BY: TORI B. POWELL
On Feb. 7 Brent Faiyaz released his highly anticipated 10-track project, "F*** The World". Despite it progressively climbing up music charts, his fans have mixed reviews and are uncertain on the performer's future.
Faiyaz, who's real name is Christopher Brent Woods, released "F*** the World" as a buffer to fill in time between his 2018 EP release, "Lost", and his next official album which is to be released soon.
View this post on Instagram
10 tracks. 02.07.20 💿 New merch & Rehab video out now @ brentfaiyaz.com
The 24-year-old singer opens up "F*** the World" with a question, "Do you know what makes this world go ‘round?" In an interview with Vice, Faiyaz mentions that he hopes to answer philosophical questions similar to this one to reveal harsh realities in society. He addresses issues regarding race, injustice, sexuality, and relationships while using his sultry and smooth voice to address them.
"Is anyone gon' remember me?" Brent Faiyaz asks in ‘Clouded' on "F*** the World".
The DMV Native's subject matter and voice are some of the reasons he gained a steady following over his six-year career. American University student and longtime fan, Loren Smith, says it was his first 2017 album, "Sonder Son", that won her over as a fan.
"He has that nice mix of beats that's also relaxed too," Smith says. "His songs get me lit but in a nice calm lit-ness."
As Faiyaz's first major project in almost three years, Smith says she anticipated the release of "F*** the World". However, she mentions that she was disappointed at how short it was after waiting all this time.
"Since he has songs on here that are old songs that we've already heard, only doing ten songs really means in actuality you gave us like seven or eight. If he was going to put old songs on there, then he could have given us more new ones," Smith said.
Other longtime fans have critiques too, mentioning that "Sonder Son" was more creative than his latest release.
Deni Dedmon, a student at Howard University, said "I prefer the first one" and that his latest release was "nothing special."
Others, however, disagreed and praised Faiyaz's work. Alphonse Pierre of Pitchfork says that "he's remarkably consistent as a songwriter" and mentions that he enjoys the singer's dark themes throughout the project. According to ChartData, "F*** the World" topped as number one on Apple Music's album chart too.
Some fans are worried about his future though, comparing the singer to other successful and well-known artists like, Bryson Tiller. "People like consistency and Brent Faiyaz hasn't created a brand for himself yet like Bryson," Loren Smith says.
But despite it all, Smith still does recognize his talent. Smith Said that she actually prefers "F*** the World" more than "Sonder Son" and appreciates his individuality even if the masses do not.
"I really listened to the lyrics and thought, woah, this is pretty deep," she says. "I connected with it more".
So although the singer's longtime fans can't seem to make their minds up on how they feel about "F*** the World", Brent Faiyaz will release his full upcoming album, "Make it Out Alive" soon to give them even more to debate about.
