From the very first moment of ‘The Curious Die Young’, Elajah Mouhammed immediately hooks you into with an effortless groove and funky track that harkened me back to some of the happy-go-lucky tunes of a Mac Miller type artist. The Bronx based artist makes funk driven hip-hop and pop music that’s first and foremost goal is to get you moving and feeling. He began writing songs as an outlet, an escape from adversity he found himself in. Mouhammed draws inspiration from some of the most successful artists who still find themselves regarded as oddballs such as Tyler the Creator, Kanye West, and Donald Glover. On his second project, he’s found a maturity and clarity to his sound that’s bound to allow him to carve out a clear and wanting niche in the space of funk driven hip-hop. He’s only just starting out, but the road forward seems glisteningly lit for an artist who is on the course for stardom.
Kickstarting the project of with ‘Solar Drive’, Elajah’s sunny and resplendent production steers the course for an impeccably smooth r&b driven piece. A bit sensual, and a whole lot groovy, it sets the mood right for the album in the best way. ‘Sunkissed’ continues the sunny vibes set before it, but this time adopting a more traditional hip-hop approach with Elajah rapping his heart out rapidly and tongue twistingly. The final section, where he calls out his desire to dance is produced with a strangely metallic style that’s punchy and inspired. On ‘Battle of the Bastards’, Elajah’s flow constantly moves up and down, side to side, weaving together intricate rhyming patterns while interspersing staccato and smooth deliveries.
The album hits its zenith in the final few tracks, with ‘Modern Times!’ being the definitive magnum opus. The chorus is generational, an ode and lambasting of the world and times we live in. Elajah’s dexterity with his words is only matched by his ability to correlate them to a beat that complements his lyrical content perfectly. Moody and uplifting at different moments, ‘The Curious Die Young’ is one of the premier funk driven hip-hop albums in recent memory. Don’t sleep on him.