Album Review: Unbothered by Lil Skies

For my blog debut, let’s dive into Lil Skies’ second official album, Unbothered.

Pennsylvania rapper Lil Skies dropped Unbothered on January 22, 2021 with 14 tracks, including 4 previously released singles. The vibrant album cover is reminiscent of a childhood bedroom from the early 2000’s (old TV & lava lamp) and the album itself addresses themes of love, struggle, and the costs of success.

“Fade Away” details the hard times and stress that Lil Skies went through before his come up, with a strong beat and an easy-going vibe he expresses gratitude for those who stay loyal and warns about “the snakes steady slitherin’”. Ultimately the struggle is worth it but sometimes in the process you “just wanna fade away.” Sometimes it can be tough for us to trust the process and take risks or make changes like Lil Skies switching up his flow. However, he still found a way to add variety while keeping his signature sound that his day one fans have come to love.

“Take 5” definitely was a bop, with a seriously smooth flow throughout. He pays homage to his family including his baby son, mother, and brother while emphasizing how hard he will continue to grind regardless. The outro also added a very nice touch.

Photo by Ticketmaster.com

The chorus of “Excite Me” actually failed to excite me, however, Wiz Khalifa’s verse was solid and made it worth the listen.

This was my first time hearing “Havin My Way” and was the first of 3 songs to feature a guitar melody. Lil Skies NEVER let up on this beat and Lil Durk really added to the song. My jaw dropped for the first five seconds of “Ok” because of the beat and this is definitely a song for hyping myself up. His flow’s rhythm follows a pattern that starts off slow but speeds up intermittently, and then slowing down again which was pretty cool to hear. In my opinion, he does get a little lazy in the final verse, starting multiple lines with repeat phrases that didn’t really add emphasis.

“Trust Nobody” features a single guitar chord within the intro and echoes the fear of being set up. “Riot” is definitely one of the more energetic songs and the sub-bass interspersed within the beat gives it a nice surprise factor.

“Dead Broke” conveys a more sentimental vibe, with Lil Skies vocalizing before rapping about letting someone go who couldn’t ride for him. As someone who has had friends come and go, this song definitely resonated with me. “On Sight”, “Red Wine & Jodeci”, and “Sky High” also appear to be Lil Skies’ musings on women, fatherhood, and more. “Sky High” features more vocalizing in contrast to the rest of the tracks. Halfway through, he switches into a rap flow accompanied by a softer beat and then the bass-heavy chorus returns for a strong finish.

“Mhmmm” has the most intricate beat by far, with what I believe were violins and was a wonderful way to end the album. “Ok”, and “Dead Broke” were definitely my favorite songs. Wiz Khalifa and Lil Durk were talented additions featured on this project. The storyline within the songs seemed to lack a certain clarity and direction. Overall, the album was very well produced with high quality, strong beats and a reflective vibe.

I’ve been a fan of Lil Skies since 2017 and if I’m ‘havin my way” then you’ll give this album a listen! Listen here!