Taking a Deeper Look at Parris Chariz’s Take You To Parris | Review
As a fan of Parris for only about 3 years now, I wasn’t there for the rapper’s 2018 and 2013 albums, In My Weakness and 2045– the two albums I hear about most from his fans. Of course I’ve went back and listened and they were worth the time, but going back to listen never gives you the full vision like you get from listening in the moment. In this review, we break down some different aspects of the album.
Lyricism- 84
Don’t get me wrong, P still put his usual touch of metaphors in this album, but not as much as he usually does. I feel like his goal was more so to tell his stories, which he did well. Sometimes the story is more important than lyrical display, but songs like samPson and I Can’t Let Up display his wordplay ability.
Storytelling- 92
I feel like I learned a lot about Parris Chariz through this album. We’ve interviewed him before in 2021, so I knew a few things about him from that, but one conversation never tells the whole story. The Christian hip hop artist did a great job explaining his strife and putting his soul into this project.
Flow- 85
The flow is always smooth and comes easy. I would’ve loved to hear a few more tempo switches, but that’s just me being picky.
Versatility- 90
I originally gave this album an 82 for versatility, but after a few more listens, it can’t be that low. He’s got some songs that knock in the car, he’s got plenty of introspection, and he even has a song with Steph Simon that’s closer to 808 boom bap, old school rap: An 82 doesn’t do justice.
Production- 93
I don’t have much to say about the production– it just sounds good when you listen through. I love the transitions between songs.
Creativity- 90
The album starting with “What Is Free?” and ending with “Stay Free!” is a dope touch. The storytelling and literally taking you into Parris Chariz the human being. A clean cover. The soulful samples. A very creative album.
Hit Potential- 83
The goal of this album wasn’t to make hits, it was to tell stories, and that’s perfectly fine. That being said, a few songs were slappers which is why I’m still going with a 83.
Vibe- 95
I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Parris Chariz song that wasn’t a vibe.
Features- 85
There are no bad features, but a few could have went a little harder, in my opinion. 1k Phew went absolutely nuts on his verse on Dirty Floors and gave me a little bit of a NBA Youngboy vibe at first. Steph Simon never disappoints.
Cover Art- 95
The cover is elite. Love it. The image is by Reis Raw and the graphic effects by JV.
Tracklist- 85
The tracklist is graded by taking the songs, excluding intros & outros (unless they are songs) and skits and assigning points– 1 point for songs I enjoyed, .5 for songs that are solid, and 0 for songs I didn’t like too much– then totaling up the points and dividing by the total number of songs. For Take You To Parris I scored it 8.5/10 with 7 songs earning 1 point and 3 songs earning .5 points.
Overall, I was surprised at the vulnerability in Take You To Parris as he addresses near-death experiences, falling out with his dad and dealing with mental issues like anxiety. Taking these moments into consideration, Parris ties them back to his strong belief in God, knowing He is the reason Parris was able to “make it out these cycles.”
