Monarca

Despite the ever-morphing role of social media in the industry, a debut project is the key chance for artists to broadcast their identity to the world, to give a cohesive "this is me" to new audiences and dedicated cheerleaders alike. Yet when Eladio Carrión released his debut mixtape, Sauce Boyz (2020), no such identity materialized. With a dizzying 20-long feature list, and a mere three solo tracks across the tape’s 16 songs, Sauce Boyz sacrificed Eladio’s time in the spotlight for a non-stop barrage of flexes -- a welcome addition to any playlist, but not quite the cohesive statement many were expecting.
Monarca, Carrión’s sophomore, comes as a slight change of pace. Where Sauce Boyz passed the limelight like a relay, Monarca gives Carrión space to cement his own brand, and the tape is all the more refreshing for it. From the project's first moments, the rapper's personage is made manifest: "No fue en vano/En muchos muebles yo dormí/Con los cristales abajo en el carro,” the trapper reminisces, recording struggles in tangible items and places. Though these slices of introspection are few and far between, they give Monarca a dark-light contrast that much of the rapper's work lacks: prayers add gravity to the growth of "Progreso," while the hedonistic flaws of "Sauce Boy Freestyle III" give its "me against the world" mentality a tenfold importance. In this new light, Carrión's Off-White chanclas and LV pantalones inherit a character of their own.
Over Monarca's 41-minute run, the rapper wears many masks -- he's the spurned swooner of "Discoteca," the frosty trapper of "Mami Me Pregunta Si Trapeo," the corrupting loverboy of "Nena Buena" -- which are brought neatly to fruition by his nifty stable of styles. Carrión delivers his anthems with finesse: early highlights like "Mírame" and "Nena Buena" are given their slick trap stylings by his sticky flows, while the skittering laments of "Adiós" and "4AM" are elevated by a series of emotive melodies. Though a few lighter touches wouldn’t go amiss, the ones we do get are as compelling as ever -- Carrión is a sleepless "mapache en Versace," while J Balvin delivers what is already the flex of the year by eating his own McDonalds collaboration mid-verse.
With a more expressive lyrical focus, and a strong set of vocal performances, the tape's faults predominantly appear in its production. At their best, Monarca's beats are colorful and expressive: gothic trap is delivered with bombast on "Mariposas," "Tata" brings Balvin into drill with a saucy shimmer, and the vocal-chopped swagger of "Mírame" is arguably the best beat of Carrión's career to date. Yet the simplistic trap formulae deployed on the album's softer cuts can fall into uncomfortable familiarity, with the generic melodies of tracks like "Mala Mia 2" turning impassioned choruses into sluggish radio-bait. These are only heightened by a couple of sub-par mixes: tracks like "Adiós" and "Progreso" leave the muddier "Mami Me Pregunta" feeling somewhat lethargic.
A pared-down improvement on 2020's Sauce Boyz, Monarca is another solid playlist-builder from the Puerto Rican musician, delivering a widespread platter of infectious rap styles. Yet there's still a sense of missed potential, here: though Carrión's more cohesive effort should be celebrated, a definitive statement remains elusive. ~ David Crone