Tower Of Babylon - Sonnie Babble

Grief, in general, is classified into five stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Each step helps us learn to live with the one we lost. For San Bernardino's Sonnie Babble, his project DV3 marks the start of his grief cycle, and his latest release, Tower Of Babylon, is the last step on his artistic journey to the final stage of grief, acceptance. 

The first track, "My Fathers Last Message," gives listeners an intimate look into Sonnie's relationship with his father and sets an uplifting tone as it ends with a harmony of "wait until I see you once again." The project officially starts with "T.O.B Intro," where he combines passionate lyricism and a foundation of dynamic beats to recount his life journey and paint an honest portrait of his evolution as a man and artist. 

In contrast to the darker parts of DV3, Tower Of Babylon is Sonnie living in the now, experiencing life, and appreciating every moment. Despite the project including themes of loss, Sonnie creates an atmosphere that is lighter and welcoming, putting the events that occurred in his life while he was on a musical hiatus into perspective in a positive way. He notes, "During my hiatus, I got to focus on the love from people. Like my little brother, who has always been there for me from start to finish. He has been through the same things that I have." At 23, Sonnie shows vulnerability and storytelling prowess that few of his peers could touch.

Rather than focusing on creating something groundbreaking, Sonnie aimed to create music for experiences in different settings like barbeques, parties, or when you're driving through the city at night. As he has grown, so has his voice and willingness to experiment with it. I asked him about his process behind deciding what he wanted the project to sound like sonically, and he replied, "I wanted to strip a lot of instruments to let my voice be the instrument. More melodic. More sounds underneath. More harmonies and melodies." 

Unrestrained in instrumental variety, Sonnie takes bold swings through genres on the project with tracks like "Buster," ft. Dudadamthang, which boasts a hard rapping flow, and "Runaway" ft. Gxrld & Curtiss King, which begins with lowkey guitar riffs that transition into pops of different synths. The most experimental record on T.O.B. is "Black Jet," a rough, heavy electronic and rock mixed ballad. Sonnie describes it as "a freestyle off of pure emotion" and tells me that the only thoughts behind the record were that he wanted to go into the studio and say what he was feeling. 

Tower Of Babylon ends with the track "I Stand Alone," where Sonnie acknowledges his family's sacrifices and expresses appreciation. When we speak about the records' influences, he tells me stories of learning the value behind his mother's and stepfather's efforts and support. Referring to his stepfather, Sonnie says, "he had no obligation to me, and he has constantly told me that he believes in me and my vision." 

Sonnie uses the project to prove that he can communicate the most extensive range of emotions on his musical canvas. The highs and the lows — it's all out there now, and for Sonnie, there is no turning back. This project is him improved, and still, he's already searching for a better version of himself, one fit for a perfect world. 

Tower Of Babylon is available on all streaming services. 

Listen on Apple or Spotify.

 Follow Sonnie Babble on Instagram.

Genre: Hip hop     Label Status: Independent     Reviewed Date: 08/22

By: Jazmyn Garcia