earl has come a long way. over 18 years of music, operating mostly at the fringes of hip-hop through every era.
it always fascinates me to see where rappers take themselves as they reach these numbers and higher. it's the most lyrically dense genre there is, and so it's normal to question: "what is there even left to talk about???" many end up talkin about nothin, some end up talkin about somethin, and an unfortunate amount ends up closing their mouths altogether.
on this project, earl shows that creative curiosity doesn't have to fade as the new phases approach. man is married with two kids and the pen has only sharpened to show a growing perspective. comparing the present to his past, evaluating what's important, and dropping wisdom in the best way that he knows. unc status has been achieved.
With this, rather than rapping about being unc and impressing a level of seniority, earl more-so raps as unc. there's a difference to the humility expressed, where the delivery is lively but not arrogant. Poetry is obscured but you can understand if you try to listen.
compared to the last couple of releases, the energy is a lot more sunny. the clouds that were present in previous works has passed, and a healthy happy mind is revealed to be thriving.
I think both the title and the poem that coined the popular phrase describes the project well in its opening lines:
"He has achieved success
who has lived well,
laughed often, and loved much"
- bessie anderson stanley's, 1904, "success"
