Vocal dynamism is what gives psykotic its style. OsamaSon’s accounts of moving bricks and letting bullets fly have never seemed believable, but the way he contorts his pitch and manipulates the cracks in his voice turns his role-playing into must-see TV. He’s been honing that pitched-down croak on “Maag Dump” since last year’s face-scrunching “just score it.” When his voice is pitched up, like on “Function” or “Gintama,” he sounds so geeked up he might pop. Osama is at his most earnest when he yearns for private affection on “In It” and “Get away,” the latter spotlighting him at his most despondent. Rap-singing a hook that’s more Chino Moreno than Jordan Carter, he’s never sounded this honest: “I know it’s all yours/You never called for it/Sometimes I feel like that you didn’t wanna walk for it/Didn’t wanna crawl for it/I put in my all for it.”
As a record, psykotic mostly accomplishes what it sets out to do, and yet it’s hard to shake my cynicism. At its peak—thinking of “Habits,” “Addicted,” and that run from “In It” to “Whats Happening”—it’s fevered and galvanic, like how it feels to be so fried you can’t tell if you’re scared shitless or having the time of your life. But OsamaSon and his collaborators seem determined to route that turbulent energy… right back to his starting point. On “FMJ,” Osama’s stone-cold, dreary-eyed drone holds firm in the face of 808 torrents and synth trills. What follows is a surprise verse from Che, who’s been rapping like he just rediscovered “JumpOutTheHouse” and can’t get it out of his head. His Auto-Tuned yelps, meant to feel exhilarating, instead feel laborious, especially when you know he’s talented enough to cultivate something original. In a sudden shift mid-verse, Che swaps his WLR impression for a stoic, guttural warble that lasts no more than three seconds. “I was with Lil O/We got O’s/Smokin’ buku bitches,” he intones, briefly treading a new path before retreating back to safety. On paper, the line means nothing, but its delivery suggests salvation from déjà vu. Or maybe that’s wishful thinking.
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