It’s Sunday and ‘Everything’s Fine’ by Jean Grae and Quelle Chris is slept on.
Released in 2018 the duo made it a point to always lean towards what sounds interesting rather than what sounds appealing. Maybe that’s why this project has been put to the side since its release. Unique albums like this only really get a spotlight when someone actively decides to put one on it.
So let’s give it a spotlight.
This album lives in a heavy, hypnotic, trance-like state, it’s almost sedative. The concept of the whole project revolves around the irony of its name, that “Everything’s Fine.” Sometimes this operates on an individual level, like an effort to block out all that’s wrong with the world through a chosen vice. At others, it moves on a more global scale, where the powers-that-be attempt to convince you everything is fine. However, as Grae and Chris immediately uncover, everything is not fine. This album wastes no time in getting to its message. Even when they go about it in a satirical way, like on the opening track “Everything’s Fine” it’s made painfully obvious that topics of this album are no joking matter.
Throughout the project Grae and Chris directly attack negative stereotypes, those that exist within and outside of the circles they hurt the most. On “Gold Purple Orange” Chris opens his verse with line after line sarcastically confirming many of these ideas. “Every independent lady attitude trashy, anybody ain’t lit gotta be old”.
On “My Contribution to This Scam” we encounter a girl who’s pushing the label of “fem-cee” onto Grae, calling her “sis-star,” all while Grae is trying to push her away, saying, “Please,no…” Across the album the duo approaches these heavy, real world subjects with a satirical and self-aware tone.
Finally, you can’t speak on “Everything’s Fine” without addressing the vibe between the two artists: it’s airtight. They have the chemistry of a married couple… because they are. And it shows in their execution.
You could write a whole essay on this album but we won’t do that here. “Everything’s Fine” is a really good project. Stop sleeping and check it out.
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