If you begin to notice an uptick in melodramatic and emotional social media posts, that usually means new Lucki music is in the air. Earlier this year, the Chicago rapper released Freewave 3, a bleak project that detailed his heartbreak and the drugs that lead to that heartbreak. At times, the album is an uncomfortable listen, as Lucki narrates low points that typically would be reserved for a therapist: On the album’s centerpiece “Peach Dream,” his mother googles the effects of lean and sends him articles about the impact the drug will have on his kidneys.
With the 23-year-old’s second project of the year, Days B4 III, Lucki is in a better place. If Freewave 3 was rock bottom, then Days B4 III is the climb back up. He reflects on his last year, getting everything off of his chest before he can finally move on and recapture the optimism that laced his music when he was a teenager.
Lucki’s music works so well in large part due to his ear for production, plodding hi-hats that make it feel like your brain is stuck in quicksand, and his eerie, doomsday melodies. On Days B4 III, Lucki works with a team of producers that help him create that downcast sound: From a homegrown Chicago producer like DJ Eway to SoundCloud pillars like 16yrold and Brent Rambo. The twinkly and dreamy “Geeked,” produced by Condo, best defines Lucki’s blurry world. “Codeine never get bored of me,” he says, reflecting on times when he was most dependent on drugs. Even when Lucki tackles brighter production, like the spacy 16yrold-produced “Way 2 Rare,” he still fears spiraling back into that isolation: “Left me all alone, I hope there’s two of me,” he murmurs.
Lucki can portray his self-destructiveness with the clarity of Future, like when his son asks why his water is pink on “TBT.” He wears the influence of Chief Keef on his sleeve, both in the Almighty So-inspired cover art and the way he pairs a narcotized delivery with a choir of ad-libs like on the cryptic Working On Dying-produced “Left 4 Dead.” And like a throwback New York storyteller, a city that he has spent a lot of time in, he can piece together coherent and lively tales when he wants to.
His best story is the bitter finale “Last Time Mentioning (Good Riddance),” as he bitterly recaps the friends, girlfriends, and opportunities that drugs have driven away in the last year or so. But, just like the song title hints, he wants to put it behind him. When Days B4 III ends, the dark clouds separate and the sun peeks through. It’s a suggestion that maybe he’s through with the story he’s been telling and adding to since he was 17, and now he’s ready to begin a new one.
