SR3MM

Following the success of 2016's SremmLife 2 -- home to their chart-topping single "Black Beatles" -- Atlanta trap duo Rae Sremmurd presented their third full-length as a whopping three-part concept that included a disc of official Rae Sremmurd tracks, as well as solo offerings from both rapper Slim Jxmmi and his crooning counterpart Swae Lee. At 27 tracks, the complete SR3MM is a lot to absorb, following the overstuffed album trend favored by contemporaries like Migos, Drake, and Post Malone. Songs -- divided into nine per disc -- also tend to blend together, with their ominous, Gucci Mane Jr. trap menace bleeding from one to another. As a result, outliers immediately jump out as highlights. On disc one, SR3MM, standouts include the irresistible Juicy J-assisted "Powerglide" and the slinky Weeknd collaboration "Bedtime Stories." Future and Travis Scott also make appearances on a pair of Mike Will Made It productions. Moving on to "Swaecation" -- Swae Lee's time to shine -- production veers into lush Weeknd territory. Swae's vocal performance is the star of the show -- the only features here are Young Thug and Slim Jxmmi -- at once vulnerable and mischievous, poising him as a romantic heartthrob on "Heat of the Moment" and "Guatemala," the latter of which sounds like the sonic sibling to Swae's collaboration with French Montana, "Unforgettable." "Touchscreen Navigation," "Hurt to Look," and "What's in Your Heart?" also press pause on the Rae Sremmurd trap and take Swae even deeper into the Weeknd zone, pop-friendly gems that also combine the addictive moodiness of Drake's pop hits and Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak. If Swae Lee is the Andre 3000 on this millennial echo of Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, Slim Jxmmi is the tough-talking Big Boi. With booming-bass trap anthems dedicated to strippers, style, and smoke, "Jxmtro" features production by Mike Will Made It and Zaytoven, as well as appearances by Zoe Kravitz, Pharrell, Trouble, and Riff 3X. The bratty "Anti-Social Smokers Club," lurching "Chanel," and elastic "Juggling Biddies" are highlights. Taken as a whole -- SR3MM is nearly two hours long -- the album is a serious time investment. However, broken up into three parts as intended, it provides a trio of easily digestible bites that gives Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi freedom to indulge their own artistry while maintaining their bond as a duo.