KC’s Music Monday: Rome Fortune – Small World

Recently Rome Fortune released his third project of the year – an 11-track EP titled “Small VVorld. The album features production from Four Tet, Blood Diamonds and Bassnecter, as well as guest appearances from artists, OG Maco and ILOVEMAKONNEN, with the hopes to have some of the new talent that Atlanta is harboring represented alongside Fortune.

At first listen, I didn’t think this was an album for me. It has that abrasive, rough quality that, in this instance, grew on me quicker than I thought it would. Sometimes you just have to listen to filthy, haphazardly constructed rap music and get down with it.

This isn’t a perfect album. I ended up loving that about it. It’s got an edge to it where the imperfections simply aren’t flaws, they are subtly enhancing each track. There are certain times where the lyrical delivery seems forced or lazy or even unclear, and that ends up being part of the charm. Rome Fortune is having fun with his voice and his vision, while also delivering a bigger picture into the conversation, and that is clear from the tracks to the album cover.

Fortune spoke to Billboard.com regarding this EP, saying, “‘Small VVorld’ is an ideology I have that’s obviously a common saying, but at the same time is the truest way to test if you’re on the right path of life, in my opinion. If you’re doing it right, ‘it’ being whatever you prefer to occupy your time, you will always run into powerful presences [and] entities that can push you further with that passion or take it all from you. That’s what the album cover signifies in one image.”

Tracks like “Workin’ Gal and “5 Second Rule appear in the dead middle of the EP, and those were the two tracks that really sold me on the project. The production is spectacular and really shines alongside simple, repetitive patterns and hooks. “FriendsMaybe is also a stand out track for me, and has both a club or radio quality to it (in the best way possible) and has a relatable story behind it.

Overall, this EP pleasantly surprised me. You can check it out below, available for free download.