Stop Sleeping on Kash Doll: A Review of Doll's Debut Album 'Stacked'
Kash Doll’s is back with a vengeance on her debut album, ‘Stacked’.
After several delays ‘Stacked’ arrived on October 18th. The Doll has put out plenty of mixtapes and singles for years but the release of her first album is a major milestone. Shady record contracts halted the process of recording and releasing an album for several years.
The album is composed of a track list of 17 songs, clocking in at 47 minutes. Her sound has evolved many times over since her early “Run Me My Money”, days. Present day Kash is more polished and developed but her music remains original and true to her artistry. Kash’s style is authentic, playful but sophisticated, and most importantly, hers.
‘Stacked’ is current, entertaining, and displays Kash Doll’s musical growth.
Song 1, “KD Diary” does exactly what an intro should do, give the audience some backstory on their life experiences as well as a window into their life’s recent happenings. Kash Doll recites her life in chronological order, detailing her life from infancy to present day. The beat of the song runs parallel to the timeline of the song as it transforms from ballad-like to a full on ‘rap’ song. The, “For Everybody”, rapper provides another recollection of her life towards the end of the album on, “Excuses.” Perseverance, luxury living, and independence are Kash Dolls true-to-self motifs throughout ‘Stacked.’
“No Lames (featuring Summer Walker)” and “ Doin Too Much” are bad b*tch women’s empowerment anthems. The Doll spits nothing but straight wisdom and confidence on these two tracks. Her sturdy confidence meshes amazingly well with the soft croon of Walker’s vocals. “Doin Too Much” is all about being happy with who you are despite adversarial attempts to bring you down.
“Coastal Rota’s”, sexually explicit lyrical content and song structure is parallel to Lil Kim’s, “How Many Licks.” The sixteenth song on the album features a list of men Kash Doll sees from time to time and the many ways in which they carnally please her.
Kash ends the album on a thoughtful note with, “100 of Us.” The seventeenth and final track speaks on social and political issues within America, particularly the struggles of Black America like Black on Black violence, police brutality, and a broken judicial system. This record is not only necessary in America’s current racial climate but also necessary to show Kash’s range. Her music isn’t all twerking, diamonds, and furs; Kash has the range to talk about real world issues.
‘Stacked’ certainly engages with the core elements of female rap works: empowering women. Kash Doll is all about being both independent and at the top in every way possible. From being in charge of her romantic life to being at the top of her game, ‘Stacked’ is about a woman who took life’s bits of sand and turned them into a string of pearls.
Kash Doll doesn’t shy away from featuring top-notch artists on her album, from fellow Detroit-native Big Sean to hip-hop legend Lil Wayne, to our forever crushes Trey Songz and Teyana Taylor. Kash Doll brings her A-Game beyond her a-level features. With a wide selection of songs for a myriad of moods, strong lyrical content, and solid beats. Motifs of struggle are common as are those of triumph; Kash Doll asserts that she has the range. Kash Doll is proud of herself and has every right to be as she’s paid her dues several times over and has been grinding for years. Kash Doll has pulled herself up from the pole and perils of stripping to living her best life as a commercially successful Female Rapper, and for that, we think you should give her a stream.
