YNW Melly: We All Shine

With a voice one could distinguish from anywhere, YNW Melly showed all the different ways he is able to use it on his debut album “We All Shine”. The 19-year-old Florida native continues the ever-growing trend of collecting a strong fan base independently through Soundcloud, releasing his first project “Collect Call” in 2017 and growing his catalog with singles like “Slang That Iron” and “4 Real”.

We All Shine is a 16 track album and every song demonstrates something different that Melly can do. On “Beat A N*gga Block” we hear a Young Thug like Melly attacking an 808 heavy beat with playful bars and creative ad-libs but on tracks like “No Heart” and “Butter Pecan” acoustic guitar melodies create a serious and almost somber mood to let Melly open up about personal struggles with relationships and other personal demons. One obstacle that YNW Melly has faced in his life is the justice system, as he served a year-long prison sentence in 2017, and he opened up about the struggles of life behind bars and makes his voice heard about young black males being targeted by the justice system on “No Holidays”. Melly’s versatility is not only shown between different songs but in the songs as well, as he has the ability to seamlessly transition between singing, rapping, and melodic rapping, showcased best on “Robbery” and “Control Me”.

YNW Melly performing live

As Melly was representing for his crew and speaking on the joys of wealth frequently on the album, it took time away from the more lyrical and introspective bars that tend to connect better with the masses, but the greater issue lied with a feature. Kanye West helped on the production of the album and provided a feature on the single “Mixed Personalities”, a catchy and well-written song where Melly shows good ability, but Kanye’s feature seems lazy, as he uses almost identical flow and vocal key as YNW Melly which was disappointing as you expect great things on a feature from an artist of his stature.

Overall, “We All Shine” is a fantastic first album for YNW Melly, as it shows all of his abilities and carries quality songs that keep you listening, look forward to more YNW Melly and more BumpThoughts in the near future.