#GxldApproved: Aidey – You Snooze, You Lose (Album Review)
Nostalgia. One of my personal favorite aspects of music. I love to listen to music that relate to my past self, or a past time or era. This #GxldApproved album took me back to the days of college. The freedom, the fun, the confusion, the wins, the losses, the LESSONS-all the situations needed to learn, apply, and grow.
You Snooze, You Lose by Aidey is a personal recount of a young man in his early twenties, living through these parallels every day. Rap artist and producer, Aidey, has been notably growing in the Charleston scene since early 2023 after his 2022 album release Sunday Scaries. After hosting and performing at Recovery Room and making waves in the downtown collegiate/underground spots, You Snooze You Lose has been anticipated by his new and growing, local fanbase.
Fully self-produced, this album is a testament to Aidey’s growth as a person and a creative. Similar to Sunday Scaries, YSYL is a first person perspective of the various aspects of his life as a young college student, stuck in the throes of capitalism, and trying to live through and maintain, his visions of success.
I mentioned ‘nostalgia’ earlier because, beyond the memories of my early 20’s-Aidey’s style of lyricism and flow reminds me of Asher Roth, Mac Miller, with a touch of Travis McCoy from Gym Class Heroes. Intrapersonal lyricism with relatable stories that paint pictures for a generation.
Aidey revels in his storytelling and personal realism in YSYL. You can almost close your eyes and feel the environment of certain songs. From the Friday night Rec Room anthems, to the more lyrical, personal tracks-Aidey paints pictures with his unfiltered storytelling and brazen wordplay.
“Dread and Breakfast” and “Recovery” ft. SmxkeDoji and Rckbxttm take you on a visual ride of the night of and the day after, a lively evening in Charleston’s night scene. “Dread and Breakfast” being the heavy haze of dreading the next day after a long night, with the slow dragging hook, reminiscent of Kid Cudi’s “Man on the Moon”.
On the contrary, “Recovery” taps into an adventurous post-work night, filled with drinks, the homies, and ‘seeking recovery’ in order to leave the mundane behind and bask in the life of the present. All encapsulated in the hook
“Wake up go to work, after work I hit the bar, meet up with my homies and they’re already going hard, oh, im making money but this job keeps bustin’ me-yea, all I’m looking for is some recovery.”
A subtle shoutout to Recovery Room Tavern via double entendre.
Beyond Aidey’s storytelling skills and the ability to allow listeners to live vicariously through him. I was thoroughly impressed by the pockets of lyricism, schemes, and BARS that weave throughout the album This is heavily prevalent in ‘soliloquic’ honesty of “My GF” and more notably “ Bezerk” featuring DJ DollaMenu and Semkari.
Both Semkari and DollaMenu are known for their signature styles; Dolla with his bar for bar wordplay and tongue-in-cheek lyricism-Semkari with his melodic, punchy, high drive delivery. Paired with Aidey’s vibrant cadences and wavy pockets of lyricism- ‘Bezerk’ is a lyrical exhibition I didn’t know I needed. Semkari went absolutely HAM, gracing the track with two high-fire verses, coupled with two hard hitting verses from Aidey and Dolla Menu.
Songs like “I Wanna Quit My Job”, “ENDtroduction” and “Might Lose” stand as three of the more deeper songs of the album in my opinion. Aidey exposes his thoughts and feelings of his own self-awareness, how he copes and exists through the uncertainty of life, and breaking free from the strongholds of systematic capitalism. Though these concepts can be grim, Aidey delivers his plight with a bounce. Especially in “I Wanna Quit My Job” with its catchy hook, upbeat tempo, and fun delivery.
However, the closing track “Might Lose” holds the summary of all of Aidey’s current dilemmas, conundrums, and the mindset he’s adapting to overcome the stressors of not knowing what’s next. As a person that has, and still goes through these same internal and external struggles-“Might Lose” was not only a dope outro with a slick sample, but allows the listener to really immerse themselves into Aidey’s retrospection.
“I did some thinkin’, is the drink what’s got me sinkin’? Is my phone my greatest debt to me and how the fuck I beat it? Is it cuz I got some plays and kicked back all conceited? Still haven’t figured it out but ill believe it when I see it/ texts from my friends reading ‘prayers up for Aidey’/acting like im laid up on the table down at Grady/I need a time machine so I can be the one to save me…”
In summary, You Snooze, You Lose is an easy listen, showing versatility in Aidey’s sound and how he intertwines fun, good times, and life experiences with the difficulty of existing in Charleston as a student, socialite, and juggling dreams and capitalism. This is a raw, honest take on concepts we all deal and have dealt with. Give the album a listen and drop comments below and stay tuned for more music and performances from Aidey.