too doesn't really develop all that far, just the last 90 seconds or so. "Get a Fade" as well, cool ideas to start, but it's really just this sleepy, little auto-tune vocal harmony interlude piece that I just wish had more to it. A lot of this album has just a complete lack of anything super catchy or anything that would be conventionally appealing. I don't think this is due to a lack of skill or good ideas, anything like that, because reading into some of the lyrics and narratives around this album, it does seem to be pretty deeply anti-commercial, anti-clout chasing, anti-money chasing, anti-popularity, anti-status, anti-instant gratification, which I mean, yeah, it's definitely those things. I can't deny the album has certainly accomplished living out that ethos, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's succeeded in being an enjoyable listen, at least for me.

As far as the closing moments on the record are concerned, we have a lengthy auto-tune meditation with a very fragmented beat behind it, which wears out its welcome pretty fast in my opinion. There's a short credits and thank you track, which goes into those involved in the album as well. Overall, outside of several tracks, I wasn't really too enamored with what went on here. I think the album is okay. It's very rough around the edges and definitely unconventional in a way that I can respect, but again, that doesn't necessarily mean I'm enjoying it.

I think I can commend the fact that there are elements to this thing that remind me of ODB's second commercial album, but even more against the commercial grain. And take that and mix it with the avant intentions of By the Time I Get to Phoenix and you've got something in the range of what's happening here. Also, consider the fact that the likes of Quelle Chris as well as Zeroh are involved in this record. Guys who are really the forebearers and granddaddies of a lot of what we see today in abstract hip hop. So this is definitely an album that is going to challenge you. I'm going to leave it there, though, and say that I'm a little on the fence with this one and am hoping for something just a bit stronger from RiTchie or By Storm at some point in the near future.

I'm feeling a light-to-decent six on this one.

Anthony Fantano. RiTchie. Forever.