Released June 26, 2017
Track Listing
- Don’t Know You
- Dark Clouds feat. Nafla
- Rainin’ With U
- You, Clouds, Rain (feat. Shin Yong Jae)
- Star (Rain Version)
Review
I’ve grown indifferent to music from South Korea. It hasn’t gotten worse per se, but it has been tough for me to find music that sticks. I enjoy the acts I’ve always liked, even if they leave me wanting more. Perhaps I’m looking in the wrong places. Last year, I had Kisum in my yearly wrap-up.
The only real exposure I had of Unpretty Rapstar was through Twitter. It never occurred to me that something would come out of that I would be into.
Heize was on another season of the show and in the No Jam video. This is where I begin to hate myself for not realizing it sooner. I went down a YouTube hole of related videos and began watching Heize stuff; the more I heard, the more I wanted to hear. Her collabo on And July with DEAN sealed the deal. Is there a rapping songstress making music like that? I was sleeping. Well, I’m awake now.
You, Clouds, Rain was released earlier this year, and Heize gave me the fresh air I wanted. The opening track, Don’t Know You, strikes the right balance between her rapping and singing and provides that mid-tempo bounce that blends it all. Question: Why does she treat that bear so meanly?
Dark Clouds goes down the jazzy R&B route, and I can’t help but nod at how smooth it is. Then comes the real beauty of the EP. Rainin’ With You is all piano with the sound of rain which transitions you to the slower ballad songs. I’ve previously written that I’m generally done with ballads. So although there are two of them here, they work on the project. They simultaneously execute changing weather and mood themes, showcase Heize’s true range, and answer any lingering questions about how good she is.
I had no idea Unpretty Rapstar would give me two people I’m into. Well, thank you to Unpretty Rapstar for injecting energy into the music that I needed from South Korea. Sorry to Heize for being late on the train.
