In today’s review, we will be graced by a multidisciplinary creative from Kingston, Jamaica known as Rebel G Society. Well, that’s his creative title, with his real name being Daryl Boothe. He is based in New York City currently and has a number of titles to his artistic endeavors- illustrator, creative director, music producer and artist, first and fundamentally.
Rebel G Society has had the honor of serving as the former Creative Director for Master P’s Moneyatti Clothing as well as being tasked the job of designing uniforms for the YouTube giant MrBeast. He then transitioned into music production in 2023 and have been blending his diverse influences into sonic tapestries ever since.
In his newest release, The Synthbyte Trap Odyssey, Vol. 1, he displays a large amount of versatility by colouring each track with a different emotional experience. He experiments with autotune and vocal manipulation, letting his Jamaican roots shine through with his patois-influenced delivery. Some of his influences include Vybz Kartel, Popcaan as well as Ye, Pharrell and Timbaland. The album combines Afrobeats, Hip-Hop, Trap and Reggaeton, all into one symphony that captures the artist’s vision.
The project also features two collaborations with the artists Cali RP and Fleee’tho BANGZ.
Honestly, after listening to this album, I feel like this album was literally released too late. This album would’ve been a banger or even the catalyst to greater success within the dancehall and Afrobeats scene in 2017-2020. The influences are quite apparent within the composition of all of these songs, some of which I can literally imagine Wizkid or even Mr Eazi on some of these tracks, with acoustic influences that mirror the 2020 album ‘Made in Lagos’.
The only real glaring issue with the tracks on the album is a) the mastering of the vocals from the main vocalist and the featured artist, and b) the datedness of some of these tracks. I understand the use of the vocoder, and I think it really fits most of these songs- the main vocalist glides over these songs smoothly, complementing a lot of the elements of the song, but it just needs to be mastered a little bit more. Just that tiny improvement of mastering would literally put these songs on the level of let’s say, Odunsi the Engine in 2017.
Even though the scene of Afrobeats have changed to add more amapiano influences and native African influences (such as Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa native rhythms) and the infusion of Afrobeats and trap have dwindled, it’s hard for these songs to truly be ‘looked over’. I think they’re all very nicely made and fit the metaphorical ‘vibe check’. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if there was an underground fanbase behind this album. The songs have soul and flair to them, which makes me understand and appreciate the effort behind them. An intelligent ear was definitely used in the composition as there is even a variety of melodies and techniques used within each of the subgenres in this album, leading credence to a higher than average musical variability score.
I really think this album needs to be mastered further and even re-released. It’s a little bit dated, but I think there’s a market of people who miss the ‘old’ sound of Afrobeats- and this album definitely delivers. It’s not a bad album by any means, with songs that will still drag you into a timeless groove.
SCORE/Excellent: If you listened to Afrobeats religiously from 2017-2019, I guarantee you will feel a bit of positive nostalgia from this album. It has a delicate and intricate vibe throughout each track, and even though it suffers from very slight mastering issues, I actually think each track is complex and soulful enough to sway most with functional ears. I hope to hear more from this artist.
[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]
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