Above All The Crows, penomeco

It’s been almost two years to the day since we got a new album release from penomeco, but he’s finally back and making his presence known with [ Rorschach ] Part 1. If you missed the aggressive and in-your-face penomeco of the past, then you’re in for a real treat with [ Rorschach ] Part 1. The album features seven tracks, four of which include featured artists: double title tracks “RINDAMAN” and “PEW!” feature fellow FANXY CHILD member ZICO while track “Margiela” features Paul Blanco and “Around” features YONKO.

Ahead of [ Rorschach ] Part 1’s release, penomeco dropped a live clip for the track “BOYPABLO (2019).” The album-opener is everything you’d expect and more. penomeco’s flow has always been one of my favorite parts of his music, and “BOYPABLO (2019)” will have you hooked from the very beginning. The live clip features penomeco performing in front of a large screen that cycles through different Rorschach images and pulsing white and black videos.

Following “BOYPABLO (2019)” on the album are the two title tracks, “RINDAMAN” and “PEW!.” The title of “RINDAMAN” is a reference to the manga Crows that was published in the ‘90s and the character Rindaman. The manga follows teenage delinquents that all attend the same school, where fighting is a big deal and Rindaman was one of the strongest fighters. “RINDAMAN” features a light wind instrument played throughout the backing beat, and both penomeco and ZICO rap fast and hard for their verses, much like Rindaman probably fights.

As for “PEW!,” it’s a slightly calmer track in terms of the beat, but the verses from the two FANXY CHILD members are just as heavy-hitting as “RINDAMAN.” The two tracks work perfectly together in the joint music video, with “RINDAMAN” leading into “PEW!” via a story of the two rappers fighting against the competition in the former and the latter seeing the two surrounded by their entourage as they rap about how far they’ve come in the industry.

Track four on [ Rorschach ] Part 1 is “Margiela” featuring Paul Blanco. After three heavy hip-hop tracks, the R&B track may throw you for a loop, but it’s not like this is a new sound for penomeco. The musician has experimented in the past with different sounds and genres, so hearing penomeco’s song-like flow over the R&B beat is a nice change of pace from the previous three tracks.

Following “Margiela” is “Bubble,” a short track that is anything but sweet. The song brings in an upbeat tempo to go along with the returning hip-hop beat, with the aforementioned bubbles belonging to penomeco’s bath that he soaks in after bringing his everything to a track. If you listen carefully in the second verse, you may even catch the spitfire reference to John Wick.

“Around” featuring YONKO is another R&B track, though this time penomeco’s rap verses are a bit quicker and his voice a little sweeter when he sings in the chorus. YONKO is a nice addition to the track; his deeper, raspier voice brings an edge to the slow tempo. The slowness from “Around” bleeds into the third R&B track and the final track on [ Rorschach ] Part 1, “Trust Me.” 

Ending a mainly energetic release with a softer R&B track is fitting, letting listeners calm down just before they start listening to the album again from the very beginning. “Trust Me” will have you lamenting that the album is over, but trust penomeco. This is only the first part of [ Rorschach ], and you know that the second part will be just as impressive. 

“RINDAMAN” Title Score: 10/10

“PEW!” Title Score: 10/10

“RINDAMAN” & “PEW!” Music Video Score: 10/10

[ Rorschach ] Part 1 Album Score: 10/10

Final Score: 10/10

Edited by Vivian N.