On April 3rd, Mississippi-raised rapper and singer Swae Lee came through with his solo album SAME DIFFERENCE. It's technically not his solo debut, since he had his own third of the triple disc album SR3MM back in 2018 as a part of the Rae Sremmurd duo. Regardless, it's the first effort from Swae Lee that sits completely apart from Rae Sremmurd.
This project represents a huge milestone in Swae's career, and it was exciting to hear that this project was finally coming out. After all, Swae has been involved in making some incredible hits over the years, and has excellent vocal capabilities when operating at full capacity.
But, whether or not he'd be able to employ his talents to make a successful album without his Rae Sremmurd partner Slim Jxmmi was an open question. So, now that it's arrived, did SAME DIFFERENCE manage to live up to its potential?
SAME DIFFERENCE is an up-and-down experience from Swae Lee
SAME DIFFERENCE is a fitting title for this album. Yes, it's Swae Lee operating in uncharted waters, but his strategy for navigating them is largely familiar. In terms of Swae's vocals, the album's production, and its features, there is little in the way of surprises.
This means that Swae's strengths and weaknesses from his past music turn up here. For instance, he is a decent rapper, but his wordplay is typically pretty lackluster, and he has at least as many terrible lines as great ones. He has a terrific singing voice, but he sometimes struggles to find the best application for it.
Swae's familiar approach also leads to a lot of rehashed ideas, sometimes with diminished returns. More of the same from Swae Lee isn't the worst news, because his back catalogue is far from awful. But for those looking for Swae to expand and elevate in this new environment, it's dissatisfying.
The nature of SAME DIFFERENCE proves to be inconsistent, and that becomes evident pretty quickly. The opener, "TOMATO/TOMÁTO," is easily one of the project's best songs. The instrumental is really good, with plenty of interesting sounds coming together in a way that makes you just want to go, and Swae raps over it pretty well.
This immediate high makes the ensuing track, "NO CALL NO SHOW," so much more jarring when it comes. It's so low-effort by comparison. The beat just sort of trudges along forgettably while Swae Lee lazily delivers his lines. A NAV feature in the second half doesn't improve things at all.
SAME DIFFERENCE's uneven nature carries on for its entire duration. It's present during moments that try to recapture old magic with collaborators, and it's present on the solo Swae tracks. When listening through for the first time, you can never really guess how good the next song is going to be.
On the upper end of the spectrum, a few other highlights include "MURAL," a song with a killer Jhené Aiko feature that comes close to their 2017 collab "Sativa," and "RAISING AWARENESS," a slow, heavy, and atmospheric ballad that Swae handles like a pro.
On the opposite end, some lowlights include "WORKING REMOTE," which has a synthwave beat that is woefully ill-suited for Slim Jxmmi's one feature appearance, and "EVERYONE WANTS," which includes some of Swae's most unflattering singing on the verses, and has a children's chorus that Swae is unable to mesh with.
Even one of the album's few genuine moments of novelty, the lead single "FLAMMABLE," is kind of a mixed bag. Swae takes on a rage-influenced beat and shows himself to be clearly competent at the style. The instrumental hits, and Swae comes across with plenty of confidence as he spits over it.
Don't get me wrong, I do like this song. But, I can't help but feel like this is less true experimentation, and more an artist hopping on a trendy sound just because he can. A few wack bars, such as "I'm a star like a constellation" and "Eyes lit like wild life animals," don't help matters.
This whole thing feels similar to Quavo's first solo work away from Migos. In the mid-to-late 2010's, both Swae and Quavo were considered the faces of their respective southern trap rap groups. They also had unique, recognizable voices and a penchant for melody that made them stand out.
Back then, there was plenty of talk about how great a solo Quavo album could be. But ultimately, despite flashes of greatness, his solo debut QUAVO HUNCHO failed to meet expectations when it finally arrived. Though it's somewhat better than QUAVO HUNCHO, Swae Lee's SAME DIFFERENCE suffers from a similar fate.
There is absolutely some quality in the SAME DIFFERENCE tracklist. At the same time, Swae didn't give us anything truly great. There is no "Black Beatles," "Powerglide," or "Unforgettable" on this one, unfortunately.
Swae Lee's first completely individual project had some relative highs, and at the end of the day, it is a decent album. However, given Swae's standout voice and the massive hits that he's been a part of over the past decade, it manages to disappoint. The potential of this solo venture wasn't fully realized, and the final product is just passable.