By Bryson Sheriff
The final project I am going to be discussing is Cordae's 2019 album The Lost Boy. Cordae Dunston, formerly YBN Cordae, is a 24-year-old rapper out of Raleigh, North Carolina who has been gaining traction in the music industry for the past few years. He quickly became an internet sensation in the hip-hop community after releasing multiple viral remixes and response tracks on platforms like YouTube in 2017 and 2018. Despite being a newer, younger artist, his first album, which I am going to be talking about today, received high praise and even secured Cordae two Grammy nominations.
I believe a contributing factor to this unexpected success was the powerful visual rhetoric Cordae used to promote The Lost Boy. As you will see, the title of the album fits the themes that are sung about very well and helps tell the intriguing, inspirational story of Cordae going from a server at TGI Friday's to a successful musician in less than two years. The cover art also does a beautiful job of showing Cordae's sentiment that life is a road of ups and downs and even if you get lost sometimes, you can always find your way again, as he expressed in this linked interview with Billboard.
Just as the suitable title of the album implies, The Lost Boy is all about finding your way in life, no matter how hard the path may be or where the path started. “I represent what a lost boy is and the idea of finding your path. I like the idea that a rose can grow from concrete and that’s what I want this music to embody," is how Cordae explains the theme of the album here in an interview with Highsnobiety.
The subjects and titles of the songs themselves on the project even represent a path in some way. "Wintertime" is the opening track, where he reflects on cold winters and the struggles he faced growing up. Following shortly after is a collaboration with Chance the Rapper titled "Bad Idea" where Cordae delivers lines such as "it might not be such a bad idea if I never went home again." Further expressing the stresses and bad feelings associated with his early life.
However, towards the end of the album, Cordae is becoming more at ease with his current life and understanding the inability to change the past. On the second to last song, "Family Matters," he is still reflecting on all the troublesome obstacles his close family members have had to overcome as he has grown up. Although, he uses this track to thank his family for their support and promises his intention to now help them, rather than grieve in guilt over these difficulties. He finishes off the album with the closing song, "Lost & Found." This alludes to the title of the album, while also expressing how grateful and content he is now that he has found his way in life and is no longer struggling.
The meaning behind this album is exactly why I believe the visual rhetoric of the project is so effective. From the title and cover art, one would assume that this album is likely about someone who feels as if they are lost and how they follow their path in life. The rose rising from the ground which Cordae mentioned in a quote I cited earlier, is even depicted in the center of the illustration. The path shown on the cover obviously has its hardships ahead as you can tell by the other figures and their lack of activity and distraughtness.
However, the attractive, beautiful shades of color on the art illustrate Cordae's sentiment that despite these hardships in life, there is always a positive around you and there is always something to look forward to. The mountains at the end are showing that there is something greater at the end of your path if you are just able to make it through these struggles. I think that Cordae's appearance as well as "The Lost Boy" sign also do a great job of making the art even more appealing and more personal to his own journey.
This album's cover and title overall are some of the best examples of public rhetoric I have ever seen. Without any prior knowledge of Cordae or his story, it is easy for one to infer that his project is about a journey of facing your struggles and finding yourself. In addition, the stunning painting of the mountainous landscape makes this cover art intriguing to anyone despite their musical preferences.
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