VER7E – Ultra Ego (Album Review)

Chicago based rap artist, VER7E, has touched down in Charleston and dropped his third studio album entitled Ultra Ego. VER7E has been rising in the underground as member of The Pantheon and continues to show elevation with this recently released album. He brings crazy energy, an original sound, and authentic ‘Chicagoland’ influence to the Charleston hip-hop scene.

Ultra Ego is a great example of the growing level of versatility in the local music scene. VER7E brings a heavy Chicago drill influenced style and adds his own hyphy, ferocity to it. Definitely one of a kind sonically; between the growl of his voice, his intensity, and drill based sound, he’s a ‘lone wolf’ on the scene.

Presenting a consistent Chicago influenced delivery, made famous by artists like Chief Keef, Lil Durk, and King Von (R.I.P), VER7E adds a surprising mix of sounds in the album. He weaves in and out of high velocity drill rap, Bay Area hyphy, and even threw in a jazzy-house jam with the track “Presence”.

The strongest ‘hyphy drill’ influenced songs on the album are “Put On” and “Demon King of 85th”, which is backed by a violin solo sample from Bobby Valentino’s “Tell Me”. I thoroughly enjoyed the contrasts in sounds ‘The 85th Shogun’ uses throughout his 8-track album. In almost every song he takes a smoother melody and adds crazy kicks, 808’s, and snares that add more tempo to the tracks. My favorite examples of this is in the first 3 tracks of the album: “Jango Fett”, “Donatello”, and “Word”.

Though the soundscapes of Ultra Ego are a palette of vibes, VER7E sticks true to his unique, ferocious, cadence and delivery. His voice has the tone of DMX with the intensity and drive of Chicago rapper G Herbo. An interesting and consistent mix that is present of every track.

My favorite tracks on the album are “Presence” and “Hey Nana It’s Me Again”. “Presence” completely hit me from left field with the foot shuffling, house vibes and the drizzle of a jazzy kick-snare. On top of that, he switches flows, cadences, and tempos all throughout the track and still stayed rooted in the ferocity of his style.

On the other side of this #GxldApproved leaf, there’s “Hey Nana It’s Me Again”. This song seems more personal and introspective to VER7E as he tells stories about his family relationships, enemies, struggles, and even love. The intense lyrics over the ambient melody and uptempo hi-hat tap make this an ominous, intrapersonal outro for Ultra Ego.

“I run my race/please don’t come with that hate, this Sig will make your day/ you wash your plate/ after you stuff your face you better go give your thanks/I do not play/ too many things that stick to shorty I’m made this way/ I made my peace/ f***** with my peace you better protect your peace/ I had to leave, y’all have damaged me, ain’t s*** that’s left for me/ my enemies, used to be friends to me, like what was your lesson B?”

I am impressed by this #GxldApproved album from VER7E. He has an extensive catalog of music that definitely speaks volumes to his consistency and constant elevation in his all around sound and lyrical content. It’s easy for drill-influenced rappers to be put in a box, but VER7E is changing that narrative with albums like Ultra Ego. Check it out below and tap in with ‘The 85th Shogun’ bka VER7E.