Young Fiyah – Fiyahworks

There’s nothing a Christian loves more than a good illustration. If I had a dollar for every time I heard a hearty “That’ll preach!” after a metaphor was used in a daily Bible college conversation, I’d have enough money to afford a goat-skin bound ESV (I promise there is such a thing). California based emcee Young Fiyah takes the comparison of a sky-lighting firework to the Christian life that should illuminate God’s glory in the same way as gunpowder. Does the album live up to the same explosiveness?

Lightly put, Fiyahworks starts out weak (And is that an advertisement in the opening seconds?? Like it was bootlegged off Limewire?). Openers “Fiyahworks” and “Explosive” have a combined running time of eleven tedious minutes that kills any momentum introductions are known for. Even if you find the anorexic beats, the simple hooks or the monotone flows enjoyable, you’ll soon tire of them thanks to the extended running times. “Miss Chrissy” is the lowest point of the album. The beat, reminiscent of the ringtone hits of early 2000’s, is flat and the concept, Biblical truth aside, is corny at best and laughable at worst. The concept on the true-story “Gun Point” works better, but what comes across as an apathetic flow and weak, mood-killing punch lines (‘Make one false move, I’ll get popped like acne’) subtract from the whole. Even the handful of passing grade songs here ultimately fall short due to unspectacular bars. The mood of the album would seem to imply that punchlines are the name of the game, and when Fiyah begins to ramble for more than sixteen bars with very few eye-catching lines in between, the listener becomes easily distracted. 

 Young Fiyah is at his best (in context) at his most sober, as seen on the piano-laced biography of “My Heaven Awaits” and “Naked,” whose theme and conversational flow is a refreshing splash of water to the face in the desert of recycled material. “Ask Me About Em,” featuring K-Drama, has the best beat on the album thanks to the potentially infectious vocal chants in the chorus. Even so, repetitive and simplistic hooks remain the name of the game here and on lead single “Keep it Movin’,” “M1000” and “Dependence Day.” They’re the kind of hooks that someone with overflowing personality might be able to make work but, as it stands, they sound like a 185 pound Rick Ross sound byte. “Speechless,” where the emcee takes the ‘God leaves me speechless’ theme a little too literally, has the blessing of FAR donating female vocals on the chorus. The difference passing off hook duty makes is major and Fiyah would be wise, in future music ventures, to recruit more songwriters and vocalists to handle one of the his Achilles heels.

Fiyahworks is overwrought with simplicity. Underwhelming simplicity. The majority of the production sounds at least a decade dated (“Lean With It, Rock With It” and “Snap Yo Fingers” are songs that kept popping into my head while listening), the lyrics often feel more like rambling more than wordsmithing, ninety-five percent of the choruses grate listener’s ear drums and intelligence and the 17-track, 73-minute project severely overstays what should have been it’s brief visit. If or when Young Fiyah steps into the booth again, he should seek a more current, concise plate of production to put his best filtered lyricism on display in, garnished with a strong songwriter and vocal crew to aid in chorus duty. The meal that is Fiyahworks fails to be appealing, either as a delicacy or a nutritional meal to choke down because it’s ‘good for you’.

That’ll preach.

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