The last time we got a full-length Bryson Tiller album was May 26th, 2017. Three and a half years ago I think that anyone reading this article (including myself) was a very different person. Coming from Louisville, Kentucky, Bryson Tiller is one of my favorite artists of all time. From the first time I heard “Don’t” and “Self Righteous” in early 2016 I knew that he had the potential to become a superstar. His debut album, “TRAPSOUL” is now certified 3x platinum with 7 out of 14 songs being platinum or more. In my opinion, the album was a culture-defining project as it alone created a whole fanbase who gravitated immediately towards him. I have it as one of my top 10 favorite albums of all time. Many have labeled the album a classic as it has clearly stood the test of time. The amount of nights where I’ve just gone on a drive and blasted either “Right My Wrongs” or “Overtime” is insane. It is an album that I can always listen to, no matter what mood I’m in.
After his last album, “True to Self” Tiller took a long break from the public eye. Going months without posting on social media and staying low-key. Which obviously is not wrong, but when you are one of the biggest artists in the country your fans start to wonder and become impatient. That’s where I have sympathy for artists. Many people seem to ignore the fact that their favorite artists are also human beings. They might need to take a break and just focus on their mental health. Before releasing “ANNIVERSARY” Tiller had interviews with both Billboard and Medium giving the public an inside look into his mindset after holding out of dropping an album for so long. He said himself that when he released “True to Self” that he was in such a bad mental state that he would tell his own peers to not even listen to it when it dropped. Even though I absolutely loved the album and put it in my top 10 of 2017, many people were critical of the project. I feel as if people were expecting a Trapsoul pt. 2, instead of trying to embrace a new body of work. Songs like “Before You Judge“, “In Check“, & “Don’t Get Too High” are all songs that are 10/10 for me so to see so many people have criticisms for the album most definitely surprised me. After going through his own mental health issues and then dealing with the loss of his grandmother, Tiller recently found inspiration to work on “ANNIVERSARY” after deciding to take a break from his long-awaited album, “Serenity”. In his interview he says, “I just couldn’t continue to work on an album called Serenity, when I don’t even have a peace of mind myself”. So while taking a break from that he decided to revisit some old ideas and tracks he had while working on TRAPSOUL, and he put it out on the fifth anniversary.
The album itself was amazing to me. I know I may be biased but Tiller showed his versatility from rapping on tracks like “Years Go By” & “Things Change” to his distinct singing on “Keep Doing What You’re Doing” & “Always Forever”. Throughout the project Tiller stuck to the theme of time. With the track names (Years Go By) referring to how much time has passed since he dropped “TRAPSOUL” and how much he had grown since 2015. In “Timeless Interlude” he even says, “think I live a flashy life, but really life is flashing by”. This was also the first Bryson Tiller album to include a feature, and it wasn’t just any feature. The biggest artist in the world (arguably), Drizzy Drake, hopped on a feature and they created a masterpiece (Outta Time). Each song just continues to write his own success story, through all of his trials and tribulations. All in all, I’m happy that he is in a better place mentally and that he could go back to enjoying what he truly loves without feeling any external stress/pressure. Tiller also announced that there could be even more music possibly dropping in the winter.
After more than 15 listens to “ANNIVERSARY” I have come up with my song rankings, which I officially declare are subject to change. While we all live our lives just remember to always put yourself first. When life is getting tough, don’t try and force yourself to try and make other people happy before you. And if that means that you have to take a break, so be it. Do whatever makes you happy, and just keep doing what you’re doing. You’re going to be alright. Be safe everyone, let’s try to enjoy the rest of the year. This is YSN, signing out.
Favorite Songs:
- Sorrows
- Keep Doing What You’re Doing
- Next To You
- Outta Time ft. Drake
- Always Forever
- Timeless Interlude
- Inhale
- Years Go By
- Things Change
- I’m Ready for You
In this interview Tiller talks about his future plans and the process to making ANNIVERSARY. I would definitely recommend watching this.
