Artist: [ScHoolboy Q](​​https://media.gq.com/photos/5ca7803ad3d6e841f3616397/1:1/w_3906,h_3906,c_limit/schoolboy-q-golf-gq-may-2019-08.jpg)

Album: BLUE LIPS

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Background

After a nearly five-year period without an album, Top Dawg Entertainment mainstay ScHoolboy Q finally delivered his sixth album this year. Q’s last album, CrasH Talk, followed his critically acclaimed Blank Face LP, and fans generally did not receive it well. Though the album is looked upon more favorably now that time has passed, it still did not live up to the expectations he had set with his previous projects. CrasH Talk was a bit more lighthearted and accessible than his typical grimey and dark sounds. Fans didn’t want ScHoolboy Q to continue down the pop-rap lane.

BLUE LIPS met and, if anything, exceeded expectations. The album has landed itself near the top of most year-end rap lists, and has found itself on many year-end lists in general. It hasn’t done crazy numbers on streaming services, but it is exactly what fans were looking for from Q’s CrasH Talk follow-up.

Review

BLUE LIPS opens with Funny Guy, a scene-setter for the album. The light instrumental matches many of the sounds heard later in the album, and the layered vocals with braggadocious lyrics preview much of what is heard on the album. This lighthearted intro immediately slides into Pop, a much louder track featuring Rico Nasty. A grimy introduction instrumental leads into a heavy, almost sluggish drum beat over an electric guitar. This song is classic ScHoolboy Q, rapping about crippin’ and killing people. He wanted to make sure people remembered to start the album. Rico’s contribution to the song is brief, but timed excellently, and she is cut off mid-way through her verse to lead into the next song.

Thank god 4 me ended up being one of my most played songs of the entire year when it was all said and done. The production on this song is unreal. The beat switches in this song (not to mention the instrumental on the intro of Pop) are an early example of what will be seen all over the album. A very peaceful flute instrumental features Q threatening any snitches before jumping into an up-tempo trap instrumental over strings before seamlessly transitioning back into the flute midway through Q’s verse. For the uninitiated, I highly recommend checking out more from the extremely talented Kal Banx, who largely contributed to this song’s production.

Speaking of snitching, the name for the album, BLUE LIPS, seems to reference this. Of course, Q is a known crip, and incorporates that part of his life in the album. The term “blue lips” both references the blue color that the crips represent, but also a dead body. When a person is choking or dying and their lips turn blue, they can no longer speak. Q says “blue lips, really, I’m speechless” on Thank god 4 me, a song largely about Q’s disgust for snitches (“the rat tails need to get buried).

The album’s fifth track, Blueslides, is a beautiful tribute to Mac Miller. One of the more personal cuts on the album, the title references Blue Slide Park, a playground near where Miller grew up, and the namesake of his debut album. One of the more personal cuts on the album, Q raps about losing one of his best friends to drugs, and the struggle to even leave the house because of depression. In his second verse, he attacks the system and defends people with mental health issues (the censored name in the cancelled line is confirmed to be Kanye West, and though the line was removed for his latest controversies, he fought a very public battle with bipolar disorder).

Yeern 101, the album’s only single, features a very unorthodox beat from Cardo. I honestly don’t have much to say about this song, but the production is excellent. Q barely stops spitting through the track, and the one break he takes allows the instrumental to develop even further, picking up before coming to the end of the song.

I know I said that Thank god 4 me was one of my most played songs in 2024, but if I had to choose a favorite song on this album, it’s Love Birds. This song is almost frustrating to listen to, but when you get to the outro, it all comes together. The introduction features Lance Skiiwalker crooning over a beautiful, soulful intro, but he is quickly cut off by a minimalistic-yet-brooding instrumental where Q raps almost frantically. The soul instrumental comes back, and Lance once again begins to sing about love before being cut off once again, this time by Devin Malik. Malik’s presence never really wowed me through his multiple appearances on the album (at least vocally; he contributes to the production on much of the album as well), but the vocal outro of his verse leads back into Lance and the intro instrumental. I’m a fanatic for neo-soul, and Lance’s outro verse in this song brings me chills every time I listen to it. The payoff brings me back to the song, despite my frustrations with the build-up.

Love Birds and Cooties bookend a brief interlude, Movie. This song teases us with another soul sample before almost exclusively featuring AzChike rapping over a dark west coast beat. Cooties is another highlight of the album. Featuring no hooks, Cooties features ScHoolboy Q talking about facing his bad habits and overcoming them instead of running. He becomes passionate about all the riches he’s worked for, and he discusses his fears for his child in the world, threatening anybody that dares come between him and his life and daughter. Q’s flow on this track is kind of jerky, and the instrumental compliments it so well. The outro vocals are excellent as well; I can’t tell you how many times I’ve caught myself repeating “99 bitches in the drivewayyyy” in passing.

oHio features three separate instrumentals that all get time to shine, and it works wonderfully. The song opens with a very chill instrumental that reminds me of The Alchemist. After about a minute, the beat completely flips into another sinister-sounding trap beat. The claps on this beat combined with Q’s quick flow are the complete opposite of the beat that we began with. By the time you’ve adjusted, a drumless jazz rap instrumental comes in to, once again, completely change the vibe. Q drops an excellent, introspective verse before being joined by Freddie Gibbs. His verse here isn’t a statement or anything, but it’s hard for Freddie not to sound good on this instrumental (the Akademiks line at the end is also the cherry on top of a great song).

Foux is the fourth in the Druggys Wit Hoes collaborations between Q and labelmate Ab-Soul, a series which hasn’t had a new entry since Q’s 2012 album Habits & Contradictions (Druggys Wit Hoes Part 3 remains an unofficially-released leak). Possibly the most experimental beat on the album, Q raps over some unsettling production backed by a distorted drum and bass beat that pairs the song very well. This song is a bit of an acquired taste, but I believe it’s one of the better ones, and Q fans seem to believe it will be a cult classic.

The production on First is excellent. The hook (which seems to be pitched vocals from Devin Malik, but I couldn’t find official confirmation on that) is almost reminiscent of something from Memphis (or Death Grips), and it pairs very cleanly with the dark instrumental. The prideful theme of the song works both in the aggressive first half of the instrumental, and the second half, a mostly-drumless and quieter spin on the same song. The following song, Nunu, is the other experimental song that sticks out in the tracklist. The song almost feels like an interlude, but the dreamy production makes the song feel like a psychedelic boom-bap waltz. I’ve yet to see many people talk about this track, and I find it underrated.

Back n Love is one of the fan favorite tracks from this album. The production is hard, but I really can’t get into Devin Malik’s feature on this one. Q fits well on this track, but Devin’s presence once again feels a bit lackluster to me. I love the shuffle instrumental at the end as well. The next song, Lost Times, features an Alchemist instrumental. The Alchemist is always appreciated on a tracklist, but this is just a solid song. The second half is a little stronger, though (and I swear you can hear a Freddie Gibbs ad-lib in the background of Jozzy’s hook. Oh, what could’ve been…).

It’s criminal how short Germany 86’ is. The two-minute runtime is even more deceiving when you realize that Q only raps for a minute of that time. Despite its brevity, this track accomplishes a lot in terms of content. Q delivers one of the most personal verses on the album here, paying tribute to his “superhero”, his mom (as referenced by the title; his birthplace and year). He reflects on the sorrows he saw as he grew up, and he apologizes to his baby mother and promises he’ll make it up to her before he’s abruptly cut off by the outro, a vocal sample reminding the listener that pain is everywhere.

Time killers is another solid, introspective track. Q raps over a quiet, almost unsettling beat about his growth on Figueroa Street, and he warns his peers to watch for leeches and to not get too comfortable. Pig feet comes next, and this song features Childish Major, who I will once again recommend if you’re unfamiliar. His 1st Lady EP was one of my favorite collections of music this year, and his recent collaboration with Nascent and SAILORR is also excellent. Pig feet is a cop killing anthem.

Smile is the final word from BLUE LIPS, and it is entirely too short. The unique ¾ instrumental with sunny production matches Q’s verse well. He finishes the album by telling the world how happy he is, and he sounds carefree.

Final Thoughts

This song’s length is maybe representative of the larger issue at hand that some have with BLUE LIPS. Though the production is well-done, the album is constantly jumping between ideas, sometimes even multiple times in the same song. I may wish that some snippets were longer, but I think the showcase of ideas works well for the most part (and when the beat switches work, they really work). Regardless, it is a gripe that cannot be ignored. I also personally felt like the highs of the album were more concentrated near the top half, but that’s minor.

As I’ve said countless times, this album’s most notable feature compared to its predecessors is the production. The production is a little more “polished” (sonically, not quality-wise, if that makes any sense at all) compared to his previous work, and he definitely steps out of his usual zone for a few moments here. TaeBeast’s fingerprints are all over this album, and he deserves his flowers for sure. Devin Malik, Childish Major, Cardo, Kal Banx, and J.LBS also contributed significantly to the album’s production ScHoolboy Q also sounds more refined than ever on this album. His flow has changed a bit, he sounds more mature and happy, and it all sounds amazing. This album feels like the best parts of CrasH Talk but taken a step further and then mixed with classic Q. Overall, I was very pleased with Q’s return to form, and I hope he continues to grow and flourish as a person and finds happiness in his music once again.

Favorite Songs

Love Birds

Thank god 4 me

Blueslides

Germany 86’

Cooties

Favorite Lyrics

Lost a homeboy to the drugs, man, I ain’t tryna go backwards

When I realize that his **** hurt and think, “Was it worth it?”

Man I gotta shake this shit, wake up and move with a purpose

Been a prisoner in my own house, I don’t know if they noticed

I done broke down so many times, next time, it gon’ catch me

I done helped out so many people, they took me for granted

I done lost out on so much shit tryna live to your standards

I done made problems my problems, now I barely can breathe

ScHoolboy Q on Blueslides

Mass shootings, when will they stop it? Hmm

‘Nother kid gone for unlimited profits

Rather keep my kid home, before you fuck up the process

I’d rather die and lose it all, before they don’t get the knowledge

I’d rather die and lose it all, before I turn on my partners

ScHoolboy Q on Cooties

If I ever see that pussy nigga Akademiks, I’ma catch another lawsuit (Hahaha), huh

Freddie Gibbs on oHio

Lips on her red, but it blew like the wind

ScHoolboy Q on First

I feel leveled, I’m good, my head better, I’m straight

My mom stayed workin’ late, she taught me how to be great

My superhero’s a woman, you know she served for this country

Sent her back to the Hoovers, left her son for the shooters

We in the streets playin’ catch, I guess we comin’ up next, uh (Uh) huh

ScHoolboy Q on Germany 86’

Discussion Questions

Do you find the beat changes to be too much? Or do you find that the concept works well throughout the album?

What style of production do you think suits Q best?

Where does this album stack up compared to Blank Face LP? And to Q’s first three albums?

What other features would you have liked to see on this album?