Album Mode

Demar Grant & Adriel Smiley
Album Mode

Welcome to Album Mode where journalist, Demar Grant and The Cool Table host, Adriel Smiley breakdown and review the latest albums. Each episode features a new album where both hosts dive in-depth about the project and the artist’s path to its release.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    The Weeknd | Hurry Up Tomorrow

    This week Démar and Adriel discuss The Weeknd's sixth studio album 'Hurry Up Tomorrow', how the album feels like a DJ set instead of an album, whether the name retirement is legit and how he's transitioned from R&B to being an electronic artist. Timecodes 1:25 Is the End? 3:03 Dawn FM 8:34 Demar explains   18:27 We just wanna hear The Weeknd talk his shit 20:09 Favourite Weeknd songs 24:30 Wake me up - that’s just Thriller  26:05 The name of the project   27:20 Feels like a DJ set 28:45 Cry for me sounds like the old Weeknd   33:14 Open hearts, type of production already heard 39:15   Reflections Laughing 40:52 Travis, on a slower song, can still take over the track 48:02 Enjoy the show, it should have a Drake feature on it  53:15 AI verse? 1:00:41 Playboi Carti / Weeknd song 1:01:35 Opposite of accountability / top toxic 1:10:25 Early Weeknd sounded like he wanted to go out like a rockstar               1:30:00 Name Change   1:34:06 The Cover 1:38:51 The Score  Follow us: TikTok:  Album Mode: https://www.tiktok.com/@albummodepod Adriel: https://www.tiktok.com/@adrielsmileydotcom Démar: https://www.tiktok.com/@godkingdemi Instagram: Album Mode: https://www.instagram.com/albummodepod/ Adriel: https://www.instagram.com/adrielsmileydotcom/ Démar: https://www.instagram.com/demarjgrant/ Twitter: Album Mode: https://twitter.com/AlbumModepod Adriel: https://twitter.com/AdrielSmiley_ Démar: https://twitter.com/DemarJGrant =================================== Démar’s rating: 9 / 10 Adriel's rating: 8.5 / 10  The Love List: Cry For Me, Timeless, Niagara Falls, Without a Warning, Open Hearts The Weeknd - Hurry Up Tomorrow / 2025 / pop, electronic, synth pop, brazillian funk, trap,

    1h 44m
  2. 3 FEB

    Central Cee | Can't Rush Greatness

    This week Démar and Adriel discuss Central Cee's debut studio album 'Can't Rush Greatness', how America cares more about his music than the UK and how he's a pop rapper by UK standards but almost a lyricist in America. P.S. Young Miko just gained two new fans Démar’s rating: 8.5 / 10 Adriel's rating: 7.5 / 10 The Love List: 5 Star, Limitless, Don't Know Anymore, Gen Z Luv, Gata Timecodes 1:27 Album or mixtape 2:59 I’m not really a newcomer 5:47 Commitment issues 7:56 Cover of wild west 8:49 I’m a civilian now 8:59 Be hard as fuck and a good rapper in UK 12:55 He is the UK rapper to America 13:26 Aitch’s diss track 17:44 He’s not K-Os 25:10 Knucks production influence 26:08 His ability to traverse sounds 30:59 Pop Smoke feature would have been great 34:38 Truth in the lies 35:15 Sample makes it harder to listen to 39:25 Central Cee singing 41:30 Skepta song 45:02 Best Features? 48:36 Trump and Tristan Thompson comparison  50:19 Americana bars 51:35 Intro not even talking to the UK 54:48 A&R making all the moves   58:59 How many people knew about his girlfriend 1:02:30 Accountability 1:08:12 Why it’s important 1:13:32 No Skips? 1:14:05 The Cover is corny 1:21:29 The Score Follow us: TikTok:  Album Mode: https://www.tiktok.com/@albummodepod Adriel: https://www.tiktok.com/@adrielsmileydotcom Démar: https://www.tiktok.com/@godkingdemi Instagram:  Album Mode: https://www.instagram.com/albummodepod/ Adriel: https://www.instagram.com/adrielsmileydotcom/ Démar: https://www.instagram.com/demarjgrant/ Twitter: Album Mode: https://twitter.com/AlbumModepod Adriel: https://twitter.com/AdrielSmiley_ Démar: https://twitter.com/DemarJGrant

    1h 28m
  3. 27 JAN

    Mac Miller | Balloonerism

    This week Démar and Adriel discuss Mac Miller's secpmd posthumous album 'Balloonerism', how mac was ahead of his time sonically and his eerie, Tupac-like lyrics. The Love List: Stoned, Mrs. Deborah Downer, 5 Dollar Pony Rides, Rick's Piano, Tomorrow Will Never Know Timecodes: 4:38 - Saved songs 6:05 - Fav Mac Miller album 7:03 - Westside Gunn comparison 8:36 - Growing up between KIDS & Watching Movies with the Sound Off 13:00 - SZA17:05 Soft launched his drug use 17:32 - SZA pronunciations 18:45 - Eery hearing speak about death 22:30 - Mentioning sleep and death often 26:42 - Juice wrld comparison 32:24 - Really in touch with his childhood   40:22 - If this came out today, where is the Smino ft 45:20 - The production lesson from this project 48:51 - Kali Uchis / Melting 49:55 - Lil Baby could never 51:49 - Getting the right people in the room/jam session 52:15 - Dreamscape 54:42 - it sounds like he wasn’t scared of his death  56:47 - Slept on 1:07:04 - The white internet   1:09:26 - Anyone in music history that has eight quality projects 01:09:47 - The cover 01:12:43 - The Score Follow us: YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@AlbumMode TikTok: Album Mode: https://www.tiktok.com/@albummodepod  Adriel: https://www.tiktok.com/@adrielsmileydotcom Démar: https://www.tiktok.com/@godkingdemi Instagram:  Album Mode: https://www.instagram.com/albummodepod/ Adriel: https://www.instagram.com/adrielsmileydotcom/ Démar: https://www.instagram.com/demarjgrant/ Twitter: Album Mode: https://twitter.com/AlbumModepod Adriel: https://twitter.com/AdrielSmiley_ Démar: https://twitter.com/DemarJGrant =================================== Démar’s rating: 8 / 10 Adriel's rating: 8 / 10 Mac Miller - Balloonerism / 2025 (2014) / neo-soul, hip hop, rap, psychedlic hip hop

    1h 17m
  4. 21 JAN

    Bad Bunny | DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS

    This week Démar and Adriel discuss Bad Bunny's sixth studio album 'Debí tirador más fotos', his double entendres to Puerto Rico, the album's varied production maintaining its roots and how he's doing what Drake should've done back in 2020. The Love List: The Club, TURiSTA, PIToRRO DE COCO, VOY A LLeVARTE PA PR Timecodes: 4:17 - Not the Highest he peaked on Spotify  7:18 - What are you thinking going into this project 8:09 - The Chairs 10:18 - Lyrics 12:00 - How do you approach an album when you don’t speak the language 12:26 - Demar taking a shot at T-pain 13:23 - Drake comparison to El Club 18:26 - Similar to The Weeknd 23:30 - The duality in his music   31:29 - Can’t escape the sadness but it’s still happy   32:22 - It’s a bop but he’s singing from pain 32:45 - Beginning synth reminded Adriel of 2000’s pop era 37:38 - One problem with the production 40:45 - There is a story here even if you don’t know the lyrics 48:30 - Doing the thing Drake should do 49:25 - The sound on this project is more traditional 52:57 - No Skips   53:15 - Made Demar a bad bunny fan 54:34 - The cover 57:02 - The score  Follow us: YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@AlbumMode TikTok: Album Mode: https://www.tiktok.com/@albummodepod  Adriel: https://www.tiktok.com/@adrielsmileydotcom Démar: https://www.tiktok.com/@godkingdemi Instagram:  Album Mode: https://www.instagram.com/albummodepod/ Adriel: https://www.instagram.com/adrielsmileydotcom/ Démar: https://www.instagram.com/demarjgrant/ Twitter: Album Mode: https://twitter.com/AlbumModepod Adriel: https://twitter.com/AdrielSmiley_ Démar: https://twitter.com/DemarJGrant =================================== Démar’s rating: 8.5 / 10 Adriel's rating: 9 / 10 Bad Bunny - Debí tirador más fotos / 2025 / reggaeton, pop, Plena, jíbaro

    1h 2m
  5. 14 JAN

    Lil Baby | WHAM

    This week Démar and Adriel discuss Lil Baby's fourth studio album 'WHAM', his pump fake production, falling behind Gunna and Lil Baby possibly entering the NBA Youngboy zone (also what the NBA Youngboy Zone means). The Love List: I Promise, Listen Up, So Sorry, Streets Colder Timecodes: 6:23 - Street Gossip / not on the train 9:23 - People at that time were touting his rapping ability 10:26 - Why my turn was so successful 11:59 - Made a single artist become an album artist in one night 12:20 - Having the podcast when my turn came out 16:09 - Whiney voice 18:12 - We are heading somewhere 21:46 - He’s not a musician to his core 25:43 - Lil Baby was a beast with features 27:10 - Redbone heard that a million times with future 30:32 - So Sorry 34:19  - Maybe that’s not his friend 36:45 - The lyrics are not family-friendly but will be the biggest song 39:10 - Flows have a name like instruments now 40:28 - NBA Youngboy zone 43:11 - Overall for his career 46:30 - The cover 50:22 - Score  Follow us: YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@AlbumMode TikTok: Album Mode: https://www.tiktok.com/@albummodepod  Adriel: https://www.tiktok.com/@adrielsmileydotcom Démar: https://www.tiktok.com/@godkingdemi Instagram:  Album Mode: https://www.instagram.com/albummodepod/ Adriel: https://www.instagram.com/adrielsmileydotcom/ Démar: https://www.instagram.com/demarjgrant/ Twitter: Album Mode: https://twitter.com/AlbumModepod Adriel: https://twitter.com/AdrielSmiley_ Démar: https://twitter.com/DemarJGrant =================================== Démar’s rating: 3.5 / 10 Adriel's rating: 2.5 / 10 Lil Baby - WHAM / 2024 / hip hop, rap, trap,

    54 min

About

Welcome to Album Mode where journalist, Demar Grant and The Cool Table host, Adriel Smiley breakdown and review the latest albums. Each episode features a new album where both hosts dive in-depth about the project and the artist’s path to its release.

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