Brent Faiyaz dropped WASTELAND in 2022 and used his specific emotions and experiences to lead a dark and dramatized interpretation of his exclusive style in the R&B/Soul genre. His follow-up album rewrote the narrative with a gentle and deeply personalized take on being in search of love with a complicated backstory and the struggles of finding love that have followed him through every track he produces. Larger Than Life hit our Apple Music and Spotify on October 27, 2023, and in two days, it surpassed Drake’s For All the Dogs and is nipping at the heels of Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) for the top-streamed album on Apple Music. Brent Faiyaz was able to use his mellow, soulful, and rhythmic vocals to launch into the spotlight after only two days of being available, which goes to show that it is means for a listen.
Track one, called “Tim’s Intro”, was produced by the icon that is Timbaland to kick his anthology off with the right vibe. Struggling throughout the journey of finding love while being a grade-A ladies’ man isn’t the only thing listeners hear Brent’s version of. He continuously allows his audience to share in his emotional transparency, which beats singing about cars and money. He features some familiar faces, including samples from evocative hits straight out of the 90’s and early 2000’s, like the 1998 track called “Boy You Should Listen” by Nicole Wray on Brent’s track six, “Moment of Your Life”. More familiarity appears with Missy Elliot featured on track number two, “Last One Left” and A$AP Rocky on track seven, “Outside All Night”. Brent also includes an ode of evading toxicity called “WY@” that wanders away from the pursuit of a love that’s larger-than-life and brings listeners back to earth after getting caught on the rollercoaster of feelings that Faiyaz puts them on. “Belong to You” and “Forever Yours” also show his true colors and raw complexity on the mic as his vehemence for one particular love seemingly keeps himself and listeners guessing. Brent Faiyaz shares his sentiment with listeners throughout the deeply sensational, incredibly intimate, and uniquely drippy sound to create a piece that is larger than R&B/Soul.
