Album Review: sbk - PRAY MOR

PRAY MORE by sbk is a testament to resilience and self-determination. A project that exudes confidence in one’s ability to take their life back. For sbk, the way to reclaim the self-love and empowerment that was taken from him was prayer. After a friend prayed for him over the phone, sbk started to notice changes in his life. The dark place he found himself in seemed to light up a bit. Through the spiritual practice of prayer and counting his blessings, sbk regained strength and channeled that newfound strength into the creation of PRAY MORE. 

Fully self-produced, the 15-track album portrays a “more confident and ferocious” side of sbk through his regained spirituality. The creative process suffered no barriers given the clear and confident headspace he now found himself in.

“The music just comes out of me so there’s no blockage in creation at all, it was just inspiring.” - sbk

While his previous releases were very much centered around drawing attention from the outside to a darkness within, sbk now sees that the light he has reclaimed must be used to potentially light the way for others. His idea is to promote the practice of prayer and gratitude to inspire others to do the same and find a way out of whatever darkness they are stuck in. PRAY MORE may seem like a self-centered project, but knowing the story and intention behind it, it takes on a whole new meaning. What seems like flexing turns into genuine gratitude. In that way, PRAY MORE is both a way for sbk to mark a turning point in his music and reclaim his self-esteem as well as encourage others to practice the same gratitude to lift themselves out of their pain.

“It’s the same thing that I’ve always done but for more noble reasons. It’s bigger than myself […] It was good to do something like that, to give back for once… ” - sbk

And you can feel the determination in the sounds. sbk uses very uplifting and floaty synth melodies to portray a feeling of lightness while heavy drums underline the power behind his music. The album covers a wide spectrum of styles, ranging from boom bap to trap to more alternative hoodtrap sounds on YA CYANT STOP HIM. sbk displays all his versatility and shows that he can spit on any beat like he’s proven time and time before on previous releases. While the two artists featured on the album complement their songs well, the low number of features on the project goes to show how confident sbk is in his ability to carry and defend this project on his own. His raspy singing voice in GOOD EVENING wear the signs of his troubled past but also reflect how far he has come.

All in all PRAY MORE by sbk is an all-encompassing project portraying a new beginning for him and inspiring others to follow him on his journey of spiritual reaffirmation. The takeaway from the album is a feeling of power and responsibility to reclaim one’s life and be grateful. The idea of prayer can be expanded to fit into each and everyone’s definition of it, and if your definition of prayer is to be present and count your blessings then by all means, PRAY MORE.

Written by @Magriwo.