Alkaline: ‘Top Prize’ Album Review
With a Billboard No. 1 debut under his belt, Alkaline unleashed his bid to unlock more levels in the game with his new album Top Prize. Dancehall’s Champion Boy gives us 14 tracks with zero assists and every reason to stay glued to his clever, fluid techniques. The deejay balances lyricism, raw testimony, his growing appeal, confidence in his worth, and impact after a few prolific years in dancehall.
The follow up to 2016’s New Level Unlocked is equal parts breezy and braggadocious, unfolding in rhythmic, soft-synth tracks which seem to be the Spoil You deejay’s comfort zone.
A few songs were already in rotation, (Cree, Ocean Wave, Deh Suh), giving fans a glimpse of the finished product’s rich arrangements, from the militant to the melodious.
On the opener and title track, Alkaline defines himself as he narrates his struggle, start to finish. He recalls the rugged days in the starting blocks over an echo-filled backdrop – “Back track to when it wasn’t as it seem and I use to only vent/ Shed some tears too, me nah guh ’round it” – until the payoff of the hustle picks up the pace – “Prestige and di spot light/ Fans a celebrate, me lef a guh weh wid di top prize.”
As Alkaline said earlier this year of the compilation, “This album is timely with the opportunities I have been given, lessons learned along the way, my personal growth and experiences … experience teaches wisdom, so, it is only fair that I bring everything full circle.”
Ocean Wave offers more introspection, and Deh Suh gets assertive with his ‘conquer the world’ ambitions, while Maniac is a confident ode to the extremes of success produced by ArmzHouse Records.
Next up is a seemingly deliberate ‘gyal tune’ segment, twerk-inducing tracks ranging from dancefloor-ready to the candidly sexual. Mr. Move Mountains treats the ladies to some bass-heavy Magic, turns on his sweet falsetto for the one holding him Hostage, and blithely instructs Vendetta vixens to Twerc (of course, with a hip spelling).
More Life is the suite’s most compelling anthem, where the deejay paints a picture of the eagle views that come with his underdog status. “Stop what?, Stop who?/ Everyday me spread me wings, dem a spread news”, he sings to his detractors in a fitting exposition of the albums cover art. “Busy like Broadway, Phone a ring all day,” he says of his soaring lifestyle, praising “Jah Jah” for his guidance while casually name-dropping new obsessions like Givenchy.
The Suave youngster brandishes more brands on Nuh Trust Mankind, the strapped-and-ready sample on how far he’d go to protect himself and his hard-fought success. “Pull up inna the Gucci store no Nike/ Balenciaga, Dior a tha thing deh sign me/ Audemar, Patek deh on the wrist/ Inna some foreign car a dweet bigger than some movie star.”
On Ah and Heat A Di Moment Alkaline spits game at “hot steppa” and “sexy gal” alike over chirping, futuristic synths. Cree, the grimy cut loaded with vivid threats released a year ago feels like a disconnected follow-up, but is quickly eclipsed by light vibes on the party-centric Medicine.
Dedicated to those fed up with curfew, quarantine and everything COVID, Alkaline spits the formula for happier times with witty, lit rhymes: “Gal dem inna short shorts/ Thugs dem deh ya a represent and a hold a real vibe, Under the medicine, the medicine/ Mе roll up one and light it up like Edison.”
Alkaline closes out with a spitfire reminder of why he desrves the top prize in the first place: “Faster than them/ Smarter than them/ Wiser than them/ Stronger than them”, he sings on Payroll. The song chronicles his come up as he drops gems for his Vendetta patrons who helped him top Billboard Reggae Charts for 18 weeks with his first album.
The short tracks on Top Prize keep things moving along briskly as Alkaline mingles the explicit with the empowering. Bangers, gunplay, and wordplay fly by in 42 minutes, even if the digital backdrops sound similar or repetitive at times.
Infamous for standing out, Alkaline stands firm on his engaging sophomore effort, and once again the underdog walks away with the lion’s share.