Richard Daniel: Thought Out

Richard Daniel, from Birmingham, has been making hip-hop since 2014, and with ten releases out within his 3-year-old career, we can safely deduce that the rapper loves what he does. “The main goal I want to achieve through my music is to create something that people can use to find common ground and relate to one another,” the artist writes about his work on social media. And his second full-length album, Thought Out, is an explicit manifestation of this philosophy.

Richard belongs to the class of rappers that regards rap lyricism as poetry and make music as a form of thoughtful expression more than anything else. “Watch me as I begin to astonish you with the pen” he starts off on Walking With Giants, self-aware of his style and artistry. His verses are dense and verbose on most cuts, but the well placed and well selected soul and R&B samples give the songs enough room to breathe and lend the music its pop appeal. Over the album’s 52-minute length, we hear Richard sharing with us his experiences and reflections about life, and also his ongoing struggle to make a mark within the rap scene. “The game is like a surgeon, its tearing me apart,” he acknowledges on Thrill is Gone. All along, his delivery is sharp and focused, while his flow is nothing short of masterful.

<a href="http://richarddaniel.bandcamp.com/album/thought-out">Thought Out by Richard Daniel</a>

Favorite Track: Open (Running), Fly Me to the Moon

Track List
1. Open (Running) 05:28
2. Thrill Is Gone 03:14
3. One 03:04
4. Walking With Giants (ft. bwaugh) 05:59
5. Fly Me To The Moon 03:15
6. You And I 04:58
7. Questions 04:12
8. MmmHmm 03:51
9. Jupiter 04:29
10. The Problem 03:01
11. Wailing In The Background (feat. Phrasure) 04:05
12. Close 06:49