Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Tara Joshi

IDK: F65 review – lush, sprawling soundscapes

Jason Mills, AKA IDK, with a motorbike helmet pushed up on his head, touching his face thoughtfully in the middle of a hot, dry landscape
Jason Mills, AKA IDK: ‘a broad palette’. Photograph: Levi Berlin

Most of the music of the British-born, Maryland-raised artist Jason Mills, who performs as IDK, falls under the umbrella of rap. Over the past decade he has worked with Kaytranada and Denzel Curry, using a broad palette of sonics and delivery styles and garnering comparisons with early Kendrick Lamar and the melodic rap end of Frank Ocean’s oeuvre. While IDK stands for Ignorantly Delivering Knowledge, Mills doesn’t necessarily address weighty themes; often he makes party tracks.

F65, the 30-year-old’s sprawling, 22-track third album, features sumptuous jazz and soul, colourful rap and slightly played-out, choppy trap. . While ostensibly it’s an examination of “the human race”, the sound of F65 is more impressive than the storytelling. Yes, there’s a sweet piano number jarringly juxtaposed with lyrics about police abuses of power, and elsewhere nods to relationships and IDK’s hometown, but the standouts are the lush soundscapes of Télé Couleur and the silky beauty of the Musiq Soulchild–featuring Superwoman. Perhaps the rapper enjoys offering something for everyone, but F65 would have benefited from him providing a more robust sense of who he is.

Watch the video for Mr Police by IDK.
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.