As much as it is a challenge, it becomes just as big of an accomplishment when an artist is able to mix heavy themed lyrics with infectious beats and choruses. San Diego rapper and singer Graham Saber has marvelously done both on his newest project AWFF (All We Fought For). This is Graham’s sophomore album from Aslan Entertainment after last years The Quarter Life. Most artist can’t release new music every year with out the quality overall being noticeably worse, but this is also a big hurtle that Graham has soared over. Not only is there a more distinct subject/theme, but there is also beats that give you the feels and lyrics that make you want to instinctively sing along… even if you don’t know the words. To put it bluntly, this album has the vibes.
One of the biggest ups is the singing on the entire project. Graham sings all of the choruses throughout and honestly it’s what makes the album so enjoyable. Whether if it’s from the beat selections or just practicing, it has made such a huge difference and is really working in his favor. The title track “AWFF” is a beautiful song where there is almost no rapping, just him pouring his heart out to a girl and trying to ask where in their relationship went wrong. Most of the other songs have the same vibe to it but more trickle down the emotional spectrum of those feelings. Feeling disoriented in the song “Roller Coaster,” wanting to see stuff in his life lasting longer in “Long View,” and coming to the place of acceptance of his own mistakes in the song “Human.”
Two of the biggest highlights of the album come from the song “PLM / As I Am feat. Caleb KP Maxey” and the short interlude afterwards “B Flat’s Outro feat. Brian Cook.” Transparency is the one word I would use to describe the message in this song coming from both Graham and Caleb. Overcoming doubt and trying to get over the fact they used to not always treat women correctly are some of the heaviest topics talked about by both artists. It is personally one of the best produced and structured songs one the album. The other big song on here is “Long View feat. Ki’Shon Furlow.” This song has this raw emotion and theme that most Christians come to see more often then not, the idea of being so distracted by the world and what it has to offer then what God has for us in eternity. Both Graham and Ki’Shon come through with great bars and perspectives to give a clear message behind what Long View means.
All We Fought For is in my opinion one of the most solid albums to drop this year. It has a solid theme and consistent sound that makes the whole album just completely enjoyable to listen to. Each song on its own could be a single, with the high quality of production that went into this along with the tremendous pipes from Graham himself. This has been one of the biggest quality leaps I have ever seen from an artist and it makes me so excited to see what he does in the future.
