Spillage Village is a musical collective consisting of EarthGang, JID, 6lack, Hollywood JB, Mereba, Jurdan Bryant and Benji. Their newest album, Spilligion, is their second album released as a collective. The album includes features from Big Rube, Chance The Rapper, Masego, Ant Clemons, Ari Lennox, Lucky Daye and Buddy.
Enough of the formalities. Now, I could call this an album review but I’d rather use a majority of these words to praise this group for putting together such a beautiful piece of art. Spilligion can’t even be categorized as just a rap album. This project combines elements of R&B, soul, gospel, LoFi, Afro-pop, funk and even folk to produce one of the most diverse projects I’ve heard this year. The variety in this project comes as no surprise. Every member has proven to be more than capable of giving great performances regardless of the vibe.
An underlying theme of this album is spirituality. One of the singles, “End Of Daze,” provides insight into how the group views life as the concept of our time on this Earth coming to an end seems to creep toward reality. The chorus, performed by EarthGang, Mereba and JID, says “It’s the end of days, end of times… Up in a blaze, you can’t hide.. God packed his bags and said “bye-bye” Why, why, why?” One of the more thought-provoking songs on this album, “End Of Daze” was a wonderful single to prepare listeners for the album.
Not all the songs on the album are this deeply rooted, however. “Cupid” feat. Lucky Daye is a playful song that still manages to sound top tier given Lucky’s heavenly vocals on the chorus. Johnny Venus of Earthgang gives a playful verse and still manages to show off his vocal range.
Speaking of Johnny Venus, if this album proved anything to anybody, it’s that Venus’ voice has incredible range. Venus is the only member who manages to be on every track on the album, yet his voice is so versatile that unless you’re a longtime listener, you may not notice that you’re hearing the same person as before.
Overall, this album was amazing. From the skits, to the rapping, to the singing, to the instrumentals. There is something in this project for everyone to enjoy. Spilligion showcases some of Atlanta’s finest in a way that not many other musical collectives can manage. The best part of the album, for me, is that it felt authentic. The chemistry was incredible. Every song sounded like the artists were all in one studio when it was recorded. It’s that great. We definitely recommend that you give it a listen.
Standout Songs:
PsalmSing
Ea’alah (Family)
Shiva
Oshun
-Sojourner Freeman
