Thank You For Believing - Toosii

Toosii has been one of my favorite emerging voices in Hip-Hop this past year and I wanted to shed a light on Thank You For Believing because I don't think it has gotten the recognition it deserves. He is at the forefront of the Trap&B wave and is diversifying it's sound even further. Seeing his placement on the 2021 XXL Freshman List was not a surprise to me but I was still delighted to see him there. I think Toosii has longevity and talent and this mixtape could be his first of several great projects, considering it sold twenty four thousand copies in the first week, without a huge rollout.

The intro track, in my eyes, has an atmospheric instrumental with a haunting vocal sample in the background. Toosii is rapping rapping on this track, so when he's able to get introspective and drop thought provoking bars considering he's thought more of as a singer it is a very nice to hear. He raps about how he got famous off of love songs but he's gonna switch it up, warming us up for a moody and more personal LP from him. The next track, be cautious, features a gloomy Trap&B instrumental that continues to build the melancholy atmosphere. Toosii raps how he needs this woman in his life and how she's causing him a lot of pain but she is also able to make him happy, and his singing on the chorus is very good as well.

The instrumental on 5'5 is more upbeat with a fun singing sample layered in the back. Toosii picks up the pace in his rap a bit and Latto keeps the energy with a really impressive verse and it only makes the track better. The following track, windows down, was a summer anthem in my opinion, from the enticing guitar to Toosii's strong catchy melodies. His chorus on here is great, the type you can't help but sing along with and it just emits good vibes. The guitar strings continue on the track shop, except they aren't as captivating. Toosii's flow here is good but his pen game is weak when compared to the other tracks. DaBaby on this track brings some exceptional energy and his signature flow but doesn't do much for the song as a whole.

F*ck marry kill is a melodic banger that takes place over an instrumental that sounds straight from a Lil Tjay album. Toosii drops funny and playful bars talking about all the women he claims to have in different states, recounting different encounters with all of them. His chorus and verses are all great here and he brings fun energy to a track that sounds like it would be more lowkey. What it cost's instrumental is your run of the mill trap beat, but Toosii manages to keep the song entertaining. He has a really solid chorus on this track and his flow is nice as well. What it cost’s is not a bad song but it is just missing that wow factor.

The instrumental on end of discussion is more fun and lighthearted than the rest of the tape. Toosii's flow on is a bit choppy, but the great instrumental and his good chorus make up for it. However, the end of discussion feels slightly out of place considering its more tropical and vibrant sound. Greater storm once again has a kind of bland and commonplace trap instrumental, although the progressing horns and piano keys give it a more important feel. Toosii's singing and rapping are both very passionate and he reflects on his friends who have passed away and wishes he could avenge them and see them again.

Compared to the rest of the record, tic tic is a high paced joyride bursting at the seams with energy and danger. Toosii's flow is fast and uncontainable and his lyrics are violent. Though there is nothing much to really digest here, tic tic is a moment where Toosii just spazzes. Zaytoven's instrumental on rich n****s is exotic and unique but also sounds odd and out of place on Thank You For Believing. Toosii's presence here is strong with his classic raspy delivery and his flow is strong as well. Key Glock's verse is good but he sounds like a fish out of water on this instrumental with his deep, booming voice and off kilter flow.

Back together is a straight R&B track with some soulful singing from Toosii where you can hear the pain in his voice. He sings about trying to save a relationship with a woman who seems to want to leave him. The instrumental is very cloudy but nothing too special, but that's fine because Toosii is what makes this song great. The outro to the album, red die, is nothing special but it features a layered and lavish beat with some nice guitar. Toosii is once again rapping passionately as he reflects on himself but also looks to how he wants to grow and help the world become a better place, not to mention some great singing on the chorus as well.

Thank You For Believing is the most open and vulnerable I have heard Toosii, and I think he definitely shines when doing music of that caliber. Toosii also shows that he can make hype tracks as well as songs for the radio showing off that he can be versatile. The mixtape also has a cohesive gloomy sound for most of the record that makes it sound like a studio album. And another major highlight is how concise he kept this. With most rappers dropping eighteen to twenty song long albums with lots of unnecessary filler it was nice to see a consistent and cohesive record that wasn't hellbent on getting streams. However Toosii can be a bit grating in raspy delivery and hard to understand at times, but you can also really hear the passion he puts into his work. Thank You For Believing is not perfect but I think it's been an underrated trap project to come out this year.

Final Rating:

SOLID 6