More about: KSI

YouTuber, comedian, boxer and rapper KSI comes in with his second album All Over The Place this Friday (16 July). I’ve never been a huge fan of music lovers who dismiss the output of social media sensations purely because of how they obtained their platform...which is what a lot of people were looking forward to doing with KSI’s debut album Dissimulation last year.

With his debut though, KSI released a solid rap album filled with some heavy trap beats, good rapping and strong features. The whole thing was a bit hit and miss but overall, the album turned out fine. With his second LP, much of the same can be said.  

All Over The Place starts weakly, with KSI coming in with autotuned singing, cringey bars and lacklustre features from Future and 21 Savage. The production is airtight and sounds like it would be the perfect backdrop for the rappers, but Future’s hook is boring and 21 Savage's verse seems uninspired.

Then come some good songs. The album certainly picks up with the track 'Patience' featuring YUNGBLUD and Polo G, as a really funky disco beat accompanies the singing. It should be noted that KSI sings quite a lot on this album and where it’s not bad it also sounds overly-produced and uneasy. Credit where it's due, however: he is pushing himself out of his comfort zone and trying to give his fans something that wasn’t as predominant on the previous record. 

The main thing that can be taken away from this album is that KSI is brilliant at making 'summer bops'. Tracks like 'Don’t Play', 'Really Love' and 'Gang Gang' are all a lot of fun to listen to, with bouncy production and upbeat flows. The only issue with these songs is one of spacing. There’s no doubt this album has a lot of diverse sounds on it so I’m confused as to why these songs are put one after the other, rather than being spaced out. It means that even though they’re good, by the time 'Gang Gang' comes around it’s a sound that’s already been played out. 

The album is also far too long. Fair enough, it dabbles in a couple of different styles but after eight or so tracks, the whole thing starts to merge so that the last few songs are forgettable. There is another poor feature from Bugzy Malone and yet another from Lil Durk...no one seems to have brought their A game to this one. 

The whole thing ends with KSI’s newest single 'Holiday', which I can see people liking but to just sounds like a dated, boring track that has been forced through the eye of someone wanting to chart. The chorus is dry, the lyrics are cheesy and it doesn’t fit with the tone of the album at all.

KSI doesn’t necessarily disappoint with his newest album All Over The Place: there are some good tracks such as 'Patience' and 'Don’t Play'. Realistically though, the album is lacking both in the majority of its features and overall execution. Like its predecessor, it's a bit of fun and it's...fine. 

All Over The Place is out now.

More about: KSI