Rap and R&B artist 6LACK released a new album on March 24 called “Since I Have A Lover.” The album follows his single releases “Talkback” and “Fatal Attraction” which were released earlier this month.
The 19-song compilation runs 58 minutes and follows 6LACK’s popular style incorporating his outlooks and personal aspects on love, relationships and hardships. This is his first studio album in five years, and in less than one week of release, the album has seen over 500,000 streams on YouTube.
The three-time Grammy award nominee composed a mostly solo project, with just two features from rapper Don Toliver, and soul artist “QUIN.” The remaining 17 songs are performed entirely by 6LACK himself.
This album really emphasizes 6LACK’s past relationships and how he grows and develops into the man he is today. He talks about mistakes, taking risks, being in love, falling out of love and just the general ups and downs he faced in his life.
The first track on the album titled “cold feet” is a montage of several voice tracks and a melancholy hummed tune, with lyrics sung in between. The song does seem to encompass 6LACK’s life: growing up, past relationships and even mentions his previous albums. There’s a lot going on in the two-minute composition, but it’s a beautiful metaphor to showcase the artist’s life.
The song and title of the album “Since I have a Lover” is about someone 6LACK really cares for. Lyrics like, “Since I have a lover, no more lonely nights, The type of love that you supply, can’t televise,” show the true happiness and love the artist has for this individual. It expresses love with a hip hop and modern-day twist.
On the other hand “playin house” then jumps to how those happy times and honeymoon phase of relationships, fold into a sea of miscommunication, and disagreements. The lyrics “miscommunication leads to separation, damn so no more playin house, no more thinkin bout livin together” express a falling out in a relationship, where the spark just isn’t the same. 6LACK does a great job of showing his own vulnerability and how he’s used his past to influence the creation of his music.
“Spirited Away,” the sixth track on the album, describes the artist’s journey of learning from his mistakes, “facing his demons” and knowing he’s not perfect, but loving himself anyway. 6LACK took accountability for some regrets of his past and discussed how he is constantly still learning and growing. This song symbolizes self-worth and emphasizes that your past doesn’t define you.
The next song, “preach,” exhibits a similar message and reinstates the fact that we constantly grow and change as humans and can do anything we put our mind to. 6LACK sings the lyrics “All I need is four seconds, I gotta get my dreams back, vivid.” The song also delivers a subtle message of inequality and some experiences as a black male. It combines his hardships and coming to terms with loving himself.
A contrast that was brilliantly done on the album, is between the songs “Talk” and “Talkback.” “Talk” is about coming from nothing and growing into something. It promotes surrounding yourself with good people who value you for who you are and not your economic status. “Talkback” starts off with the lyric “I think Ima drive the Lamb” today, showcasing that the artist has obviously come into wealth over his career, but that money isn’t the end all, be all if you don’t have people to support you. The song really pushes the message that fame isn’t all about money and often brings about hate, bullying, pressure and a lot of downsides.
6LACK uses this album as a diary. His lyrics hold power and truth, and he used his vulnerability to create a raw, self-guided masterpiece about fame, relationships and the meaning of life. He denies common stereotypes of celebrities and fame itself, and composes a real insight on who he was, who he is now and the situations that shaped him.
