Review: “The Death Tape” by Lil Lappy

Buffalo rapper Lil Lappy released his debut EP, “The Death Tape,” nearly a year ago. The underground artist uses this full-length project to outline his personal struggles as a young man who feels helplessly alone. His own admission of schizophrenia and suicidal tendencies provide the context for his feeling this way. In one of the most vulnerable tracks on the EP, “It’s OK Being Alone,” Lappy tries to cope with his existence in spite of missing the people that once occupied his life:

“Can I call my friends? Are they my friends at all?”

“I look in the mirror, and see I’m all alone.”

“It’s OK being alone.”

Lil Lappy occupies a unique space in the world of underground trap music. While his sound is heavily inspired by pop and trap hybrids like Lil Yachty and Lil Uzi Vert, Lappy juxtaposes his up-tempo club anthems with his own dark themes. His 13-track EP includes a variety of emotions and styles, emulating his biggest musical inspirations. The lyrics of the EP range from the typical braggadocio of hip-hop to extremely vulnerable admissions of mental illness. It’s almost as if each song on the project is meant to represent the thoughts inside Lappy’s head. The typical trap tropes represent how he distracts himself from permeating thoughts of suicide and self-harm.

Even the presentation of the project is emblematic of its themes. The songs seem to be in random order, and even the emotional mental health logs aren’t chronological. This nonsensical order may provide a look at how Lappy’s mind works, confusing and contradictory in nature. This contradiction is showcased most notably in the transition from “January 1st Entry” to “Basement Rap.” 

In Lappy’s chilling final entry, he is audibly depressed and feels pulled to end his life. He describes how his friends weren’t strong enough to deal with his mind state, and that all he needed was friendship. In the very next track on the EPs SoundCloud page, Lappy is joined by his friends Hangen and M. Cione in a lighthearted rap-circle inspired song. This sudden juxtaposition is jarring and creates a sense of irony as the listener can hear that Lappy has all that he wants, if he would only just realize it himself.

Comparing Lappy to his SoundCloud contemporaries, he is an advanced songwriter. The choruses of “Lemonade” and “Tupac [Freestyle]” are both extremely infectious, and I found myself singing “Shorty wanna Minute Maid lemonade, now she want it all,” for days after hearing the track. His verses are well-paced, and in some instances Lappy subverts the repetitive nature of the genre by changing his flow to add some energy to the track.

The production of “The Death Tape” also furthers the motif of juxtaposition. Many of Lappy’s tracks have a self-proclaimed “bubblegum trap” sound at odds with the overall feeling of the album. Various bells, sweet-sounding piano chords, and snappy hi-hats create a lighthearted atmosphere in tracks like “Fine,” “Top Notch,” and “Lemonade.” Lil Lappy produced the instrumentals for tracks “Ghost” and “It’s OK Being Alone” but enlisted the help of J Brav, 808Lang, Ty Carrier, Bosky, Level X Ruins, and Timothy Infinite for the remainder of the album. For the most part, the tracks are well-mastered, with booming 808s and crisp drum hits. Lappy’s auto-tune/reverb/compression combination is perfectly suited for his vocals, which range from rapid-fire bars to sustained falsetto.

I want to take a moment to recognize my own connection with some of the themes of this EP/album. For years, I have struggled with my own version of Lappy’s pain. However, mine came in the form of anxiety, depression, and isolation. I have found throughout my life, even in this time of greater acceptance, that your mental illness can often be a burden on those around you. Fights with friends, family, and roommates can often be exaggerated by the internal struggle of living with mental illness. I understand the root of Lappy’s loneliness and his reason for making this project: to cope with his pain. And as Lappy demonstrates on this EP, music has the power to both express and suppress feelings that are hidden within us. Anyone with a similar experience can empathize with Lappy as he describes how much he needs music.

“The Death Tape” is a sincere, diverse, and well-conceived project with intense emotional overtones. Through the various vocal entries, Lappy vocalizes the raw emotions that are the inspiration for the EP. With songs and themes so deftly developed, this underground EP could contend with some major label album releases with a little more polish. As Lil Lappy continues to refine his style and experience more life, his tracks are bound to impress the industry over the coming years.