If you rank your rappers based on how many sports references they can squeeze in over the course of an album, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone better than Rylo Rodriguez. Throughout his career, the Alabama rapper has made it a point to name-drop as many athletes as possible, though rarely are they ever out of place. Continuing the trend on his latest effort Been One, Rodriguez uses them, not solely to flex, but to contextualize his life in accessible ways.
From the first few moments of the album’s intro “System,” Rylo likens his Dodge Ram truck to former Los Angeles Ram Jalen Ramsey before stating he’s got more rounds in him than boxer Devin Haney. Not only do the references place Rylo in relatable territory for those who can’t share his experiences, but they open a humoritistic avenue to show that he hasn’t been overly hardened by his tumultuous surroundings.
“Right” slows down the pace that began on the opener and its fiery follow-up “On Da Floor” with dreamy acoustic strings and an interpolation of “(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want to Be Right.” Though the subject matter on the track feels much weightier than the boasting of the tracks that preceded it, Rylo still manages to slyly reference both Ja’marr Chase and CeeDee Lamb within seconds of each other. It may seem like they break the immersion in an otherwise confessional track, but the casual name-dropping serves as a reminder to Rylo to hold onto the things he loves.
Together, the first three tracks set the blueprint for the remainder of the album, even if its themes start wearing thin halfway through. Songs like “Free Game,” “On The Run,” and “You’ll Find the One” pull pages out of Drake’s book, using muted R&B vocal samples to drive the beat. Thematically, they differ only slightly as Rylo raps about his opps beneath him, his success, and doing what he can for his family, but his delivery remains enticing enough to stay hooked.
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Even when Rylo veers away from R&B-tinged instrumentals, his ear for beats never wavers. “Unfuckwitable” feels like it came right out of the crunk era before transitioning to a more traditional-sounding trap beat. Though each half could be its own song, Rylo switches his tone with ease, adding more certainty to his confidence and proving the song’s name is also an accurate descriptor for his place in hip hop.
That assurance gets lost across several tracks in the back half of the album that wind up sounding indistinguishable from each other. “Leaks” and “Ah Never Be The Same” sound cut from the same cloth, while “Taylor Port Junkie” struggles to separate itself from the penultimate track “Thang For You.” Neither of the two tracks misses the mark, but with the album’s lengthy runtime, it certainly feels like Rylo had a difficult time killing his darlings.
With thin themes and dazzling-yet-derivative beats, Been One begins to waver in its second half. The run from “Digital Pictures” to “You Should” don’t offer anything new beyond some clever punchlines in the former (Micro Draco, this kind hard to get, I ain’t never went to Canada)” and stories of immense loss on “End of the Road.” It would be unfair to dismiss Rylo’s pain on any of the more vulnerable tracks, although his confessions would hold more weight if he kept the focus tighter.
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Been One makes it clear that Rylo has much to say, sometimes even too much. The album gives him all the runway he needs to lay out his pain, success, and everything in between, though he tends to ride along the same path for too long before heading in a new direction. If Rylo can learn to better prioritize quality and variety throughout his projects, he may be able to release a truly great project. Until then, his high ceiling remains unshattered.
