Ravyn Lenae goes pop on Blue Island

When Ravyn Lenae’s “Love Me Not” – from previous album Bird’s Eye – went viral, she was immediately appointed the future face of neo-soul slash alt-RnB music by the Internet. A heavy title to carry, that was contested by many a Twitter user, calling her voice, personality and even fashion style whitewashed, while others defended a plurality of Black identities and pointed out the many Black women artists who had come before and were treated similarly, viewed as self-hating because of their quirky “weird girl” natures and proximity with music genres perceived to be white – Minnie Ripperton was one the names most mentioned there. Regardless of one’s opinion on the matter, this criticism has inspired the Chicago native when making this album, as she admitted in her press statement: “Blue Island is a point of arrival [...] and feeling free of any of those preconceived notions about Blackness or what I had to be in the past.” That sentiment reaches its apex in Doechii-featured “Babygirl”, strangely the one song on the record most audibly similar to her previous releases. The choice to have the rapper on this song takes it to a whole other level: bemoaning the harsh interpretations given...