Album Review: rivan, 'rivan' 

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• rivan, rivan

(Self-released, digital)

BTV/Brooklyn rapper rivan doesn't have a whole hell of a lot to prove in 2024. He's one of the most nimble and versatile MCs the Queen City has ever produced. He's an accomplished DIY promoter. And he's already dropped one of the year's best local projects with his band Juicebox, the sprawling and electric Ollies in the Hallway. Just the same, his latest offering, simply titled rivan, stands as his greatest work to date.

It's his first solo release in years. Back in 2020, rivan dropped Teenage Apollo Vol. 2 and followed that with his igotthejuice EP, both mature projects that still sound strong today. Since then, he has established himself as a serial killer of feature verses, from his blistering appearance on Fattie B's super-compilation GUMBO to his standout single "Do's & Don'ts" from Obi the Voicegod's landmark LP African Born American Made. All along, rivan's been refining his recipe — and carefully studying the music industry.

So the real breakthrough here isn't rivan hitting new heights as a performer, although he surely does that, too. It's the proper debut of rivan as executive producer, savvy curator of his own artistry. The beats are all flat-out beautiful, courtesy of a trio of producers: cam barnes, BASH and 3ee. (That last one is pronounced "Bee," not "Three.")

Each delivers spacious canvases that are heavy on psychedelic soul. While boom bap fans will find a lot to love here, rivan is far from throwback hip-hop, incorporating cutting-edge sonics from the borderlands where EDM, pop and R&B blend into the sound of the future.

Picking the perfect beats might be a rare skill, but it's only the first step. What really makes this album shine is rivan's fearless honesty. He is as comfortable baring his soul as he is talking his shit, and he's got the natural talent to pull off both. Opener "ashes" crams all that and more into just two minutes, kicking off with some jazzy vocal chops before switching gears into triumphant, stomping funk horns. (That pocket gets reprised on the upbeat album closer, "a la mesa," the kind of brilliant touch that only experience can give.)

In an era of ephemeral releases, rivan's album rollout is also worth mentioning. He started promoting months in advance, leading off with a gorgeous video for "lemonade," one of the LP's most vulnerable tracks. He was doing more than just posting links on social media, too: rivan is one of the few rap artists in Vermont who has mastered the art of the press release.

While this unusually professional young performer is not content to let his music speak for itself, he definitely could. In a crowded scene packed with big releases, rivan stands as a lean, hungry contender for best Vermont hip-hop release of the year. No amount of printed praise can really do it justice; this is an album that urgently needs to be heard — and felt.

rivan is streaming on all major platforms.