Although these days Beardless spends much of his time in Chicago, the rapper and producer remains firmly entrenched in the local ILLECTRIC GOLD crew and continues to relentlessly rep the ATL. His latest work is the grim and versatile Dark Walk Pt. 2, which finds him exploring a variety of sonic terrains and expanding his range as a rapper. If you’re looking for instant gratification, there are some trace moments where Beardless unloads the boom, but by and large this is a record that eschews club bangers for more cerebral constructs.
Opening with the murky, distended funk of “PeepTheWay,” Beardless and fellow producers Dallas Winston and Casey Allen quickly go about establishing an overarching aesthetic that is adventurous and off-kilter. Even the most mundane moments have an eccentric edge about them, and as the record unfolds you can almost see them egging each other on, pushing each other to seek out more unique and alien avenues. The result is an EP that refuses to settle into a consistent groove and dares to travel down divergent paths. For instance, Winston’s production on the menacing “Hi Steaks” cobbles together brittle snares, trunk-rattling bass, and what sounds like a malevolent jaw harp into a dark, contorted beat. In contrast, Beardless’ work on “Hold Up” and “On It” is more airy and minimal; rather than filling up the tracks with samples or textures, he sets about creating open pockets of space that act as springboards for his multifaceted flow.
Thematically, Dark Walk Pt. 2 is a deeply personal work that slides back and forth between “get the fuck out my face” chest thumping and moments of surprising candor. As a rapper, Beardless doesn’t seem overly concerned with rote gangsterisms or creating complex scaffolding for his internal rhyme schemes, although he does make sure to toss out a few sharpened daggers now and again to keep any would be haters at bay. For the most part, his stories reflect a life of day-to-day hustle and survival. “Like real for real / I’m just trying to keep it chill / Trying to make bread so I can pay my bills / How we feel? We feel so ill / Because these niggas don’t pay us still” he raps on “On It,” a song about determination in the face of adversity. It’s not the most electric cut on the EP, but it’s one that most clearly shows Beardless’ mindset. He’ll probably never breakout big, but that won’t keep him from pushing his own boundaries and trying to get his.
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