"EVERYTHING" by Kota the Friend

Radhames Rodriguez, better known by “Kota the Friend,” has always struck me as an odd case in the rap world. Although he fluently works across extensive genres– shifting from R&B to spoken word– and puts forth an attractive sound in his music, I’ve felt that he’s lacked experimental creativity in the progression of his career. With the release of his sophomore album, EVERYTHING, Rodriguez starts to challenge my perception.

In his past discography, Rodriguez has focused heavily on the challenge of finding himself within his music, establishing his core reputation as a ‘personal artist’ on his first album FOTO and following EP ANYTHING. EVERYTHING, in contrast, reflects a greater amount of confidence in his character. Stepping away from his past discography, the album lets Rodriguez’s mind expand past his personal circles to instead make music for his fans. “Open your mind, turn on the vibe, and get off the internet” rings Rodriguez’s voice charismatically as he sums up the goal of this album in the first lines of the introductory track, “Summerhouse.” As brought up in an interview by “Ones to Watch,” in creating EVERYTHING, Rodriguez “want[ed] this album to be a force of good in people’s lives.” And through this brilliant fusion of pop-like rap Rodriguez achieves his goal, creating an album that lands well with a diverse audience to draw people together.

Although EVERYTHING takes on a more mainstream sound in comparison to his past work, Rodriguez still manages to preserve his forbearing character within his lyrics. EVERYTHING is a celebration of the values of community and the ability to love, trust, and grow within it. It cleverly grabs at motifs of trap life only to spin them on their head while finding an equally powerful medium in doing so. Take “B.Q.E.” for example: using the feature of Joey Bada$$, Rodriguez pulls in an influential great only to have him rap on some wholesome flow, maintains this performance for the BAS feature on the track, and later revives it with the KYLE feature on “Always.”

Now, the problem I have with this album starts creeping up in “Volvo.” In lacking the bolster of a mainline feature, Rodriguez appears to have lost his energy, a problem compounded by his inability to keep heat for extended periods of time. After sitting through this three minute long monotone freestyle for the fourth time, I still find myself begging to ask how “Volvo” was included in the final cut. “Seven (Interlude),” the ninth track and next instance of a featureless song on the album then enforces my point–at half the length of “Volvo” and with a quarter of the freestyle time, it sounds remarkably more confident, natural, and comfortable. 

Even when Rodriguez starts to falter though, this album keeps such a pace to it. As though aware of his own limitations, Rodriguez seamlessly weaves in interludes to patch awkward breaks and remind his listeners of a narrative central to community. “It means everything to me to trust folks / I want to be able to share responsibility / I want to be able to dream together and make things happen” comments Lupita Nyong’o on “Lupita’s Interlude,” as she helps Rodriguez transition from the smooth jazz rap of “Long Beach” to the heartfelt R&B of “Away Park.”

While our nation is on the verge of falling to pieces, this confession and encouragement for the need of community to display his/our own best side(s) feels refreshing. Although EVERYTHING is far from flawless, I heard a noticeable amount of growth in Rodriguez’s production skills, and still find fulfillment in enjoying what would have been a riverside anthem to my pandemic-free summer. 

– Chris Goodall