Spillage Village, the musical collective, consisting of the duo EARTHGANG, JID, Mereba, 6lack, Hollywood JB, Benji and Jurdan Bryant, has released its newest album, Spilligion.
The Atlanta-based hip-hop group has been releasing music since its first project, Bears Like This, in 2014. Since then, EARTHGANG, JID and 6lack have skyrocketed in popularity, picking up more traction for Spillage Village along the way.
Spillage Village members have never been ones to shy away from being different, whether in sound or style. So, it came to no surprise that Spilligion turned out to be an immersive, incredibly unique project.
Uniqueness, however, does not come without its flaws. Spilligion is an album best classified as ancestral folk hip-hop, as it features sounds that are reminiscent of their roots in Black culture. The constant change of sound that this project provides, however, tends to fall short on certain tracks.
“Mecca” is a track with a child-like chorus, an underwhelming verse from Johnny Venus, along with a low-effort verse from Doctur Dot. JID’s verse had no issues, but failed to turn heads to make it stand out amongst others on the album.
While there are some evident low-points on Spilligion, its perfect blend of modern hip-hop with clear soul-sounding influences tends to succeed.
“End Of Daze,” the lead single for Spilligion, is a beautiful yet apocalyptic-sounding track that features the artists speaking on the issues of racism and the pandemic respectively.
“Judas” and “Shiva” are both amazing, soulful tracks with energetic choruses and meaningful verses. JID, who’s included on both of those tracks, sounds the best he ever has with his vibrant, yet gritty verses.
Mereba’s track, “PsalmSing,” serves as a showcase for her incredible singing ability. The profound, Gospel-like chorus goes hand-in-hand with her slick-sounding, melodic verses.
Overall, Spillage Village’s Spilligion is a unique, eccentric project that isn’t without its minor flaws. Lackluster choruses and verses are sprinkled throughout the project. That, however, is not entirely unexpected from an album that features so many artists.
Although there are evident issues, the high points of this project tend to outshine the lows. JID and Mereba were the most consistent, as they provided a level of energy to the project that wasn’t quite reached by anyone else.
Spillage Village has always been unique and boundary-pushing. The usage of various sounds that attempt to make the album fresh sometimes fail to do so, but others progress the album to a whole other level that keeps it solid all around.
Rating: 3.5/5
