Wasteland: Brent Faiyaz’s Most Anticipated

Project
November 29, 2022

By Sydney Horne Photo by Darren Xu

After his commercial breakthrough from Goldlink’s “Crew” (2016), Brent Faiyaz has
become one of the new faces of R&B. From Columbia, Maryland, Brent began releasing
songs on SoundCloud in 2014 before moving to Los Angeles. Since the start of his
career, Faiyaz has been brutally honest in his music, unapologetically dealing with
themes of infidelity, addiction, suicide, and toxic relationships. He attracts his fan
base with this brutal honesty and his sensual vocals. Wasteland was no exception,
but was also a big change from his previous projects such as Fuck the World and
Sonder Son.

Brent Faiyaz presents his struggles since rising to fame in Wasteland. His brutal
lyricism combine with the album’s use of featured artists to make the listen a vivid
storytelling experience.
 Photo by Kenneth Capello

Brent Faiyaz has been intertwined in the music industry since 2015, with his first full
length album being Sonder Son (2017) which was followed up by a much shorter
project, Fuck the World (2020). Faiyaz is also part of the musical ensemble, Sonder,
which has been releasing music since 2016. He served as the vocalist alongside two
producers, Atu and Dpat, and together they released numerous R&B singles and an
album in 2017 called Into.

Contemporary R&B is characterized by the use of synthesizers, keyboards, strong

backbeats, and repeating rhythms. Alicia Keys, Drake, and Frank Ocean are a few
other artists whose music inspired Faiyaz and his work.
Brent does not shy away from revealing the true struggles of his character in
Wasteland. The album’s first song is even called “Villain’s Theme”, foreshadowing the
dark themes and conflicts that Faiyaz plays with in his music.

Still from “Loose Change” Music Video

Many of his lyrics may even have you doing a double take, for example the albums
second track, “Loose Change”:

“Who said it’s gon even last (I didn’t)

Sometimes I wanna beat yo ass
Wait
But you know I won’t do that
(No)
You know I won’t do that
(I’m sorry I said that, you know I ain’t mean it)”
“Loose Change” kickstarts the darkness of the album, diving right into Faiyaz’s
struggle with relationships. He lacks trust, commitment, and questions the genuinity
of his connections since becoming famous. He presents himself, not as an abuser, but
as an outright manipulator. Brent puts all of this together in a very blunt manner. He
is poetically direct about his flaws and his wicked lyrics are magnetic, pushing the
boundaries of his listeners.

Further down the albums tracks, Faiyaz reveals his difficulties in maintaining his
superstar image in “Rolling Stone”:

“I got all this pimp shit up in my Genes

Blame that on my mother”

Although ruthless, Brent’s total transparency in his lyrics is what truly makes him
stand out from other artists. His brutal honesty draws listeners in, creating literature
in his music that is far from fabricated. His work is raw and unsensored, allowing us
to become immersed in his industry experiences.

Unlike his two other albums, Brent collaborates with numerous artists on many of the
Wasteland tracks. Drake, Tyler, The Creator, Alicia Keys, are a few well known names
that appear on the project. Not only did Faiyaz collaborate with the artists that served
as inspiration to him, but their features help embody the villany of Brent’s character.
 Brent Faiyaz and Tyler, The Creator in a recording studio. Photo by Darren Xu

Tyler, The Creator is another music artist who is known for his vulgar lyrics, and his
addition in “Gravity” perfectly compliments Faiyaz’s relentless toxcitiy as they sing
about the difficulties of being faithful in relationships. All of the features on Brent’s
album come with purpose- they enhance the vices he presents. This is further seen
with Joony’s feature on “FYTB”, where he joins Faiyaz and raps about his immense
amount of wealth and drug usage. Joony’s appearance also provides a nice contrast
on the track, shifting to a faster pace with a catchy rap verse.

Wasteland truly tells a story, with each song as a plot point. Throughout the album,
Brent also scatters skits, a unique and creative way to present his narrative. These
skits place the listener in the place of his toxic relationship. You can listen to Brent,
gaslight, manipulate, and invalidate his partner and baby momma. In “Skit: Oblivion”,
listeners are then presented with Brent sidechick, further illustrating the heinous
traits that Brent goes on to sing about.

The skits are not limited to just dialoge, however. You can hear glasses clinking,
phones buzzing, light music in the background, and sipping. These skits are vivid, and
in addition to his songs, truly tie together a story of the horrors of fame. In an
interview with the Grammys, Brent has even said that Wasteland is a “compilation of a
bunch of songs that I have strung together through a story.” This project is exactly
that, a true anecdotal listening experience.
David Aaron Brake, a writer for HipHopDX, describes Faiyaz’s use of skits perfectly,
stating “The story woven through the skits help propel the songs’ messaging and
provide another avenue to experience the album, one more driven by a linear
narrative.” Although not necessary for every listen, the skits are a crucial part of
truly understanding Brent’s work. Brent is just as much a storyteller as he is a
singer.

Along with this, Jon Caramanica, from the New York Time’s Critic’s Notebook ,
comments further on Faiyaz’s storytelling, when he says “even as the production
moves in various directions, Faiyaz’s story remains constant: He is a cad, made worse
by success, and a disappointment to women he’s pledged to love.” Wasteland bleeds
beautiful melodies and soft vocals, and Brent does not fail to narrate his failures
within them.

2022 has been a very successful year for new music, with releases from , Kendrick
Lamar, and even Beyonce . Still, Brent Faiyaz’s Wasteland stands out as a
distinctive project and a must listen. The album is avaliable for listen on Spotify ,
Apple Music, and can be purchased through his website. Immerse yourself in
Faiyaz’s tragically toxic storyline.
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