2 Alive (Geek Pack)＜Green Vinyl＞

On a bassy tsunami of layered vocals and raging beats, Portland MC/producer Yeat used 2021 to morph into one of the hottest rappers in the country. In 2022 he continues to barrel through the genre with his second studio album, 2 Alive. The staples of the rappers rise are all here -- the slurry of overlapping bars, the weighty contrasting basslines, and enough "Tonka" to give an artisanal bakery a run for its money -- but 2 Alive attempts to justify its quick release by showing an equally rapid artistic growth. Indeed, when looking back just a year, the difference in identity is stark. While 4L tracks like "Sorry Bout That" and "Live Hi" sound just as forward-thinking in 2022, many of the albums deeper cuts are still products of an artist finding his style; on 2 Alive, Yeat operates like a well-oiled machine, folding melodies, yelps, and basses into inventive pockets in his anthems. This confidence is matched by some early steps into new avenues: a more varied approach to melody arrives on "Dnt Lie," "Call Me" makes for a unique shift toward R&B-like sentiment, and project standout "Double" proves his hardest-hitting anthem to date. 2 Alive is a playlist-like snapshot of Yeats growth -- a transient listen, but a fun one, too. ~ David Crone