Grade: C+
Editors Note: While Dr. EV4L is still a solid tape, in our opinion, it doesn't really stack up to Nudy's past projects like Sli'mierre or Nudyland. We downgraded this from an A-.
Young Nudy is a polarizing rapper who’s uniqueness makes him easy to radically love or hate. The same atypical behavior that makes him hard to swallow for some, also makes him a rapper who stands out from the huge mass of unoriginal artists. Coming up in the shadow of his cousin, 21 Savage, Nudy has spent the years since his debut honing and perfecting his unique take on trap. On his latest project Dr. EV4L, Nudy’s efforts come to full fruition as he creates one of the most cohesive and appealing landscapes in recent rap memory.
Nudy has long been at work laying the foundation that makes this album so enjoyable. Since his debut in 2016, Nudy has focused on building a vision. Always on top of his game, Nudy has consistently improved on his craft with a meticulous attention to detail. It’s difficult to find an instrumental in his repertoire that is not up to par. Nudy first introduced himself on the underground scene drawing his inspiration from Don Mancini's cult horror classic Child's Play to create his own bloodthirsty character, Slimeball. Always with one foot in the street and the other firmly planted in the nightmare world of Nudy Land, Young Nudy has gradually built an impressive track record.
Nudy’s earliest material had a sinister edge to it, but the Atlanta rapper showed signs of commercial crossover on his 2019 collaboration with Pi'erre Bourne, Sli'merre. Here, Bourne's airy beats served as a backdrop for relatively friendlier performances from the often deadpan rapper, and big-name features from mainstream rappers like DaBaby and Megan Thee Stallion took some of the focus off of Nudy's eccentricities. On these releases you could feel Nudy’s full potential trying to get out while he was reluctantly tamping down his eccentricities. His 2020 debut studio album, Anyways, went in a different direction, highlighting experimental tendencies and a more raw production style. It wasn’t until Anyways that a Nudy release felt like something you wouldn’t get anywhere else.
The character of Young Nudy is ruthless and bloodthirsty, seemingly enjoying the smell of blood. His love for murder is absolutely disgusting, showing Nudy succeeds in putting himself in the role of a serial killer. Dr. EV4L is not a surprise in itself, since he has already explored this horror universe several times, notably on the Slimeball series or Nudy Land, but he seems to truly thrive on this record. It's a bit like a Stephan King book/movie, you know more or less what to expect. That's why the Nudy fan base will be familiar with DR. EV4L, there is a multitude of references, an established atmosphere, and an unhealthy craving for violence. It feels like an album that synthesizes the whole of its preceding project while also refining it.
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