Rapper Rob $tone released his first studio album, Don’t Wait For It, at a crucial point in his career. $tone’s music career has been unable to bank off of his early success until this album. Ever since $tone released the double platinum single “Chill Bill” in summer 2016, he was seen as a “multidimensional vocalist” with the talent to develop into a rap icon. However, others saw him as a one-hit-wonder due to the lack of quality projects he put out, apart from a mediocre mixtape in September 2016. He was also involved in a violent dispute with popular rapper XXXTentacion and got kicked off of Desiinger’s Outlet tour. His career was headed in the wrong direction, and he faced the possibility of becoming irrelevant. However, he dropped Don’t Wait For It on October 20, and things are sure to change.

This 15-track album proves that $tone is a solid lyricist, with the ability to incorporate social issues into his music. Topics of police brutality, gang violence, and loyalty are mentioned throughout. “Little Piggy” is dedicated completely to police brutality. However, he still incorporates his party lifestyle into the album, making a unique fusion of “conscious rap,” which involves serious topics, “gangsta rap,” which is an aggressive style mostly about the gang lifestyle, and “alternative rap,” which involves hooks and verses that are not necessarily rap. He continued to stray away from the lighthearted sound used in “Chill Bill,” and fully transitioned into darker sounding beats and vocals. These changes gave him an amazing flow and they blend perfectly. Change in a musician’s style is a sign of growth and maturity, so this album is monumental for $tone.

The unique fusion of lyrics paired with dark, blunt beats and vocals creates a very interesting and enjoyable album. Don’t Wait For It includes appearances by Gucci Mane and Meechy Darko, along with a few lesser known collaborators.

The only downside to the album is that most of the tracks are very similar, with little variation throughout the album. My personal favorite tracks are “Lemon Grove,” “Highlight,” “Money Now,” and “Little Piggy.”

This album could be the most underrated album of the year and  might be my favorite so far. I give it a bold 9/10.

Derrick Voss

A&E Writer