KOTA THE FRIEND- FOTO REVIEW

Firstly I gotta give a shoutout to Spotify. If it weren't for the Daily Mix and that thing when they do a shuffle based on the last song you listened to (song radio?), I wouldn't even know who Kota The Friend is. Dude doesn't even have a wikipedia page! He does however have over 20k followers on Twitter, over 150k followers on insta and a second album titeld FOTO that he dropped on 15th May.    
The song that made me aware of Kota was Alkaline. The super chill vibe and the introspective content from the Brooklyn spitter caught my attention and hence I decided to check this album out. 

FOTO kicks off with some words of wisdom by an old-head on Full Bloom who speaks on the importance of photos. Followed by a soulful beat and some laid-back lyricism. When Kota said 'I hit you with that boom boom bap like it's Dilla Day' I had a feeling this album was gonna be dope. Thankfully I was proven right. 

The production was very smooth and chill. It seems Kota is influenced by the likes of A Tribe Called Quest because the beats (mostly self-produced) had that soulful, jazzy, 'nod your head' feel for the most part.

Content-wise, the LP seems to be split up by interludes. 
So from the start to the 2nd interlude (Pop's), the bars are very introspective. While 'Birdie' is clearly a tune about dating, Kota doesn't nail down one particular topic at this stage of the album (tracks 1-8) in my opinion. Seems to me (and I could be wrong by the way) like he was just observing life and decided to write down whatever he felt at that time.  I believe the following bars give a good insight on Kota's character.

'Hella bummy, nigga fuck an image
People calling when it benefit them
Voicemail be like going fishing
Waking up and every day is sunny
Gotta calm spirit, you can't take it from me
Everybody smiling on my mini island
It's an added bonus we making money' Church

'Ain't no counting money finna woo me,
Smack you if I see you wearing Gucci...
Lil Kota playing in the backyard
Nigga, I am busy taking pictures of my offspring
Lotta folks need a whole lot, wish they had more
I am okay, find joy in the small things
People wanna see me in the limelight
I just want a hammock on the lake"Kota, you about to get signed, right?
I be like, "Nigga, no way' Hollywood

The Gucci bar likely relates to the high-end brand being accused of racism. A topic he covers further on Alkaline and For Coloured Boys. The bars I posted kinda explains why he's not as well-known as he should be. This is because fame isn't a goal for Kota. 



The Saba-assisted Solar Return and Mommy are sandwiched between three different interludes which signifies to me that these songs are unique in comparison to the others. The former sees Kota and the Chicago rapper (the sole rap feature) exchange great verses over a beat that... certainly suits the brand of rap that Saba is known for... The latter is a cool concept where the verses see Kota rapping from the perspectives of a struggling mother. Check that out. 
   After Uncle Cal's Interlude, The album then takes an upbeat, 'turn up' vibe with Backyard and KOALA where Kota raps about partying with friends and travelling the world.
   The final interlude (Grandpa's) sees Kota rapping about past memories which explains why the closer is called FOTO and highlights the wisdom and significance of the opening speech by the old-head that I mentioned earlier. Kota speaks on past relationships, offers advice to young black boys on the standout For Coloured Boys and raps about past events in his younger years.

Kota can spit for sure. We all know at this point that Kota has good content. In addition, he displayed dope wordplay and different flows throughout FOTO.

While FOTO speaks on serious issues such as systematic racism, consumerism, bad parenting etc it also covers relationships, chillin' with friends, having fun and just generally life. FOTO is basically an insight into the life of a young black person who, against all odds, is trying to be great and enjoy what life has to offer. 

Kota is a friend to the 'hip hop head'; the 'backpack rap' fan; the person that wants a break from trap, drill and songs about hallucinogens; to those who want to hear soul in their earholes. 

This is definitely a good shout for album of the year. I'll give this an 8.5.

FAVES
Beat- Full Bloom
Verse- For Coloured Boys
Feature- Saba
Track- For Coloured Boys