By Hardcore Critic
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
There are many facets to the Chicago hip hop scene and there are plenty of major players who are receiving a bulk of the attention. While these artists make their noise, the dark-horse rose to take the game by storm in the form of F.Stokes. Quietly releasing his music, F.Stokes built a large and devoted fan base which supported Fearless Beauty.
Releasing his debut album independently, F.Stokes got off to a phenomenal start with the fans through “Carpe Diem,” the lead single. This single gained a lot of attention in the hip hop media and helped shape the people’s opinion of F.Stokes. The third single off the album, it got fans ready for his album release this week.
Dropping his album on June 17, F.Stokes got trampled by a few other big names who released albums on the following day. But, those who shy away from the commercial side of hip hop found time and attention for F.Stokes, as he simply told his story. At one point, hip hop was about telling a story, something missing in the game.
Nothing fabricated, F.Stokes simply opened up about his life and how his family wound up in Chicago. Boasting almost sixty years of history in Chicago, F.Stokes spoke on this journey on “1954” without going over-the-top. Many albums seem to be too much of one thing, while not enough of the other. With ten tracks, F.Stokes managed to get his point across in a direct way which cannot be ignored and each of the ten tracks on the album have their own unique feel, which is what makes up Fearless Beauty.
Recently, F.Stokes gave the listener yet another reason to give him and Fearless Beauty a try with “Mission,” a track featuring I-Ced. It is well worth it for the fans to check out Fearless Beauty. There is a lot of music coming out and a lot of it is coming independently and this is where some of the best music is. Without a doubt, years from now, hip hop pundits will look back on such songs as “Decades” and “Shaka Zulu” and grade the next generation of artists off this criteria.
Hip Hop Vibe’s Rating: 9/10
