Review by Michael Lazenby (@mlazsr)
It’s been a big past few weeks for some of Chicago’s heaviest hitters with Chance and The Social Experiment and Lil Durk releasing long awaited albums. Not to be outdone, though, is King Louie, the self-professed God of Drill, in mixtape form with his powerful and sprawling Drilluminati 3: God of Drill. From the jump on the opening track “Rozay Flow,” Lou let’s you know that his life is a ‘motion picture.’ A fitting statement since D3 sounds like the perfect documentary precursor to Spike Lee’s Chiraq – showcasing Chicago’s variety of sounds with uncompromising force and honesty.
Mixing it up with a variety of producers, yet seamlessly flowing his tales from track to track, King L hits you up with some of what you might expect with drill tracks “Johnny Tapia” (and a nod to Bad Boys 2), the first official release from the tape “Throw Yo Sets Up” and “Smoke Break.” These are Lou at the top of his King Louie as you know him game.
However, where this project really flexes is when the sounds get varied. A standout is the DGainz-produced “Take Em To Church” where Lou slows it down and shares with you his ‘drill gospel.’ This goes well right next to the Fetty Wap-featured “City God.” Fetty and Lou blend together and all around each other to create a trippy experience that, in an an era when it’s hard to find something that sounds truly original and unique, does just that.
Without a doubt, though, the project’s stand up and make you listen moment is the genre twisting “My World” featuring Jessie Reyez. Simply a guitar, King L and Miss Reyez and it translates into something that you need to hear. Louie waxing on the everyday scenes from 2015 Chicago leading into Reyez gently singing the lyrics, “I don’t know what to do, but I know that this is my world and I don’t feel a thing, ‘cause I let the music play.” is a jaw dropping achievement. It’s soul on soul on soul.
It can be cliche, but this mixtape sounds like an official album release – a statement that King L isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it’s just the opposite – he’s crafting new soundscapes and you get the feeling that he’s only getting started.