AUDIO ALBUM: Ehennuhsen – YOU

If you’re looking for some underground rap and hip hop to add to the rotation consider Ehennuhsen.

Born Ihinosen Dibua, Ehennusen saw some success with his 2018 single “Samurai Jack,” off of the mood infused BenchPark Thoughts.

On June 15, the Baltimore rapper, dropped his latest album You.  A slight departure from his previous work, You leans into the poetic nature of Ehennuhsen’s lyricism. Starting with “Beauty’s Her Name,” the tone is set with a romantic rainy day vibe.

“Ife Mi” keeps the romanticism up with the continuous guitar strums and lo-fi beats. “No Other Plans” intended as a sexual introduction to “All Night” is able to stand alone with its elevated vocals.

“All Night” is catchier with the potential for the chorus to get stuck in your head. But the best part about “All Night” is the honest emotional and mental health themes, with lyrics like “It’s okay to not be okay.”

The rockiness of relationships is the focus of both “All Night” and the following song “Don’t go.” “Don’t go,” is a personal favorite, with notable FKA Twigs influences, well-constructed melodies, and tangible raw emotions.

“Never Change” places Ehennuhsen’s lyrical ability at the forefront of the track. But “Poetry” is what takes center stage with arguably the album’s best song. “Poetry,” is a classic love song with great lo-fi production and 90s R&B influence.

“Serene” brings back the guitar sounds, except this time slightly distorted. The second to last song has solid production. The song also has what seems like intentional gritty sounding vocals, perhaps a nod to Tyler, the Creator’s recent work, IGOR.

The final song of the album “Love,” is just that, a love song. The song plays as a poetry based work of art, with almost out of breath and noticeably anxious Ehennuhsen trying to get every emotion out into words as he feels it.

There are obvious comparison’s of Ehennuhsen’s style to Drake, however, the album is far more nostalgic with it’s 90s R&b influence and light record player static overlays. There’s also some noticeable influence from Frank Ocean’s Blonde.  The album overall is particularly respectful of women and highlights equal gender pleasure and status in relationships.

In Ehennuhsen’s own words,

“THE ALBUM IS LARGELY A WAY OF TALKING ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS AND WOMEN BUT IN A MORE POSITIVE WAY THAN A LOT OF RAP OUT RIGHT NOW. EACH SONG IS AN INSPIRATION FROM AN ACTUAL EXPERIENCE.”

You can listen to Ehennuhsen’s You on all streaming platforms right now.