F. Stokes & Lazerbeak: Death of a Handsome Bride (Album Review)

Expectations can be treacherous and unpredictable when listening to albums for the first time. In today’s Internet age, many rappers can hardly eat lunch in public without appearing on YouTube only hours later; this 24/7 barrage of media constantly shapes our opinions of musicians. Needless to say, rarely do our personal biases not influence our initial reactions to artists’ new music. So, it’s a refreshing situation when, as a “critic,” an album can be judged solely on the merits of its content. I was able to do this with Chicago rapper F. Stokes and Minneapolis producer Lazerbeak’s recent collaborative EP release, Death of a Handsome Bride.

It’s clear from the EP’s opening song that F. Stokes is unabashedly honest in his songwriting. The a cappella track, “Too,” assess some of the social handicaps Stokes has had to deal with (“Too skinny, too fat, too black, ain’t black enough”; “Offspring of a dope head”). The track transitions into “Jeremiah,” another one-verse opener on which F. Stokes effortlessly rides a bouncy, soul-sampling beat from Lazerbeak and raps about the problems of being an African-American in modern society. “Fresh out the womb, got penitentiary memberships,” he raps, criticizing our country’s criminal justice system. Lazerbeak offers up an absolute gem of a beat for “Hang On,” a track on which F. Stokes kicks knowledge about the struggles of inner-city living, notably the omnipresent conflict between living legally and doing what’s necessary to make ends meet (“My niggas be hustlin’/ trying to get that bubble Benz,” and “Them Chi streets cold, when your baby need clothes”).

These conflicts dominate the thematic landscape of Death of a Handsome Bride. F. Stokes’ lyrics tiptoe the fine line between the blues and gospel impulses. Some tracks are all about acknowledging the burdens that dominate our lives, and finding some way to deal with those pains (“Pretty Shit” evaluates the vicious cycle of domestic violence in relationships). Other songs concern unification, community, and finding ways to overcome life’s difficulties and issues (“Blessings,” on which Doomtree rapper Mike Mictlan lends a nice verse, and “So Into U”). In the end, though, F. Stokes reminds us that the dichotomy between blues and gospel, pain and joy, isn’t as separated as we believe. His opening lines of “Hang On” help to demonstrate that concept: “Who would have thunk it?/ The kid who sold crack for Dunk kicks/ Would get his opportunity and punch it out the ceiling/ And it didn’t take an A&R or labels frontin’ millions/ It’s motivation for my nappy-headed ghetto children.”

The EP does have its knocks, however. Clocking in at less than 30 minutes, Death of a Handsome Bride is over when you are just starting to get an understanding of who F. Stokes is. Minus the opening a cappella, which doesn’t have much replay value, and the bizarre, electronic “Tickle Me Mars,” the EP’s song selection runs thin at times.

Nonetheless, Death of a Handsome Bride is a testament to the determined, “do it yourself” mentality in underground hip-hop. F. Stokes deserves praise for his introspective and forthright, yet still evocative lyricism, and Lazerbeak once again validated himself as the one of the best producers in hip-hop that no one knows about. Death of a Handsome Bride shows that listenable, thought-provoking hip-hop is out there, it just might take a little extra work to discover.