Live & Grow is the solo debut album from California rapper Casey Veggies. The cover of the album depicts a play on the famed image of the Evolution of Man, depicting a kid growing up and changing into the current man that Veggies is today. However, the album lacks the true substance to back up this thesis that is presented through the album title and art.
2015 has been a year where the standout hip-hop albums have been cohesive works where the production all has a similar vibe, such as fellow California rapper Kendrick Lamar’s stunning To Pimp a Butterfly or A$AP Rocky’s AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP. This is where Veggies’ endeavor starts to falter. The beats on Live & Grow constantly move all throughout the spectrum of rap production, from incredibly pop rap on tracks like “Wonderful” or “Tied Up,” or deep West Coast hi-hat cuts on “Backflip.” Ty Dolla $ign brings his signature, ready-for-radio voice on “Wonderful.” This is the track that is most likely to be the commercial success on the album, if any.
The one track that does prove to be a critical standout on the album is “RIP.” Tyler, The Creator lends his rhymes and unique style of production to this song. Veggies, who was a cofounder of super group Odd Future, feeds off of the energy and power of Tyler extremely well on “RIP.” Possibly the deepest track on the album, Veggies raps, “But I’m always followed by them cop lights/ They got me livin’ in a cell, tryna put me in a box.” Later in the track, Veggies asks for a “moment of silence for Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, Oscar Grant.” This is far and away the best track on the album and, for once, Tyler does not steal the spotlight with a feature.
Sadly, the rest of the album is not on the same level as “RIP.” Live & Grow is scattered with songs that are missed chances for Veggies. “Sincerely Casey” has the best production on the album, with hints of classic West Coast instrumentation. Veggies floats around the track repeating the same line over and over and doesn’t really get around to actually rapping until half the song is already over.
“New Face$” is another example of a misfire on Live & Grow. Its subject matter of bandwagon fans and fake friends is a very fruitful area in which there is a lot of room to maneuver, but, again, Veggies does not take advantage. He creates a track that lacks detail, and ends up as a basic song that drifts away into the multitude of “haters gonna hate” songs that litter the Internet.
Live & Grow is in no way a bad album, not even in the slightest. Veggies is a very intelligent and skilled rapper, and he shows this throughout the album, but instead of having a firm footing on his debut, he missteps. All the songs are not bad but there are no true really good tracks. The true problem with the album is that there is no real connectivity between tracks, and no true direction. The album title, the album art and the first track all present an idea that Casey Veggies has grown and “evolved.” This is hard to see when the album in its entirety sounds like more of a mixtape instead of a major debut. Casey Veggies is only 22 and has indeed come a long way from his early Odd Future days, but this album proves that there is still a lot of growing for him to do.
Rating: C+
