Final Rating: 4.5/5

Local Maryland rapper, Cordae, explained the story of his life From A Birds Eye View, when dropping his sophomore album, January 14th. Although it is just his second album, Cordae has already picked up a massive following on his social media accounts and has toured all over the United States.

What makes him stand out in the rap game is his flexibility in his singing patterns and flow. Many rappers stick with the particular style of rapping which brought them fame. However, Cordae isn’t afraid to explore and step outside his boundaries in many of his songs. 

In his third track “Super”, he displays a fast-paced and drill type of rap which is what he was known for in the early stages of his career. In his YBN mixtape in 2018, this was his only style of rapping.

On the flip side, Cordae continues to surprise me in songs such as “Want From Me” and “Chronicles”. Both of these songs convey his indistinguishable singing/vocal skills. Cordae constantly tests his limits when coming up with these unorthodox rhymes and flows, and it is what makes him truly unique.

Whereas the theme of his last album, The Lost Boy, was that he was trying to find his path or calling, From a Birds Eye View is his statement of saying he finally made it: and describing the journey he took to get there.

His sixth track, “Today” recounts that even as a teenager, Cordae was focused on his grind and trying to provide a better life for his family. In the hook of the song, he includes the lyrics, “I gotta grind today […] told my brothers, ‘You ain’t gotta worry, I’ma find a way.’’”

In “C Carter” and “Champagne Glasses”, Cordae explains how his success has given him freedom to do whatever he wants with his life. “Champagne Glasses” quite literally talks about how now his whole family can celebrate his success together with champagne glasses.

And when ending his album with the song “Westlake High” – name of the High-School he attended – he summarizes his album by expressing about how he wants to live in the moment since he realizes that he has accomplished all of his childhood dreams.

He is very grateful for his success and will continue to do “everything high level.” He also states how he will continue to share his life “from a birds eye view” through his music: hence the name of the album. 

The Album had several features including Eminem, Roddy Rich, Gunna and Lil Wayne. When collaborating with other rappers, Cordae does a great job in adapting to their style of rap. In all his features, he mimics the flow of the other rappers/ singers which makes the artists sound compatible with each other.

I would give the album an overall rating of 4.5/5. I am holding off on giving the album a 5 since I believe that Cordae has a long career ahead of him and has only scratched the surface of his potential.