Welcome to Ear 2 Da Sky! Each week, I will be going over topics within music culture and reviewing albums and EPs across genres, eras and artists that are submitted by readers like you, and listeners of my radio show, ear 2 da ground, every Wednesday at 11 p.m. on WHUS 91.7 FM! Between studying, sleeping, working and eating, I got the chance to listen to El Cousteau’s “Merci, Non Merci.”
This is the fifth studio album by the DMV-based artist. Released on Nov. 7, 2024, it spans 17 songs and clocks in at 35 minutes. Sonic growth can definitely be seen in most artists if you pick apart their discography, but I think it can be most prevalent in Cousteau’s albums.
Having released music since 2016, there has been a maturing of his sound over the years. You can also treat these projects as a time capsule of rap, with different trends in the genre both seen on the cover art and heard in the music.
Track one, “Joe Black,” opens with a feel-good instrumental and Cousteau reflecting on where he is before where he was, “Everything happenin’ for me that ain’t happen before.” He further reflects on the idea of time passing, people changing and families being created.
He ultimately questions not only how far his career will go, but also how long he will be happy with himself and his life, “If we ain’t enjoyin’ every second, what we doin’ it for? / I ask myself about all these choices to come.”
“New Red” is track two, which has some of the best and funniest punchlines, a lot of which I can’t write on here. He also shows a lot of what makes El Cousteau on this track: his delivery.
A big thing that makes him stick out from other rappers is the pockets he can find with his raps and the emotion he can convey through how he delivers each bar. He doesn’t take himself too seriously to the point of rapping straight-faced and monotone. You can hear each smile, frown and signs of annoyance in his music.
Track four is the most popular song off the album, “Words2LiveBy.” Featuring the likes of Earl Sweatshirt, this song was all over the place in the rap world in the fall of 2024. If only I could fit Earl Sweatshirt’s entire verse in here – it’s just too good. The rap on this track is amazing; go and give it a listen.
The 10th track off the project is “Ballad of France,” opening with a Slum Village sample and introspective spoken word poetry in the intro from Cousteau. “Plans now they seem, more mandatory than recreational / Can’t tell if you’re being yourself or the person you’ve never had in your life / I think we all need to speak easy, talk about our feelings over basslines / Ask what it comes to the confine.”
Cousteau continues with his introspection as he speaks on the balancing act of family and work. He’s remorseful for staying out of touch with his family, being left with an overwhelming feeling of guilt. But he comes to terms with his actions as he understands that it was ultimately a step he had to take if he wanted to see his career blossom.
El Cousteau’s “Merci, Non Merci” is an exploration of sounds and styles, which I think is a sign of life and future in an artist. There is homogeneity in the first half of the album before getting a bit experimental, which I don’t think brings down the overall experience. Cousteau is still finding direction and taking one step at a time. I’m excited to see which direction he’ll take next.
Rating: 3/5
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