Glokknine May Be The New Voice of Florida, Bloodshells Revenge is Only The Beginning
Written by Kolin Miller
Bloodshells Revenge by GlokkNine is almost impossible to describe. Boasting a lengthy 18 tracks, amounting to just a couple minutes under an hour, seems to be a mixtape set up as an album - but it feels like a mixtape; no, it feels like a playlist. This project feels like a poorly curated playlist of an aspiring SoundCloud rapper auditioning to make the part of whatever role of his is executed the best in a said auction - lordy, didn’t I say it was almost impossible to describe? Anyways, it feels like Glokk’s style sporadically jumps from track to track. By the time I finally reached the end of Bloodshells Revenge, I didn’t feel like I had a good understanding of who Glokknine was as an artist.
Granted, you throw enough ideas at the wall, eventually, something will stick and this definitely held true through the course of the project. I think there were two tracks I enjoyed. The rest? Psshhh.
Truly, if I didn’t think Glokknine had potential, I would have just hated the project and hated him for making it. While it’s disappointing to hear someone with a knack for delivery fall into the same flows, same ideas, same intros, same adlibs, over-mixed vocals, etc., it’s not enough for me to write off GlokkNine entirely. As I said, the dude obviously can flow, and when done right, I’m sure he could have his niche in the industry carved out, leading him to insurmountable levels of success he’s probably not yet seen in his career. However, the problem seems to be in his originality; due to the fact that he’s still a young and new artist, it’s sort of a given that he won’t be a sound-defying, genre-blending innovator right out the gates. No, he has to first start by emulating his idols, copying the “greats” so to speak, learning how to achieve the sounds and stylings of those before him who he enjoys, then add in his own personal touch.
One last bicker I had with this project is how inconsistent his beats were, yet conversely how repetitive and predictable his mixing was. Every song, the beat played a short intro, and several layers of Glokk mumbled some stuff semi-coherently - which personally I’m a fan of...in moderation - then the beat would come through completely, the vocals would start, and completely drown out the beat, save for a few snare hits, typical rolling hat patterns, and the sporadic 808 graces the ears periodically able to pierce through the mix.
Okay, not too bad right? Obviously I didn’t like the project and obviously, I think it would have been a good idea to shorten the project - maybe by taking out all the tracks that were not consistent stylistically? I don’t know just a thought - and obviously the project could have used just a few more “once-overs” in review before being posted, but all in all, the project itself didn’t leave me thinking Glokk would fade into obscurity. Genuinely I think this dude has potential, his sound is somewhat there - an interesting cross between SOB X RBE and Kodak Black - and his skill is obviously present; he just seems to lack direction and clarity in his path. Some tracks where I heard this potential in their raw form, are Ricky Fowler and RocknRoll.
Listen to the project below.