Elcamino & TrickyTrippz — On the 3rd Day

Studio album number eight for the Buffalo rapper Elcamino, who has taken a downward spiral a few months ago and seems unable to get out of it. The production is entirely done by Tricky Trippz, beatmaker who has already provided rhythms for Eto, Flee Lord and 38 Spesh. The project is void of guests, for the first time since "Lot and Abraham" (2019).

The first song features a discreet boom bap, downtempo drum, dark piano in the background and a delivery that's perhaps inspired, slow, syncopated, discreet. Another simple rhythm follows with dry and downtempo drum, dark female melodic sample in the background, decent rapping by Elcamino. In "Extra Baggage", Tricky Trippz provides one of his best beats, boom bap with good somber jazzy samples and downtempo drum, Elcamino spits inspired bars with an almost good and almost smooth slow style. Then he returns to sing on track number four, on a production with dry, skeletal and tight drum and elegant piano loop: he focuses more on the hook than the rest of the piece, practically all sung.

He goes back to rapping on the uneven rhythm of "Door Steps", then slowly delivers in the sixth song, on another irregular and tight drum machine. The seventh pick boasts good samples and a light frantic drum, Elcamino spits bars with a slow and decent style. "Paying Texas" has gloomy and dark samples, strings in the background, maybe a distant elegant piano and a lean and tight irregular drum to support Elcamino's slow syncopated delivery, which closes this sort of long EP in "Still Remember", short song with a plaintive female soul sample and distant midtempo drum, on which he offers bars with a slow style.

This album of 23 minutes and 9 tracks can do nothing but disappoint fans: what has happened to Elcamino in recent months should be a matter of investigation. One of the most promising guys in the underground hip-hop circuit suddenly completely loses energy, doesn't want to rap anymore and starts talking and singing everywhere for no apparent reason. It may not be as bad a tape as it sounds, but it's certainly among the his worst records to date.

Rating: 6/10.