As I mentioned in a previous post, this might be one of my favourite projects from pH-1. Something I can’t help going back to regularly. This album has an auditory story and I have come to like it when a body of work has a flow in some way. All the songs even feel like they belong on this album. Not to mention pH-1’s rap style changes for each song, showing off his talents and a bit of singing while he’s at it.
HALO (Home Alone Lights Out) is rapper pH-1’s first studio album, released on March 28, 2019. The album chronicles the thoughts of an introvert when home alone…with the lights out, if you will. The album hits on themes of self-reassurance with Alright, bravado with Lights Out, the pros and cons of being a celebrity shown in Malibu and Making Film, doubts and trust issues in HYFR (Hate You For Real). With that wide range of topics, anyone can find the song that’s their favourite.
Standouts from this album are, Til I Die, Like Me and Olaf. Til I Die stands out for its ability to both fit in with and stick out from the rest of the album, while Like Me and Olaf are just my favourite songs.
Til I Die is a declaration of sorts. It speaks to the commitment pH-1 has to his craft and, of course, he’s ‘gon’ do this till he dies’. In the song pH-1 mixes regular rap with a singing rap style, emphasizing the thoughtfulness of the lyrics. Jay Park brings in a solid performance with his rap and his vocal similarity maintains to the tonal quality of the song. The heavy beat throughout the song helps to depict the pair’s determination, while the softer piano synth during the hook lends well to the build-up before the chorus where we get the simple declaration.
I…like…Like Me for its sweet instrumentals and pH-1 singing. Other than that, it might be one of the sweetest songs from the rapper as well as one that I can relate to. We’ve all had that one crush that reciprocated our feelings and we didn’t understand why. In the song, pH-1 uses singing rap to convey vulnerability, he effortlessly switches his flow as if conveying the change in speed of the thoughts he’s having for this woman. Let’s not forget his singing aiding in the emotion of the song. The song is simple enough; the instrumental is mostly repeated until the hook where the pretence from the beat is stripped away revealing even more of his doubts. The addition of the horn section near the end gives the song an auditory flair. I’m not sure it has a purpose and I don’t care.
Now, when it comes to Olaf, I adore how both rappers go hard on the track and hearing pH-1 do a strong rap style is always enjoyable. This one is a little tricky to pinpoint but seems to be about the life of an artist/celebrity. The fast pace, the constant addition of friends that you’re not sure you can trust, the money and the lack of sleep, may all be part of the artist’s dilemma in choosing this path — despite his declaration a few songs later in Til I Die. Even with soft vocals, pH-1 manages to have a clear grounded performance for this song. Put that against Coogie’s slightly husky, almost ‘dirty’ vocal performance and the two pack a punch with this song. No singing is involved so you know he means business. The instrumental boasts this haunting note throughout with only the pitch changing in the chorus. Adding the heavy bassline and drums makes this song sound scary. The distorted shouts of OLAF don’t help either. Then the instrumental changes to a lighter guitar riff (something that could be its own song, to be honest), before the guitar changes to an electric guitar and we move into Dirty Nikes.
The project is a guilty pleasure, except, I’m not guilty at all about liking this project. HALO does a great job of showing pH-1’s vocal ability, both in rap and singing. Additionally, the album boasts some excellent features. Including Coogie and Jay Park, the album has talents such as Ted Park, The Quiett, Mokyo (who produced the album), Seokhoon Jang, Paoloalto and Owen Ovadoz. If you’ve never heard the rapper I would recommend starting with this album to get the best understanding of his talent.