Considering the album cover is her nude and covered in chocolate syrup and sprinkles, biting into a strawberry in the most seductive way possible, it’s obvious the princess of profanity CupcakKe is back and bawdy as ever in her second album of 2018, Eden.
Releasing another album just 10 months after her third album, Ephorize, CupcakKe set a high bar for herself to top. Ephorize had unforgettable bops from the hard-hitting “Cartoons” to the LGBTQ-pride anthem “Crayons.”
Eden has several great moments. “Quiz” is relentlessly fierce evidence that CupcakKe can weave the masterful wit of spitfire rap with an edge of incredibly vulgar, brassy humor. Lines like, “spill a bitch brains, look like raspberry cheesecake” demonstrate CupcakKe’s air of carefree whim that you don’t see in a lot of mainstream rappers that take themselves far too seriously.
“Garfield” is another stand-out on Eden, a poetically explicit ode to her “fat cat.” “Typo” is a sultry, suave track that skillfully and effortlessly transitions between soft-spoken whispers and quick, commanding rhymes so cleverly simple that you wish you came up with them.
CupcakKe is such a high-energy, underrated intellectual that it’s clear when her songs are lacking in such vigor and attitude. “Starbucks” is a clunky accumulation of rhymes that sound recycled from other songs. “Prenup” is upbeat and catchy enough, but far too audibly similar to the song “Fullest” on her last album, yet nowhere near as memorable. “Dangled” is a heartfelt jam with some of the album’s best rhymes but is too low-energy to compare to some of the album’s stronger efforts.
Where CupcakKe stands out, however, is her courage to be political and speak out both on issues frequently discussed in society and issues that aren’t. “Cereal and Water” doesn’t shy away from commenting on issues such as colorism in the black community, mental illness and police brutality. “A.U.T.I.S.M.” is an olive branch to the community of people affected by autism, trying to defeat the stereotypes against autistic people and explaining the thoughts and anxieties felt by them on a daily basis. She coins the phrase, “a unique-thinking individual strongly matters,” to act as almost a battle cry for the community.
Four albums in, CupcakKe remains an independent artist to maintain her creative freedom. And while her raps are some of the most underrated, jaw-dropping in the genre, the production behind the songs has remained stagnant in quality, causing some of the songs on Eden to sound more and more alike.
Although the redundancy between several tracks can be a tad off-putting, what makes CupcakKe such a recognizable force within the rap industry is the subject matter of her songs. She’s not as hyper-focused on her income or the brands of her outfits like a lot of mainstream rappers are. CupcakKe is an unapologetic voice for not only her communities, but all disenfranchised communities in today’s world.
