Crossing between genres and dimensions, GRAMMY® Award-winning rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer BEAM has unveiled his full-length debut album, ALIEN, today. Listen to it now below.
A true body of work, the album threads together an unpredictable trip through styles. Whether it be the otherworldly opus “SUNDOWN” [feat. Justin Bieber] or emotionally charged “HURT PEOPLE” [feat. Zacari], the momentum masterfully ebbs and flows between moods. “AKIRA PT. 1 & 2” lives up to its name as a high-octane banger, while “2ND SAMUEL” [feat. Papa San] borders on divine with its unbreakable wall of bass. Then, there’s “CONSCIENCE” [feat. Jorja Smith]. It skates towards a warbling and woozy melody as the production hypnotizes. A strong narrative weaves throughout the album, ruminating on stories of alienation, redemption and perseverance.
“I just want people to realize they are not the only ones who feel alienated in life,” says BEAM. “Whether that’s a good or bad thing, you have to walk a narrow road. You feel alienated because you discern a certain thing that people don’t understand. You get to digest a piece of my brain and get to know me on an artistic level with this album.”
Along with the record’s arrival, BEAM just uncovered the cinematic music video for the album’s colossal closing track, “PLANET BEAM.” Directed by Nabil [Kanye West, Dua Lipa, Frank Ocean], the visual opens with BEAM in a dimly lit backroom where he receives a sultry private dance. However, the painting behind him opens another portal where he squares off against intergalactic creatures as the song’s tempo switches just as fast between smoked-out hip-hop, ebullient dancehall, and otherworldly pop. By the end, he returns to this plane of existence, but he may never be the same…
In the end, he embodies the spirit of ALIEN as he elevates music to another stratosphere.
“If you don’t want to hear the same old stuff and love dancehall, then go listen to ALIEN,” BEAM states. “If you like hip-hop or R&B, there are tracks you will like, too. If you want something new, you should go listen to it. James Brown and Kid Cudi make me happy when I’m down, and I hope that my album will have the same effect on others. I hope and pray that people get it.”
BEAM paved the way for the album with the release of the single “WIN” in January, racking in 800,000 views on the music video. Meanwhile, Billboard predicted, “BEAM is setting the tone for his new year with his new single, ‘Win’.” It arrived on the heels of “ANXIETY,” a highly personal song which Highsnobiety describes as a “dark trap universe” with “lazor-sharp bars [that] kick down the door into his world riddled with street set ups and anxiety.”
ALIEN has arrived, and the game may never be the same! Welcome to PLANET BEAM!