My first experience with Rome Fortune's music came with the release of his 2014 EP Small VVorld, a project that didn't blow me away, but did make a solid impression nonetheless. On the project, it was made immediately clear that the Atlanta, Georgia based emcee had an ear for intriguing instrumentals and was able to match them up with the perfect flow seemingly with ease. So, going into his debut full-length album, Jerome Raheem Fortune, I was hoping to see him capitalize on the same spacey, wavy, intricate production style that made his older material stand out. Fortunately, the album delivered, as this is perhaps the most diverse project I've heard from Rome thus far into his career, as he comes through with various flows, and couples them with some fantastic production.
When the opening track All The Way began, I was forced to check my iTunes library because I could have sworn I had accidentally put on a song by a synth-pop act like Carly Rae Jepsen or Chvrches. Not only does the beat feel far off from what you would expect on a hip-hop project, but Rome Fortune's singing voice comes through in a way that sounds like he could be making radio-ready pop music. It's not one of the best tracks on the project, but it certainly sets up the listener for what's to come up next, and overall is still an enjoyable cut.
That same pop oriented singing comes into play multiple times on the album, and it almost always works for the best. Some of the records finest moments, the song Love for example, see's Rome alternating between his deeply pitched natural singing voice and a much higher autotune approach delivered over top of a dance influenced club beat. Of course, the use of upbeat danceable tracks doesn't stop there, the appropriately titled Dance is another cut that see's Fortune handling a lot of singing duties, and while lyrically it might not be the most impressive, it's the production, catchiness, and his flow that help drive the track just like with the rest of the album.
It's not all poppy dance rap on the record however, as many tracks exude a certain alternative trap flavor, a la Chicago rapper Lucki Eck$. The song Blicka Blicka features a sparse, spacey instrumental with Fortune spitting some trap inspired bars without digging so deep into the drill or trap scene that you feel like you're listening to a project of those genres. The following cut, Heavy as Fathers see's a similar approach, and opens with the line "sniffed a bunch of cocaine last night," which gives you an idea of the "turn-up anthem" that the track really is. There's no promise of broad, introspective lyrics that will make you think on this album, but Rome is still constantly is able to bring more to the table than your run of the mill turn-up party rapper on cuts like these.
There are a few deeper moments lyrically throughout Jerome Raheem Fortune as well, like on the cut What Can You Do where Rome spends the track reflecting on his childhood, his relationship with his father, and his struggles with drug addiction. While it doesn't always feel as if he's reaching as far back as he can, the sung of chorus of "what can you do about it? not a god damn thing" shows his fairly lighthearted perspective on the matter, and before too long we're back to the more upbeat, fun, entertaining tracks.
Still I Fight On, one of the most ambitious tracks in the listing as far as length goes, clocks in at over six minutes, and while the instrumental begins sounding like perhaps the most traditional the production on this project gets, it quickly progresses into one of the finer alternative trap beats found in the listing. The tinny claps met with the shiny synths and dirty bass all slide into the background as Rome takes front and centre with his rhymes which while ultimately aren't anything spectacular, remain entertaining and prove once again that he's able to hold his own.
The album wraps up with a couple more interesting tracks, as both Paid Back Loans and the closing cut Find My Way are memorable moments from the project. The guitar based instrumental on Paid Back Loans is a small but solid change from the earlier instrumentals, and the warm, tropical production on Find My Way is a strong way to wrap the project up and leave on a high note.
The combination of perhaps the best production I've heard on a hip-hop project so far this year, a plethora of fantastic hooks, and a strong enough flow and lyricism to help Rome Fortune stand on his own makes Jerome Raheem Fortune a fantastic debut full-length for the Georgia native, and proves that he may just be a hip-hop star in the making.
Rating: 4/5
Still I Fight On, one of the most ambitious tracks in the listing as far as length goes, clocks in at over six minutes, and while the instrumental begins sounding like perhaps the most traditional the production on this project gets, it quickly progresses into one of the finer alternative trap beats found in the listing. The tinny claps met with the shiny synths and dirty bass all slide into the background as Rome takes front and centre with his rhymes which while ultimately aren't anything spectacular, remain entertaining and prove once again that he's able to hold his own.
The album wraps up with a couple more interesting tracks, as both Paid Back Loans and the closing cut Find My Way are memorable moments from the project. The guitar based instrumental on Paid Back Loans is a small but solid change from the earlier instrumentals, and the warm, tropical production on Find My Way is a strong way to wrap the project up and leave on a high note.
The combination of perhaps the best production I've heard on a hip-hop project so far this year, a plethora of fantastic hooks, and a strong enough flow and lyricism to help Rome Fortune stand on his own makes Jerome Raheem Fortune a fantastic debut full-length for the Georgia native, and proves that he may just be a hip-hop star in the making.
Rating: 4/5
Listen to Rome Fortune's track Blicka Blicka below:
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