The Japanese record producer and fashion designer (most known for founding clothing brand Bape) released his sophomore album I Know NIGO!, which was highly anticipated by hip hop fans after the release of a series of singles from the album featuring artists such as Pusha T, A$AP Rocky, and Kid Cudi. Nigo has always been connected to the world of hip hop; he’s been known to associate with artists such as Pharrell Williams since the 2000s. This album came as a surprise to many as Nigo, who hasn’t released a solo album since 2000, usually keeps a low profile. 

 A$AP Rocky starts the album off strong on “Lost And Found Freestyle 2019” on a fun beat built to compliment his flow. The beat switches to make room for Tyler’s verse, where he flexes his usual strength as a feature artist (something that’s been especially noteworthy this past year). The third track, “Punch Bowl”, features legendary duo Clipse on a bass heavy beat, with Push delivering a strong chorus and verse. Pusha T returns with a track all to himself (“Hear Me Clearly”) near the end of the album, where he definitely passes his previous feature alongside some of this record’s best production so far. The following track, “Remember”, is one of the album’s best, with a lyrically impressive feature from the late Pop Smoke and a relatively good beat. The album reaches its lowest point with the Uzi track “Heavy”. Putting Lil Uzi Vert on a drill beat is an incredibly absurd idea with results that are just as odd; the song almost felt like a waste of a good instrumental. “Come On, Let’s Go”, which was teased by Tyler, The Creator a day before the album dropped, closes the album. It’s definitely the best track on the album and one of the best songs of the year (in addition to being one of Tyler’s best features for a while).

Overall, this record is pretty good, but it’s not really capable of anything truly great. It’s not necessarily disappointing; producer-led projects tend to be like this, especially when the rollout is centered around creating hype for certain features that end up carrying the album. Enjoyability and catchy pop-rap production is where this album is strongest, but something so simple as that can’t make a record special, especially with so many tracks that feel like nothing more than filler.