Princ3 Ali, fabulous h3, 4l1 4b4bw4…
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[5.00]
Micha Cavaseno: Slightly softer than the dread-laden menace of your Abras or Kojos, “Aladdin” works because of its R&B softness as opposed to Afrobeats ruffage and shuffle, giving an almost light-work G-funk vibe to this melodic road rap tune that hits an ominous tone without conveying overt menace. All of Not3s’ threats and boasts here sound celebratory but still carry threat, like an off-key sunset at a beach that can entice you and warn you at the same time.
[7]
Alfred Soto: The intro piano augurs pleasant things, but the production confines itself to the snaps and punches of 2006-era Stargate.
[4]
Nortey Dowuona: Nice piano and synth loops (especially the Sonic Game Boy synths), and the drums are strong and bouncy, but the singing is anodyne.
[5]
Ryo Miyauchi: The brief flute melody here is good enough to make you forget flute rap was once deemed a Thing earlier this year. An even better sound is that boot-up synth, which appears on the beat too infrequently for how good it is. “Aladdin” gets by a lot on these two sounds, as its titular punchline is tossed off far too easily while Not3s’s brag rap says nothing beyond the typical.
[5]
Will Rivitz: Not3s rhymes “captain” with “captain” in the chorus, which — though not inherently a bad thing — belies a laziness that permeates the rest of the song, anemic Auto-Tune over piano keys struck with the force and passion of a waffle falling over. The bass swoops are nice, but that’s about it.
[4]
Ramzi Awn: “I am so fly, like Aladdin,” sings Not3s. But fly is as fly does, not as fly says. Masking a good voice with bad Auto-Tune, “Aladdin” does little to maximize a decent beat.
[4]
Joshua Minsoo Kim: The cute curlicue synthline has more character than Not3s and singlehandedly prevents this from being as drab as “Notice.” It’s not a good look if you’re getting outshone by such a minor embellishment, but if it leads to more memorable songs so be it.
[6]