“Fuck the World” by Brent Faiyaz

By Nina Raemont

Memorable music requires two things: a message and a sound that fits that message. But what happens when an artist forges his way with only one half of that formula accounted for? Mediocrity ensues. That is how I would describe Brent Faiyaz’s recent EP, “Fuck the World.” Faiyaz, a 24-year-old R&B artist known for his song “Poison,” which has 45 million listens on Spotify, has the voice for R&B, but must work to develop his own unique sound and lyrics. 

With a title like “Fuck The World,” you would expect the music to hold an ounce of a shock factor, but with his banal beats and repetitive verses, he does anything but. Unfortunately, the only thing that shocked me was the terrible lyricism of the song “Fuck the World (Summer in London),” when he unironically says, “I’m a walking erection.” His lyrics scrape the surface of his messages and the repetitivity of his songs allows for little originality. The repetition of his lyrics seemed meaningless and not a result of artistic intention, but rather derivative of a lack of originality. 

Faiyaz, with his smooth as butter voice, has made memorable songs in the past; he has the capacity to do so again. However, the work on his EP feels like Faiyaz has relinquished his motivation to improve. In “Fuck the World,” the listener hears him tap into vulnerable messages, like that of race, drugs, self-love, and isolation, but these ideas are only an inch deep. Your art must have a refined depth of meaning to be deemed memorable. Ultimately, his EP poses as a testament to the idea that a beautiful voice doesn’t equate to beautiful music.