So MadeinTYO finally dropped his debut album, Sincerely, Tokyo. I’m probably not alone in thinking this weirdly removed from the time period when MadeinTYO was popping. Uber Everywhere and Skateboard P were bops; that’s an indisputable fact. However, it’s even weirder that this is apparently his last album as well (allegedly, we’ll have to see).
Retro 88 is the second track on the album, but it’s the first track on the album that really sounds like the MadeinTYO we know and love. That’s not to say I don’t appreciate artists trying different things with their music, but it’s always good to have a signature sound your listeners can latch on to. The first song is very Quavo-esque, in the sense that he’s rapping as if he’s in detention, copying sentences. I know he likes The Simpsons but it doesn’t make for a great song (Ned Flanders is amazing, though).
The song is produced by K Swisha and knocks exactly in the right way. MadeinTyo is actually rapping, not to mention he’s brought back his notable ad-lib. If he doesn’t say skrt-skrt, is it really a MadeinTYO song? Also, he’s talking about how dope his outfit is and smoking backwoods, which says a lot about him.
The downside of the song is how short it is, but most of his songs (and those of artists with that same Gwinnett, North Atlanta sound) tend to have one verse for each person rapping, even if that means the song only has one verse. I suppose it’s an acknowledgement of how simplistic the sound is; if it’s repeated too much, it can be annoying. But at just the right length, it makes for a reliable formula.
Play this whole album in your car, loud. A party will appear, even if you weren’t headed towards one.