Beware the Book of Eli is Ski Mask The Slump God's second full-length project. The highly anticipated follow-up to You Will Regret had gone through development hell, as there was much adversity to overcome before its release. The project's release date was botched more times than one could count as it was constantly pushed back from late 2017 to early 2018 to May. It is rumored that the constant postponement is at the fault of Ski's management team, who were about to be fired after its release. When they found out, they kept trying to shelve the project to prolong their firing. Ski Mask wasn't happy and as a result, he fired them and took a big financial risk by leaking the tape on SoundCloud himself. For legal reasons, the tape was taken down and was given an official release date on May 11, 2018, for all streaming platforms. Ski Mask is easily my favorite new school rapper because of his amazing energy and untouchable flow. I could not wait to listen to this.
Positives
Ski Mask The Slump God has one of the best flows in hip-hop right now and it continues to shine here. His voice and energy keep the project interesting and provide something different for most tracks. Ski has always been known to be experimental and since he's still in the early stages of his career, he is still finding a sound that works for him. His beat selection continues to be wacky and zany. Even if something about the project sounds weird or off-putting, it still manages to fit Ski's aesthetic so well.Negatives
We have waited for months on end for this mixtape to drop and we end up getting 10 songs at a 21-minute runtime. This tape is almost shorter than the average episode of a network sitcom. A rapper like Ski Mask The Slump God has enough talent to make something much longer than that. The songs are way too short, as the longest track is 2 minutes and 59 seconds (DoIHaveTheSause?). The leaked version was much longer as it included tracks like the Offset-featured "With Vengeance," the Boy Meets World-sampled "SkiMeetsWorld," and "Worldwide," which included a highly anticipated snippet. Those tracks are not present here, and many fans who got to listen to the leaked version say these were the best songs. Most of the features bring the tape down quite a bit and seemed unnecessary, as Ski is perfectly capable of carrying most of this project by himself. This will be elaborated in the next section.
So how were the features?
1) Rich The Kid (Lost Souls & Bukkake) - My issue with Rich The Kid is that he does the same flow on every song and doesn't bring enough energy for it to be tolerable. I didn't mind his feature on the project's closer "Bukkake," but couldn't stand him on the opener "Lost Souls."
Verdict: disliked on Lost Souls, ehhhh on Bukkake
2) Ronny J (Throwaway) - Ronny J is one of the best trap producers in hip-hop, but is hit or miss as a rapper/vocalist. I liked some of his vocals on his project OMGRONNY, but he did not sound good here. According to Genius, he doesn't even have a production credit, so he was basically useless.
Verdict: disliked
3) SahBabii (Coolest Monkey In the Jungle) - I don't really mind SahBabii's music. His sound is interesting and seems like a combination of 21 Savage and Young Thug. He was probably my favorite feature here, which isn't saying much because "I used to live in the jungle/I got my thumb in her butthole."
Verdict: ehhhh
4) Danny Towers (Geekin) - Geekin wasn't really a great song to begin with, but his hook just made it even worse.
Verdict: disliked
So how were the singles?
While there were other singles that were released on SoundCloud and YouTube, there was only one with an official release on all streaming platforms:
DoIHaveTheSause? - You can basically answer this question with one word: Yes. This song is a three-minute clinic of Ski Mask The Slump God unleashing his best flows and catchy lines talking about trying to kill that pussy like Michael Myers or wanting that Erykah Badu.
Verdict: liked
Favorite Tracks
1) Coolest Monkey In the Jungle (feat. SahBabii) - I always thought Murda Beatz is an average producer, but I love his production on this track. I was able to tolerate SahBabii's feature here. I'd say the only thing wrong with this track is that the hook is a bit repetitive.
2) Child's Play - Originally titled "Poltergeist," this song showcases bass-heavy, menacing production. There isn't too much to say here as the song is just a minute and 37 seconds, but Ski shows off a great verse here. Honestly, it's my favorite track.
3) Bukkake (feat. Rich The Kid) - While the flow on the hook is reminiscent of another song involving Ski Mask ("Achoo" by Keith Ape), the song is wacky in the best way possible. Ski does his thing and Rich The Kid spat one of his better verses here.
Least Favorite Track
Throwaway (feat. Ronny J) - While appropriately titled, this track still disappointed me. I originally thought Ronny J would produce the beat for this track, but he didn't. Ski's hook here is incredibly grating and then Ronny J comes in with a verse and just makes it even worse. "Geekin" is a close second in this category.
Conclusion
We waited months for a 20-minute mixtape. Although Beware the Book of Eli proves that Ski Mask has one of the best flows in hip-hop, he doesn't do too much here. We were left wanting more and still aren't satisfied.
Score: 3/5
Ski Mask The Slump God has yet to come out with a better mixtape than Drown In Designer, and I feel like You Will Regret had more substance. Because I think the production on Beware the Book of Eli is better than his last tape, I'll say it's tied with You Will Regret and falls right behind Drown In Designer.
This concludes my first full-length review. As far as future posts go my next full-length review will be of Playboi Carti's sophomore project Die Lit. Before I get to that, I will make my first "What am I listening to?" post to give you an idea of my musical taste.
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