PnB Rock - GTTM: Goin Thru the Motions

PnB Rock
GTTM: Goin Thru the Motions
2017
Spotify

PnB Rock may not be Philadelphia's biggest hip hop star at the moment, somehow Meek Mill still holds that title, but He certainly is making a push for that throne. His style of rapping turned singing/swaggin gained major popularity with artists like Fetty Wap, yet balancing the two has become more difficult than a lot of artists originally thought. With this type of music you really have to be aware of what impression you are giving off. In Hip Hop being the baddest in the room is often the most valued while in R&B it is about being in touch with one's softer side. When a rapper tries to do both at the same time in the same song it comes across as corny as fuck. PnB Rock really straddles that line on GTTM: Goin Thru the Motions where a song like "Plans" can sound somewhat sweet, and others like "Range Rover" take a much harder stance. It throws you because you are never quite sure who this person is or what they are trying to present us. The beats on this album are also ancient. If you googled "basic trap beat" the first 10 results might actually be on this album. There really is very little in terms of creativity and surprise on GTTM with PnB Rock settling to give you exactly what you expected. "Notice Me" which is supposed to be this pinning love song is so clawing in it's sappiness that it is almost unlistenable.

This idea of being "hard" yet still able to almost croon a love song is so laughable, but a lot of people today are trying to make that very thing work. It becomes watered down rap or watered down R&B, never the best of both. "Misunderstood" fills out the middle of the record which is in a word, boring. The section of love songs here just fall so very flat and are so downtempo that any energy is just sucked right out. PnB Rock's delivery however is quite good and He is able to move from Rapping to Singing quite well, it just all breaks down in the lyrical content. The album is closed with "Stand Back" a song that really could have been used earlier in the record to inject some energy. It is one of the better tracks, it just comes way to late for anyone to really care. Dated beats, confusing lyrics and little to no through line all mean that GTTM: Going Thru the Motions is doing just that, going through the motions.

5.9 out of 10