Zeal & Pristine

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Seen It All EP by Ronny DoGood

We are halfway through the year with a myriad of releases in the rap genre that make me believe this has been one of the better years for rap. There's something for everyone, and I'm still arriving at even more as I navigate through the DSP highways. Just me, a $15 bottle of wine and the sheer determination to bring you the waves. Thank me later. This time around, I reached my destination at Yorktown, Virginia emcee Ronny DoGood's latest project, the "Seen It All" EP that explores Ronny's life, late nights, and determination to come out on top. Ronny takes an introspective look at himself while also finding time to flex on this next man.

The "Seen It All" EP starts with "Fersurski" in the track 1 spot. A braggadocious introduction into the world of Ronny. A chopped syllable fast-paced wordplay display prepped atop a slower tempo production piece highlighted by the heavy-hitting kicks on the hook. It's a well-mixed decent beginning that if nothing else makes gets you involved enough to want to hear more. And that's exactly what an intro is supposed to do right?

The seamless transition into "Hazel" makes me appreciate the sequencing of this release from the jump. If it wasn't for the change in the subject matter I would've thought this was a switched-up second half of the first song. More of a love song here Ronny displays a unique melodic rap/singing voice on the hook and throughout. Almost reminiscent of early Mac Miller and I swear I'm not saying that just because both are white. It's an okay effort that didn't quite stick for me as far as replayability but is still enjoyable on first listen.

Now track 3 is where Ronny reaches his peak. The title track "Seen It All" finds the Virginia rapper taking an introspective look at himself while also spitting quickwitted quips about menages with Molly Querim and going on a Wayne-like run of music releases. It's his best raps over the best beat on the EP all self-engineered. A blinding highlight that I've found myself going back to repeatedly. From a fan/new listener standpoint, I feel Ronny should build on these moments in this lane because he's immaculate at it.

We end with "IzHead" an outro that finds DoGood placing a well-executed period on the EP. A melodic, easy listening, eardrum pleasing soliloquy that puts some of Ronny's best penmanship and thoughts on display. It's a departure from the sound of the rest of the project that plays out like a breath of fresh air. Light piano, muddy kicks under pure bars. It's a good note to go out on and caps off a project that's worth adding to your library asap.