In 2015, when Suté Iwar shared his debut mixtape, Jelí, the music industry had a different response to alternate sounds, include Iwar’s experimental approach to Hip-hop, and the variations he derived from it. It’s been more than five years and while the climate has changed, and the industry is becoming increasingly saturated, Iwar has remained consistent in delivery and approach. He’s still very much a nonconformist, with ears for parallel sounds that take shape when laid against his usual perfect choice of lyrics that emote and engage. In summary, Iwar makes music with meaning, and as he evolves, while keeping away from trends, but staying true to his passion, he proves that his sound is a range, to be experienced. 199X, his sophomore album, is an encapsulation of this, a seventeen-track album that does not tread lightly on emotions, ranging from those set off by love, lust, and loss, among other subjects.
Asides from the symbolic title, Pulp Fiction, which flags off the album, its earlier released singles, including the percussion powered Funk Soldier which leans heavily on the smoother side of his raps, and his lush take on Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 title, 199X highlights Iwar’s growth which is still steeped in his desire to be different with nuances coloring each track, in many ways. But, most notable is the variation from his 2019 debut, Paradise, which heavily featured the Suté Iwar that had something to prove using technical punchlines as his main tool of expression. On 199X, he’s less methodic but more rhythmic, human, and youthful. His focus on love as his major narrative for the first seven tracks and his employment of atmospheric acoustics and plush percussions with no strong affiliations to the heavier instruments, including bass drums.
Perhaps one of the few things 199X has in common with Paradise besides his maximal input in production, is Iwar’s minimal employment of features, a feature that speaks to his belief in his own abilities and the weight of them to carry him and his listeners by extension, from start to finish of a seventeen-track album.
Years spent honing his craft prepared Suté Iwar for the caginess of limited narratives and how to navigate with sprawling sounds and divergent demeanors, 199X is an auspicious result of this prowess.