Dontique's new album "Cymatics" maintains high bar whole way through

Chilltown rapper's album is versatile, polished

Cover art for Dontique’s “Cymatics” is by Jose Mangual. The album dropped on Tuesday, July 15th.

By D. Menzies

When a collection of something loose is shaken up, patterns form in the vibrations. That’s what “Cymatics” is all about. On his new album that shares that name, rapper Dontique offers twelve tracks with sharp lines on a shaken world — or one the rapper is trying to shake up a little.

The album starts off with “Easy,” an ode to nothing worthwhile having that status. The middle tempo takes the track to another level and sets the bar for the rest of album’s versatility. The skit at the end is both heavy and light: “Life is hard … hard as f—k … I started from the bottom … now I’m still struggling to get to the top (laughs).”

The longtime Chilltown-residing rapper wrote the album in Maryland, and it's produced by Brav Divi — with collaborators all offering notable contributions that are varied but cohesive; and Dontique’s own sound mixing being excellent.