Luckily LA-based Rugby Wild has been on repeat for a while now, thanks to various curators spanning different platforms. ‘Black Planet,‘ the newest project from the New Jersey-born artist, feels to be the fullest dose of his deep lyrical prowess, and it changes forms throughout the eleven-track offering. Lively, shoulder lean inciting bops like ‘Garden,’ and ‘Tribe’ keep your head shaking. These are intertwined with vibrant accompaniments to smoke-filled rooms like ‘Cocoa’ and ‘Gems.’ The project is a hot meal with family after a hard day’s work, really, a large helping of soul food.
Rugby laces the project with a personal reflection on goals, promises, and achievements. For example, a stand out lyric comes on ‘Garvey’ where he cites:
“Really I’m a Black Star I know what Talib and Mos mean”
Simultaneously, his flow continues to evolve with every track I hear, and this project is a testament to applied pressure. One of my favorite flows comes on the eighth track, ‘Anotherdaminterlude,’ where Rugby slides on a city pop-esque sample with a trap percussion that continues to evolve through the track.
The production is a big part of the project as it’s never dull; quite the opposite. For instance, the transition to the spaceship theme music that is ‘Totheface’ is a radical switch up, but McFly Williums & Rugby make it work effortlessly.
Consequently, ‘Black Planet’ is a beautiful lesson on resilience and self-trust. It’s to the point I’m almost upset there aren’t more tracks and videos. Regardless, art is best at the artist’s discretion, and this is a sign to highly trust Rugby Wild and his choices in putting together a flawless project. If you feel the same as me and need more from him after hearing these eleven tracks, definitely check out his deep discography, especially his 2021 project ‘Thumbs Up.’
