The first time I heard artists being branded as “Mumble Rappers,” right around the time Young Thug and Future’s Barter 6 and Monster were released (and instantly lauded); I could already picture the kinds of arguments I foresaw getting in with hip hop fans. “Does the fact that they’re not 100% intelligible truly detract from the value of the musical, sonically?” “Are people unfamiliar with southern dialect and draws having this difficult a time interpreting these rappers; and even if they could, are they expecting Bob Dylan-esque wordplay?” The answer to both remains a firm no.

“Heart so cold I gave ‘em chills,” Yung Bans coos as he sets off his 5th EP — not only intelligibly; contradicting the self-proclaimed critics that have reviled Bans and his peers over the last half-decade for starting a new wave of rap that was originally referred to as “Mumble Rap;” (now being referred to as “SoundCloud Rap”) – but with a conviction that invites all those disparaging the SoundCloud rappers to listen to what he has to say.

More importantly, what he means. This review isn’t an op-ed addressing the mumble rap debate – an argument predicated upon the notion that a new wave of rappers; including the likes of Lil Pump, Smokepurpp and Trippie Redd, inventing their own new techniques and approaches to the genre, are substandard simply due to the fact that every word or cadence in their songs isn’t entirely coherent. This notion is not only objectively absurd; considering that the elements that compose a hip hop song take into account considerably more than just lyrics—it’s an indirect attack on a group of artists trying to do the exact thing anyone who has ever pursued a career in music—come up with their own style.

Yung Bans hasn’t spent much of his emerging career focusing on the criticisms surrounding the niche of rap he’s been delegated to — rather, he embraces every characteristic that close-minded critics have used to define the genre. Whether it be warbly, sing-songy choruses so infectious that you’ll be chanting them weeks after hearing, or beautifully intricate—and in many cases, borderline symphonic instrumentals; Bans brings to the table the epitome of this niche that’s been under so much scrutiny recently. And, to be honest, he does a great job of exemplifying all of the redeeming qualities of it.

The production value not only on Yung Bans 5, but all of Bans’ work up to this point, is sprinkled with layer upon layer of hard-hitting, Southern-style 808 drums; and encapsulated in a proverbial bubble of spacey pads, singing melodic bells, and ghostly vocal chants. The blend materializes into some really gorgeous beats, notably on the EP’s closing track So Long My Friend—a hypnotic and fitting outro to the EP; and a tribute to his late friend XXXTENACION.

Is Yung Bans an above-average rapper? No. Is he trying to be? Also, no. But—while lyricism clearly isn’t a focal point in Bans’ creative process, there are still hints of greatness in some of his verses on Vol. 5 – he begins “Heart So Cold” weaving his words through a sleek flow, rhyming: “They get back to the old days / I’m catchin’ more plays / than the the coach on Super Bowl day / Oh, I’m getting’ money, like, four ways / Take a nigga out, have a four way / I just want the foreplay.” Yung Bans is a technically impressive rapper when he wants to be – but his modus operandi calls for a variety of flow schemes, hooks, ad libs and yes; the occasional mumbling.

Mumbling in the context of a Yung Bans track is complimentary; it serves to synergize with the often lush, jam-packed instrumentals he’s on. This aspect of not only Bans’ sound, but his co-mumbling peers, serves a purpose; surprising as it may be to their critics. If lyrics were the only aspect anyone’d ever paid attention to since the dawn of pop music, would Robert Plant have been so highly acclaimed for taking random passages out of The Hobbit and actually making them less meaningful? Would we just consider My Bloody Valentine a group that records as many different assortments of off-brand vacuum cleaners as they could, and then adding reverb? This speaks to my distaste for the unfair branding of “SoundCloud rap” – perhaps the aforementioned critics should take into account all sonic aspects of the song they’re hearing.

On the subject of older, just-as-weird as Yung Bans pop artists, Bans does show homage to the late David Bowie in the album art on Vol. 5 – the cover art is a tribute to David Bowie’s 1973 Aladdin Sane album, showing Bans with a lightning bolt painted on his face. He also referred to himself as “Yung Bowie” during the reveal.

There are a few tracks Vol. 5 could spare; “Word On Da Street” is a total swing & a miss, and “Round,” the track he recorded with up-and-comer Juice WRLD disappoints considering what you’d expect the two to cook up in a studio together. These are easily redeemed by other tracks such as “Ridin,” which wouldn’t surprise me if it began getting around the clock radio play in the next few months. The beat is loop-based, with almost a dancehall vibe to it, and while it features a lackluster 8 bars from YBN Nahmir and an almost unlistenable bridge by Landon Cube; the overall bounce and ambience of the track make it extremely catchy and accessible. Catchy and accessible are two of Bans’ strongest suits; so if you want a good idea of what you’ll expect to hear from it, Ridin’ displays it all.

All-in-all, I didn’t enjoy Vol. 5 quite as much as a few of Bans’ other tapes (notably Vol. 2, because it has perhaps one of my favorite tracks of the year thus far— “Lonely,” featuring another up-and-comer, Lil Skies.) That being said, it’s an overall solid display of what Yung Bans is and will continue to bring to the table, and it shows massive improvement in several aspects since he dropped Vol. 1. Continue to follow Yung Bans if you’re looking to hop on any hype trains soon, because I have a feeling he’ll be a household name by the end of 2018.

3.5 / 5 STARS