Trev Rich – “Heights” | Mixtape Review

Tags

Heights, K1ng Eljay, Mixtape Review, Trev Rich

Words By | Leon Sullen, Jr.
Pen Name | K1ng Eljay
Twitter | @K1ngEljay

The Favorites

“The Way You Love” (feat. B. More)
“24”
“Maserati Nightmares”

Some artists are discovered randomly; it’s impossible to know about every success story at its birth. Most of our knowledge of music has been discovered in the same manner. Those random beginnings that seem to drop out of nowhere are at times the most rewarding, whether it’s you riding in the car and surfing the radio, or catching a video online, or even becoming interested in a skit on one of your favorite artist’s mixtapes.

It just so happens that for most of us, the story of Trev Rich begins with the latter. His stellar interlude on Joe Budden’s A Loose Quarter triggered the interest of notable Hip-Hop heads everywhere, and it wasn’t until I began to investigate that I found out there was much more than meets the eye. Initially named Rockie, the Colorado native changed his name to avoid confusion with the A$AP and the Fresh’s of the world. According to our interview, Twitter (and Ice) aided in some way to help him become a member of Joey’s Mood Muzik Entertainment. And lastly, he has a recent project out under the MME umbrella that was being discovered retroactively; people were going back to look for his music and Heights would be the first thing they’d find.

Being his latest release, it also proves to be the project that shows off Trev Rich’s diversity as an artist outside of spitting slick rhymes; it exhibits his ability to craft music, and to do it with an efficiency that resonates with the listener. It’s not a perfect project by any means, but Trev wears his heart on his sleeve to the point where it’s easy to see why he’d be MME, easily. As skilled as he is, his authenticity is what’s the most impressive.

That’s not to say the music isn’t good, however. Far from it.

From the cleverly titled “Maserati Nightmares” (which is a personal take on the trials and errors of a previous relationship), to the segment that hinges together three similar but different songs (“The Way You Love” [Interlude], “The Way You Love”, and “The Way You Hate”), to the emotional outpouring on “Dear Ma” and the aforementioned “Dreams (Interlude)”, Trev delivers a solid listen from beginning to end. On top of the well-rounded songs, he also stretches the boundaries a bit by taking loose shots at the Secret Society structure (“Gold Jesus Pieces”) and dropping one of the most inspired set of verses on “24”, which is in turn a slight nod to Nas’ “If I Ruled The World.” Although there are a couple misses here (“Push It Off” sounds like a bonus track, and doesn’t fit with the vibe of the project), overall the mixtape is a dope listen and shows the ability of Trev to make quality music so cohesively; the presence of a loose theme and he thilarious skits add replay value, and makes it that much harder to deny talent.

Trev Rich is still developing as an artist, but thanks to the headstart he has due to his abilities to draw on his experiences and translate that legitimately to pen and pad. It’s going to be interesting to view his progress as a member of MME, but if his recent actions are any indicator, Trev may prove to be well worth the watch. For those that haven’t heard of his music until now, here’s to hoping that Heights is that pleasant discovery for you that it was for us.