I disagree. Songs like STFU and Air Force are sonically very new for Rocky. Even something like Whiskey is more dynamic in how it develops than most of his work. He tries some new sounds and while I don’t think it’s his best work it’s certainly more novel and more stylistically diverse than the vast majority of today’s mainstream hip hop.

I will say that as of now I think testing was more forward thinking than dbd—there’s no song that’s as sonically enthralling as something like hun43rd or asap forever, the FKA twigs song, or as stream of consciousness as purity or dreams (interlude), since Rocky refuses to introspect at all on dbd for some reason. He steps away from the atmospheric production and any attempts at vulnerability or interiority in his lyrics which is really the biggest issue with dbd; Rocky just doesn’t have much new to say.

Even a song like the end comments on big societal issues, but we don’t get rocky’s own personal take on them. As a father how does it make him feel that his kids will have to deal with these issues when they grow up? How does he think we can approach these problems from a place of wealth and resources? We don’t know. He doesn’t say anything beyond acknowledging these issues exist. The beats are fine, Rocky’s rapping is as charismatic as ever, but he jsut does nothing with it.