Pink Heartz is the second album by Atlanta rapper, SoFaygo. The 21-year-old dominated the underground Soundcloud scene from 2018-2020 with his unique melodic delivery that felt like a breath of fresh air in the rap world. In addition, his collaborations, and his rap feuds, made him a hot topic among fans. He is known for exchanging diss tracks with former Slayworld rappers, Summrs and Kankan. He is also known for his early collaborations with underground alums Lil Tecca. Lil Tecca produced the beat for Knock Knock, a catchy track that gained TikTok attention and pushed SoFaygo into the spotlight.
SoFaygo’s internet buzz eventually led to him being signed by rap superstar Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack label in 2021. Faygo, as his fans call him, received congrats when he was signed, but this decision was soon met with disappointment. When Faygo signed, he became less active on social media and dropped way less music. To his fans, he seemed to be forcing a mysterious image. Some even speculated that Travis Scott was forcing Faygo to act this way. Of course, rap fans are used to this behavior from rappers like Playboi Carti, but this was new for the previously active Faygo.
Fans' most prominent issue with Faygo was the delay of Pink Heartz. An album was expected from Faygo in mid-2021. Many started to blame Travis Scott for this delay too. In addition, fans began to compare Faygo’s trajectory to Yeat, a fellow SoundCloud rapper who blew up quickly in 2021. It is believed that Faygo would be at Yeat’s level if he released a project in 2021.
In June 2022, Faygo did release B4PINK, a 5 track EP that gave fans a snippet of what Pink Heartz would be like. Many rappers release a “B4” EP before an album drop.
Faygo has received a lot of criticism in the past year, but hopefully, this album will calm down the critics and get him in the position that many expected him to be in by now.
On the project, Faygo goes between rapping on upbeat mainstream beats and singing softly on more reflective beats. This is a change from the spacey sample beats he used to hop on in his Soundcloud days. Finally, Faygo shows out on “Hell Yeah,” a triumphant anthem featuring Opium artist Ken Carson. Faygo uses his electronic vocals to brag about his new life in L.A. In the hook, he raps, “that money getting spent. I’m on sh**.” The amped-up beat sounds like it could be used to hype up a basketball team before a game. Overall, the song is energetic, and Faygo shows that with his confident delivery. Not to mention, Ken Carson delivers a quick flow that matches Faygo’s energy. Both artists met expectations in this highly anticipated collaboration.
“Greed” is another song about Faygo’s new success. The hypnotic beat is accompanied by generic but inspiring lyrics like, “Mom, ain’t no more stressing. Balenciaga, how I’m stepping.” Faygo even adds some interesting bird adlibs after rapping, “b**** I get fly as a bird.” “Greed” is an example of Faygo doing his best on a mainstream beat. By mainstream, I mean it has familiar drum patterns you usually hear in hit songs from Migos and Travis Scott. There is nothing wrong with these beats, but I preferred when Faygo hopped on more experimental ones. I must say that Faygo’s best songs on the album are on these beats, though. Similar songs include “Out,” “Blitz,” and “Me Too.”
Faygo has always been a melodic rapper, but he isn’t known for really singing. On a few songs, he committed to singing with mixed results. One piece like this was “I’ll Say.” On the song, Faygo sings with autotune over a wavey synth-filled beat. Faygo’s droning vocal preset simply doesn’t work on this song. The bland lyrics don’t help, either. “Ever had your back against the wall? Like you ain’t got no one to call” is one line that comes to mind. The song “Prices” has the same issues. His voice is not good enough to justify the unnecessary harmonizing that he does between verses. It feels like Faygo is being pushed to be a discount Bryson Tiller instead of continuing with the sound that got him his loyal fanbase. Faygo is like many rappers I enjoy, like SahBabii or Lil Uzi Vert. They are great when they are melodizing with autotune but still rapping. I wouldn’t say that full-on singing is for them, though.
Overall, I would give the album a 6/10. Faygo proves he can appeal to a mainstream audience, but that comes at the price of leaving behind some of his strengths. Now that Faygo has put out his first Cactus Jack project, he can go back to indulging in more experimental beats and flows.
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