If you’re a fan of Orlando emcee and Infinity Gauntlet and The Closers member, Red Eye, then you have been patiently (not really-grrr) waiting for him to release his album. Finally, the wait is over and FATrick Ewing will be dropping on April 19th…just in time for the holiday. I had the opportunity to listen to the album and it was just as I expected. Dopeness. This is my take on the album. Check it out!
01: 24 Barbarian pt.1 (prod by Nickel Plated)
Great opening track that highlights Red Eye. I’m really glad that he kicked it off with a solo over a hyped beat by Nickel Plated.
02: Gift and A Curse feat. Shabaam Sahdeeq x UG x FT aka Fuc That (prod by Henny-O)
I love this beat by Henny-O. The subject matter on this track is so true to life that I feel this one is not only for the fans but for other emcees as well. Something they all deal with. Everyone kills this track.
03: Born 2 Use Mics feat. Tek Bully (prod by DJ Qvali)
This is sic! Red Eye bodied this. Yes, he was born 2 use mics indeed. Tek does his thing as well. *In rotation
04: 24 Barbarian pt.2 (prod by Marz Mello)
One of the best parts of any hip-hop songs is the production and Marz Mello is ill on the boards. When this first dropped I was like yo!!! Red is nice on the mic always but the combo of him and Marz is brutal. Half Man half amazing!
05: Hemperors Theme feat. Mr Cheeks (prod by DJ Tray)
This was one of the first leaks off the project and was my summer anthem for a minute! Ha ha! Still ill!
06: Rawthenticity feat. Bekay (prod by DJ Qvali)
This is one of my favorite tracks on the album and DJ Qvali, who makes several appearances has that sound that just works with Red’s grimy sound. As always when Bekay and Red Eye get on a track together it’s bananas. *In rotation
07: 24 Barbarian pt.3 (prod by DJ Qvali)
This was a nice break coming from some buildup of the previous songs to something a little smoother. I love Red Eye’s voice on this track. This has been in rotation since it first dropped so it goes without saying *In rotation
08: Born Alone Die Alone feat. Joell Ortiz (prod by D-Cypha)
This might be one of the illest duos and the song content is too real * In rotation
09: Olympic Melo feat. Tragedy Khadafi x Goretex (prod by DJ Tray)
Another one of my favorite tracks. The chemistry between all the emcees is flawless and they all bodied this track. This song is ill. *In rotation
10: 24 Barbarian pt.4 (prod by Strangeflo)
Fellow Orlando emcee Strangeflo produced this track. Dude is nice on the mic and on the boards. Red lyrical content is flawless and you can see how the beat plays a big part in how he flows.
11: Flyin Kingz feat. Blaq Poet x Blacastan (prod by DJ Tray)
This shit is ridiculous! Everyone murders it! It’s a problem! *In rotation
12: Warzone feat. Nutso (prod by DJ Modesty)
I’m a fan of Nutso and at first I wasn’t sure how his flow would blend with Red Eye but the chemistry is undeniable. I wouldn’t mind hearing more Red Eye and Nutso collabs in the future. And the cuts on this!!! *In rotation
13: 24 Barbarian pt.5 (prod by Skammadix)
The homie Skammadix laced the beat on this installment. This was one of my favorites in the series.
14: Soul Mate (prod by DJ Supa Dave)
I love this song because this was so unexpected. A different side of Red Eye you hardly ever get to see. Plus, it’s him solo which is dope. *In rotation
15: Trouble feat. FT aka Fuc That (prod by Nemesis)
This is dope. Whenever Red Eye and Fuc That link up you know it’s a problem…or is it trouble? “Truth is y’all n*ggas can’t fuck with Red” *In rotation
16: Illest In My Hood feat. Strangeflo (prod by DJ Qvali)
I’ll admit one of the nice things about blogging is you get to hear things way in advance. I’ve been waiting for this to drop because I’ve been wanting to share this! Illness! *In rotation
17: 24 Barbarian pt.6 (prod by Domingo)
I thought Red was going to build off this track to be honest. I really liked this verse but thankfully we have a project full of bangers so it’s okay.
18: The Truth feat. Tragedy Khadafi x Miilkbone x Godilla x Blacastan (prod by DJ Tray)
DJ Tray is so ill on the boards I see why Red fucks with him. This track is silk. Perfect driving music. One of my favorites. *In rotation
19: Perfect Game feat. Strangeflo x Ruff (prod by Ruff)
Lyrically ill and the beat is dope. Ruff, Strangeflo, and Red rep hard for The O!
20: 24 Barbarian pt.7 (prod by DJ Tray)
This was another favorite of mine from the series. Again over some DJ Tray production.
21: Dirty Rotten Juggernauts feat. Tek Bully (prod by Dutch Heavyweight)
This song is smooth as fuck. Red and Tek together is definitely a good look. *In rotation
22: Unkut feat. Shabaam Sahdeeq x Bekay (prod by Thorotracks)
When The Closers on a track you already know! Another banger!
23: F Bombs feat. Eff Yoo (prod by DJ Qvali)
This is a nice match-up. I’m a fan of both Red and Eff and I think they play off one another nicely. This is another emcee I wouldn’t mind seeing in future collabs *In rotation
24: 24 Barbarian pt.8 (prod by Ebano Flowlanski)
Haha! This right here.
25: Baddest MF feat. Born Unique (prod by DJ Qvali)
This is another favorite joint off the album. Unfuckwitable. It was also dope to hear some Born Unique *In rotation
26: Sample Sized Genocide feat. Marvalyss x Midaz (prod by MoSS)
What can I say? Red knows how to flow. This is ill and this was the perfect beat for Marvalyss and Midaz. They killed it!
27: 24 Barbarian pt.9 (prod by Kevlaar 7)
What a perfect way to end this super dope project with production by Kevlaar 7 who was not only an ill producer and emcee but also one of the best humans I had the privilege of knowing. R.I.P. Kev! Red Eye did justice to his legacy by bodying this beat!
At 27 tracks you might think that this album would become monotonous but Red Eye’s flow and versatility keeps you engaged from beginning to end. This is the album I would want with me if I was driving down the highway in chill mode. There’s nothing bad that I can say. The features on FATrick Ewing are ridiculous. He teamed up with some of the illest emcees and producers in the game right now. One thing I can say Red Eye is great at picking beats for his projects which is such a crucial element when putting together an album. This is 27 tracks of cochlear orgasms. I might have Od’d on dopeness.
Two of the many elements I use to rate an album is play through, can I listen to this from beginning to end? and rewindability (shut up autocorrect that’s a Scy word!) I have to say that FATrick Ewing has passed both categories with flying colors. Yes this is a project you can listen to without skipping ahead and definitely there are those tracks that will make you stop and rewind. It was also very smart of Red Eye to include the 24 Bar Barbarian series as mini interludes where fans and new fans get the opportunity to hear him hold his own on a track.
If you like that grimy, gritty, intelligent,smooth but hyped up hip-hop with crazy dope beats and top notch lyricism then you need this album in your life. If you didn’t get your pre-order in don’t despair the album will be available via Bandcamp on the 19th. In the meantime I’ll leave you with some dope from the album.
Scy Approved!
Overall Rating: A+
