I Know Nigo!

by NIGO

Released March 25, 2022 via Republic Records / Victor Victor Worldwide

Reviewed April 5, 2022

Top tracks (based on community voting)

Come On, Let's Go (with A$AP Rocky & Tyler, the Creator) (78%), Lost and Found Freestyle 2019 (with Tyler, the Creator & A$AP Rocky) (59%), Hear Me Clearly (with Pusha T) (40%)

The worlds between fashion and hip-hop continue to produce intertwining mediums of expression; NIGO—the DJ, producer, and founder of A Bathing Ape—has launched a sophomore album 18 years after his debut. Ape Sounds, NIGO’s trip-hop and indie-inspired debut was released in 2004, and presented his eclectic tastes through a consistent run of production. I Know NIGO! lacks the consistency found in its predecessor, as it completely overhauls and modernizes its sonic profile to ring clearly of nocturnal hip-hop jams and NY drill. Fittingly, fashion-savvy artists like Tyler, Pharrell, A$AP Rocky and Ferg, Gunna, all fit the bill here. This stage is completely set with icons, and yet something fails to bind everything together to be greater than the sum of its parts. Songs either vary in quality within themselves, or sit awkwardly next to other tracks in the queue. Thankfully, it’s not all bad for I Know NIGO! Despite some sputtering momentum in the album itself, it begins and ends with a bang, with a nice handful of memorable and playlist-worthy tracks to offer. – DeVán (7/10)