It's been a week since NCT 127 released their 4th studio album, 2 Baddies. A week into sales, 2 Baddies became NCT's best-selling album after reaching 1.5 million sales. 2 Baddies is a Hip-Hop, Rap, R&B, and Pop album.
The title track, "2 Baddies," is a 127-style song. There was an ambitious approach to "2 Baddies." 127 immediately hits you with the repetitive but catchy hook, " 2 Baddies, 2 Baddies, 1 Porche." The Hip-Hop elements fused with electronic sounds make "2 Baddies" perfect for 127. This title track is compared to the previous 127 title tracks like "Sticker" and "Cherry Bomb," which both carry the same hard-hitting, brain-scratching rhythm. 127 over the years have never been afraid to experiment with different sounds and "2 Baddies" is another experiment that went well for them.
127 doesn't shy away from Hip-Hop on this album. With the songs "Vitamin," "Tasty," and "Playback," " Designer," 127 gives a portfolio of different ways to do Hip-Hop. "Designer" is a slowed-down mid-tempo melodic Hip-Hop track. In contrast, "Playback" and "Vitamin" are upbeat and bubbly Hip-Hop/Pop fusions." Vitamin" includes a bright, playful keyboard that ties into the pop element. "Tasty" is a hard rap-driven Hip-Hop track with opening rap verses from Taeyong and Johnny.
One genre 127 does the best is R&B; with the powerful and harmonious voices of the vocalists, R&B tracks become highly anticipated with every comeback. Starting with a piercing synth tune turning into a smooth, slowed R&B track, " Time Lapse" captures the essence of an R&B song. From the sweet harmonies to the soft crooning, "Time Lapse" is one of 127's many R&B hits. "Crash Landing" takes the same soft R&B voices and meshes them with an R&B/Drill-style instrumental. "Crashing Landing" includes rap verses from Mark and Taeyong that contrast the sweet and sultry voices of Taeil, Haechan, and Doyoung in the chorus. "Gold Dust" is also a slow-tempo R&B track accompanied by the honey-coated voices of 127.
"Black Clouds," similar to "Gold Dust," is a slow song driven by the harmonies and high notes of the 127 vocalists. "LOL" follows a funky, up-tempo groove; with the help of a groovy horn section and some "na na na's," "LOL" is a perfect song to put towards the end of the album. " 1,2,7 (Time Stops)" is a mid-tempo song with hints of R&B. Using this song to close out an album that began with a loud synth-filled electronic dance song like " Faster" is clever. Leaving fans with a song for them will make the album listening experience more near and dear to their hearts.
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