Producer-rapper Pierre Bourne has become somewhat of an enigma in hip-hop over the past half decade.
Working alongside frequent collaborators in Playboi Carti and Lil Uzi Vert as well as Drake, Young Thug, Kanye West, Juice WRLD and many others, Bourne was essentially born for the spotlight. His energetically simple production brought him to the forefront of the game after Playboi Carti’s smash-hit “Magnolia” earned viral success in 2017.
Since “Magnolia’s” meteoric hold on the charts, Bourne has been busy etching his name alongside other highly respected producer-rappers in hip-hop. After the release of TLOP5‘s predecessor, The Life of Pierre 4, Bourne saw tracks such as “Poof,” “Guillotine” and “Be Mine” land on Spotify’s RapCaviar and Apple Music’s Rap Life playlists. Soon after, “Poof” earned Pierre his highest-charting solo release, as TLOP4 debuted at No. 107 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart.
The fifth installment of The Life Of Pierre series released June 11, as Pierre not only has been focusing on his solo, self-produced efforts as of late, but is working to rid himself of being labeled as “just another producer” to causal hip-hop fans.
The Life Of Pierre series depicts Bourne as the center of his universe — tackling his innermost thoughts, struggles and emotions over his signature, wavy trap production. However, Pierre looks to capitalize on the success of the album’s singles in “4U,” “Groceries” and “Sossboy 2” with Lil Uzi Vert to help bolster him further into mainstream hip-hop.
The South Carolina native has long said that his close peers, family and day-one fans knew of his rapping capability early on. In Genius‘ YouTube series For The Record, Bourne explains his gripe with those who think he can “only produce” after breaking into mainstream circulation. Now, five albums deep in his discography, Bourne not only looks to add to his commercial success, but strives to double-down on his knack for creating fun, atmospheric cuts that bring parties to life.
Bourne dropped the first single of TLOP5, “4U,” earlier this year. Soon after, tracks in “Groceries” and “Sossboy 2” continued to garner greater hype for the album. “Sossboy 2” (released June 8) features Pierre’s signature head-bobbing beat-style as him and Uzi trade high-energy verses over 808-heavy production. Pierre croons over the intro of the track as Uzi follows right behind him, further developing the experience TLOP5 brings to listeners. Bourne also documented the entire creation of TLOP5 on his YouTube channel, bringing fans behind-the-scenes and into the studio.
The album itself is woven together with each beat starting with remnants of the song before it — and so on and so forth. Pierre uses this to his advantage on TLOP5, as the album feels more like an interconnected, cohesive playlist rather than a full-length LP. Bourne’s signature heavy-synth melodies are used frequently throughout the record. Accompanied by airy bells and wavy percussion, Pierre’s hooks and verses flow over each track perfectly — fitting the vibe for both late-night drivers and pre-game aux handlers.
On tracks like “Retroville,” “40 Clip” and “HULU,” Bourne’s hit-making ability truly shines through his glistening production chops. He spits melodic verses over each of these tracks with high-tempo and high-energy, as his beats fill in the blanks he leaves for himself. Pierre acts as his own one-two punch, as it’s extremely hard not to admire the talent he possesses.
Admittedly stealing some flows and cadences from Playboi Carti, Pierre inherently morphs it into his own style. On tracks like “Practice,” “Couch” and “Biology 101,” Bourne stays in his bag with these heavy auto-tuned cuts. Assembling hooks that not only get stuck in your head, the production strategy behind TLOP5 is truly the star of the show. In short, Bourne has pulled out all the stops — creating a unique listening experience for all that immerse themselves in it.
TLOP5 is Boune’s best effort to date. It’s another chance to illustrate his evolution as not only a producer, but a rapper as well. While Bourne has experienced both the highs and lows the rap game has to offer, he now assumes the lead once more as one of hip-hop’s premier producer-rappers.
Listen to Bourne’s ‘The Life Of Pierre 5’ below!
