Fendi P, the Jet Life recording artist formerly known as Corner Boy P, popped back up on the regional rap scene in late May with the eight-song mixtape 8 PM. Rapping mostly over trap beats, P’s second project of 2020 (after the Smokin’ Potnas mixtape with Curren$y) is a fun, breezy listen that keeps things short and sweet; indeed, only one song breaks the two-minute mark.
(Sidebar: I’ve been head-scratching ever since P ditched the Corner Boy moniker to instead rep a designer clothing brand. While that worked well for Gucci Mane, it hasn’t been a successful strategy for other rappers; Burberry Perry was sued back in 2016 for trademark infringement and subsequently switched his stage name to TheGoodPerry. Regardless of whether the Fendi P name results in legal action, I still find it less memorable than Corner Boy P and a whole lot less inspired. Let me know if I’m missing something here.)
8 PM features P spitting mostly over trap beats, no features, with most of the verses sounding like freestyles. The lack of gloss and polish on the production doesn’t detract from the listening experience; rather, it reminds me of Main Attrakionz and The Doppelgangaz mixed with $uicideboy$ and 2015-era SpaceGhostPurrp, a sonic mood that serves the project well. A song like “Turn Me Up” couldn’t have existed without cloud rap, vaporwave, and “All Day.”
The mixtape’s opening track, “A Minute,” is probably the strongest: the beat slaps, the raps are prime, you can feel some actual energy from P. “10 Mins to 6” also stands out, another quick tune ready to be made into a ringtone or TikTok. But P’s not the most versatile of rappers, and not all of the ideas here are winners. “That’s Right” is cribbed from DaBaby’s playbook, with none of the Charlotte rapper’s urgency or technicality. “Cheechi” feels rushed, under-baked, a scrap that feels more like a long snippet than a short song. It’s hard to imagine a lot of effort went into making 8 PM.
That said, not all art is meant to last. I’m hardly the first to observe how, in the era of self-erasing Snapchats and time-sensitive Instagram stories, the idea of permanence as a measure of worth has eroded. On top of that, most people don’t own their music anymore, and the prospect of competing with an invisible algorithm for streams is daunting to many artists. Even popular albums from 2016 and 2017 feel dated now, anachronistic; it’s hard to mention “dancehall” or “gqom” without feeling quaint.
Fendi P successfully balances spontaneous creativity with genuine artistry. Unlike Chief Keef, whose GloFiles and The Leek series of mixtapes became an increasingly nihilistic descent into the void, P still maintains that there’s a person to his personality. He may not be the same Corner Boy who tore the “Criminal Activities” beat to shreds, but there’s still enough pluck and enthusiasm to make 8 PM worth the while. Download it here.
Opinion of the Court 