If we’re being honest, people don’t give autotune the full credit it deserves. Autotune gave people that had more melodic ideas the ability to create them. I truly couldn’t imagine where music would be without it ever existing. One artist who I think has mastered autotune is Atlanta-based artist Smok3. Mainly because of his newly released project, Free Smok3, which I think is a work of art.
Curated to Perfection
Compared to when autotune was starting to get popular around the mid-2000s, it’s starting to get played out now. It feels like almost every flow has been used. It’s not too many artists that are pushing boundaries in that space. But I appreciate Smok3 for what he brings to the table and for creating a lane of his own. When I listen to his music, it feels like he loves to be challenged and actively attempt to push the culture.
This brings me to my original point on how the utilization of autotune is still evolving. Nothing about his new project, Free Smoke, comes off as basic. The 10-song offering is effortlessly curated to perfection. Smok3 doesn’t even refer to it as an album, and more so as a playlist, which makes sense. It’s a collection of songs that go well together yet still have the same amount(if not better) of replay value.
Wants All The Smoke
No pun intended when I say that he wants all the smoke. Starting with the intro, “Plenty”, he comes out the gate applying big pressure. I enjoyed how creative he gets with his melodic delivery. Kind of like “No Gilligan” featuring fellow Atlanta rapper Kap G, where both artists are just vibing out to the bouncy production. It was nice to see Kap G make an appearance because I’ve always felt he was super underrated and he reminded me of his talent on this track.
If you need something refreshing to listen to, I recommend this project. Be sure to follow Smok3 on Instagram below.
