It cannot be stressed enough just how crazy a year 2017 was for the trap rap community. The SoundCloud wave was just getting started, preparing to usher in a new age of music, music lovers, and of course, bonafide music haters. Back in the summer of ‘17, you could definitely count this writer as one of the latter, muttering some musings on the “mumble” state of rap. The recipe of trap rap, its lyrical simplicity and repetitive formulas, just wasn’t my cup of tea. A sentiment many shared in the early days of trap’s SoundCloud adoption. But little did the naysayers know, these up-and-coming artists weren’t serving tea, they were serving lemonade.

The proprietor of this controversial mumble rap juice stand was none other than Mr. Lyrical Lemonade himself, Cole Bennett – who in 2017 was getting ready to undergo a rapid transition himself; from high school blogger, to music producer. The year saw Bennett transform Lyrical Lemonade, a blog that he used to share his love for the local Chicago music scene, into a multimedia monster.

The size of which even he couldn’t have anticipated. In the years since, Bennett has directed music videos for (at the time) rising stars like Lil Pump, Ski Mask the Slump God, and Juice Wrld. It’s his keen and artistic hand that’s heavily responsible for documenting the growing popularity in trap/emo rap, and it could even be argued that his eye-catching visuals helped shape the public lens on those genres.

In fact, it was the Lyrical Lemonade-directed “Lucid Dreams,” one of Juice Wrld’s most popular tracks, that finally made this writer take a serious look at the SoundCloud sound. ‘Lucid Dreams’ broke a lot of barriers and gave Juice, Bennett, and many of their peers that footing they needed to be taken more seriously. All of a sudden, “mumble rap” wasn’t an insult anymore, it was a lifestyle.

Fast forward seven years later, and trap stars like 21 Savage and Lil Durk are on top of the game, making waves in the music industry that were once thought impossible. Artists Lil Yacthy and Lil Uzi Vert have joined the growing number of stars shedding their traditional trap roots and bringing their respective internet flows and lyricism to other genres, like funk, indie pop and even metalcore. The makeup of modern trap music, the heavy bass, the triplet hi-hats, the monotonic vocals, it’s all over the music world now. While many trap rappers, including the aforementioned, got to where they are of their own volition, it’s impossible to ignore just how impactful the Lyrical Lemonade brand has been on trap music.

Which is mainly why it’s so hard to believe that after nearly a decade of helping to reshape the industry, Bennett is just now releasing his full-length album, All Is Yellow. His name has been attached to so many huge projects, including collaborations with J. Cole and Eminem, that it just made sense for him to have some part in the music making process throughout his career.

While he’s mainly been a behind-the-camera guy, Bennett’s DIY attitude and desire to transform Lyrical Lemonade into something more than just a music blog always promised bigger things for the entrepreneur. This isn’t Bennett getting in front of the mic however, he employs the long list of contacts he has on his phone for that role. But Bennett isn’t voiceless in this album. In fact, it’s his voice that can be heard the loudest throughout the entire project.

All Is Yellow is a who’s who of artists, most of them trap stars or icons of the SoundCloud era. The makeup of the project is definitely meant to invoke a sense of trap rap nostalgia as well, with many of the instrumental and vocal decisions made sounding like those “leaked” goodies only your cousin would have downloaded on their phone.

The album’s first track, “Fly Away,” features a soft, melancholic opening delivered by “Mo Bamba” maestro Sheck Wes. Wes and the choir are cut short by hefty 808s and bars from Ski Mask and JID. Both artists perhaps being the biggest examples of modern trap success – JID being a Dreamville Records staple and Ski and his Members Only collective responsible for the ever-growing popularity in cloud rap – it’s fitting for Lyrical Lemonade to start his album off with these two on the trigger.

Things do slow down a bit for the album’s sophomore track, “Guitar in My Room,” which sees Lil Durk channeling emo trap preaching some emotionally charged lyrics, accompanied by a soothing acoustic guitar riff and a heart-pumping 808 line. The second half of the song features Kid Cudi delivering entrancing vocals, giving the song an almost psychedelic/trip-hop feeling.

Chief Keef and Lil Yacthy bring the trap back for “Say Ya Grace,” each delivering verses that sound very reminiscent of their previous collab, ‘Come on Now’ in 2017. ‘This My Life’ takes notes from the softer side of SoundCloud, enlisting emo rap princes The Kid LAROI and Lil Skies and pairing them with Lil Tecca for a song that sounds like an almost somber and reflective look at the effects trap stardom can have on its younger idols. It’s the typical mesh of themes discussing financial success and romantic woes, but it was certainly smart of Bennett to enlist these three artists for such a task.

“First Night” goes even further back in trap’s history – bringing together trap stars from three different eras, Juicy J, Denzel Curry, and Cochise, for a track that takes inspiration from a time when artists like J (with Three 6 Mafia), T.I and Waka Flocka Flame ran the trap genre. It also features some brief words from Teezo Touchdown and Lil B that honestly leave little to desire. Teezo, who is absolutely one of trap’s biggest oddities, thankfully gets a longer verse later on, closing out the penultimate “Hummingbird.” His weighty and poetic lyrics come in like a thunderstorm on the dreamy rainy day that is SahBabii’s verse and UMI’s beautiful chorus. They also serve as the opposite perspective in the song’s narrative of a protagonist anticipating the return of a love who has since left – Teezo being that metaphorical bird who has spread their wings and flown from the nest.

Bennett takes us on a few more twists and turns, with each track featuring a new cast member and creative take on classic trap sounds. “Special” with Latto, Swae Lee and Amine is pure “Trap n B,” while in “With The Fish: artists $NOT and 6 Dogs cruise on a beat like a weekend afternoon drive.

Bennett tries his hand at some classic hip-hop at the halfway point with the two-part “Doomsday,” layering some absolutely monstrous bars from Cordae and the late emcee Juice Wrld on a sample of Eminem’s Slim Shady LP hit “Role Model.” The first part of this epic cypher was released as the first single for All Is Yellow back in June of 2023. The second part – this time featuring Shady himself on a remixed version of that same “Role Model” beat – was kept as a treat for the album itself. While not as punchy as Cordae and Juice Wrld’s rendition, the rap legend doesn’t phone it in, spitting venomous bars that are arguably some of the best he’s had in a while.

“Fallout” allows trap black sheep Lil Yacthy to showcase his recent style; dreamy, funky, indie pop with a special touch that could only come from the musician’s unique and distinguishable cadence. This is the most ambitious song on the track before, and its messy formula – mixing Yacthy with dream pop artist Gus Dapperton and conscious prog rapper Joey Bada$$ – might feel like a recipe for whiplash. Really the entire album can be summed up with that same description.

All Is Yellow isn’t just Bennett’s debut, it’s his portfolio. A love letter to their origins, and impressive reflection of the mastery that Bennett and his lyrical peers have over these particular sounds. The music videos that accompany the album – of which so far there are seven – give off a sense of “reintroduction” for Bennett and his cast, as if to reflect on where the genre was when they started and where they’ve taken it thus far. Classic SoundClound trap is updated and refreshed with notes of trip-hop, pop, RnB, and even indie rock, while still retaining much of what draws listeners into the genre.

If you weren’t a fan of trap, or Bennett and his “lemonade legion” before, All Is Yellow probably doesn’t do enough to sway you. For fans of the genre, or those willing to give it a shot in recent years, it’s a fresh, experimental and beautiful mess that manages to come together by the time the yellow curtains close.