Fivio Foreign Stakes His Claim For New York Drill’s Next Monarch With ‘B.I.B.L.E.’

Following two seismically charged EPs—and a slew of high-profile guest features—we ponder whether the driller’s debut record lives up to the hype.

What a crazy 24 months it’s been. After the real-life Black Mirror episode we dubbed the global pandemic and the untimely passing of New York drill’s chosen one Pop Smoke, there’s been a lot of good-ass music sandwiched between the pillars of tragedy. It's undeniable drill music has been a large part of the great contemporary music revolution as its continued its ascent up the commercial ladder.

Through it all, Brooklynite Fivio Foreign [born Maxie Lee Ryles III] stands tall as one of the NY drill’s flagship stars. From standout verses on Pop Smoke’s Meet the Woo 2 and Ye’s [formerly Kanye West] DONDA as well as hopping on the City Girl’s latest single “Top Notch”, the buzz that surrounded Fivio’s next chess move was highly anticipated.

Leading up to the LP, fans were blessed with two singles: the Quavo-assisted floor-shaker, “Magic City” and the Kanye and Alicia Keys collaboration “City of Gods”—which sounds like the illegitimate child of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind” and sibling of Kanye’s “Off the Grid”.

B.I.B.L.E. kicks off with the downtempo, inward-looking opener “On God”, which oozes with sticky choir-like vocals from KayCyy. The track sees Fivio recount his emotional tribulations, discuss his faith in God and prop up his loved ones with apt detail.

Frequent collaborator Quavo reappears on the cut “Through the Fire” in homage to Chaka Khan and Fivio's current mentor figure Kanye. The skippy drill beat showcases some of Fivio’s sharpest rhymes on the LP. Although Quavo’s appearance on the back end of the track feels a bit tacked-on, his guest spot gives “Through the Fire” a welcome jolt of energy regardless.

As UK rapper ArrDee already sampled Destiny’s Child’s 1999 classic “Say My Name” for his track “Flowers (Say My Name)”, it’s a real shame Fivio also selected this track for the nucleus of his Coi Leray and Queen Naija-assisted jam “What’s My Name”. Although all three artists have decent chemistry, the overbearing sample just makes you want to listen to the original instead. While “sample drill” has provided us with some quality material, this one could’ve been left on the cutting room floor.

A similar problem persists with the Ne-Yo collab “Love Songs”. The track sees the pair interpolating Ne-Yo’s 2006 tune “So Sick”, reimagining it as a thugged-out “drill&b” song.

A highlight from the 17-track ensemble is “Left Side”, with Blueface sitting in the co-pilot seat for the duration of the 3-minute scorcher. “Left Side” has West Coast rap flavour hard-wired to its core as Fivio and Blueface go back and forth for a no-frills summer anthem.

Equally, the Teflon-reinforced Polo G and Vory collab “Changed On Me” is one of the stronger straightforward drill tracks on the record. It’s clear from the moment “Changed On Me” hits your eardrum that the track was made to be played through loud speakers. Banger.

Album closer “Can’t Be Us” stands as the perfect bookend to the LP. Produced by Bordeaux, The Beat Menace, Syk Sense, Non-Native, Dizzy Banko and A Lau, the musical swansong sees Fivio hop back into his introspective bag once again over a moody, reclusive beat. If you only check out one track on B.I.B.L.E., it should be “Can’t Be Us”.

Overall, B.I.B.L.E. is a solid listen from start to finish. The 50-minute album falters when it comes to the oversaturated features and somewhat “safe” approach to song structure. When Fivio steps into his drill bag with some of the harder and more pensive cuts, B.I.B.L.E. really shines. Fivio’s album lives up to its mainstream aspirations and hype to a degree, leaving Brooklyn drill in safe hands going forward.

7/10

What do you think of B.I.B.L.E.? Let us know in the comments below.