LaiddBackZach Refuses Labels on Versatile New Album “No Squares Around Me”
LaiddBackZach just blessed us with “No Squares Around Me,” a 12-song thesis on versatility that refuses every lazy label. The Compton-born, Bay-seasoned rapper builds a cohesive arc out of flex, confession, flirtation, and grown-man boundary setting, proving that range and focus aren’t rivals—they’re rhythm sections. Indeed, what animates the album is intention: crisp drums, elastic bass, and melodies that glow without syrup, all arranged to foreground a voice that’s conversational, nimble, and lucid enough to cut through any club mix.
The production language feels West Coast by way of widescreen pop and R&B instincts—808s that throb rather than bludgeon, synth pads that breathe, hooks stacked in octaves or sweetened with subtle harmonies. Moreover, the sequencing is shrewd: statements of purpose upfront, harder knock and romance through the middle, then reflection and release on the back end. The result is kinetic but legible, like graffiti written in perfect calligraphy.
Let’s take a swift tour of the squares-free map:
The opening track “In a Box” sounds like a mission statement and mantra—“It ain’t no squares around me”—over a springy bounce. He toggles between rapped authority and sung ease to announce the core idea: no genre warden can gate this house. Subsequently, “Hello,” with its bouncy bass and rubbery drums, breezily widens the frame, nostalgically sketching Compton-to-Bay coordinates as the hook hospitably waves you in. Immediately after, “Stereotype,” a pop-influenced joint with its glamorous, summer-ready melodies and groove. This is the book’s foreword in four minutes—no assumptions, no boxes, just skill. Wordplay sparks (“takeover… ether in the speakers”), but the real win is clarity. Meanwhile, “Dream Girl (ft, Emoney)” showcases a Boom Bap charm, a summer-night vice softened by sincerity. However, the bounce never slackens; romance rides the pocket rather than drowning it. Thereafter, the track “Motion” relentlessly accelerates, playfully bragging and rhythmically swerving. Moreover, the arrangement breathes between hooks, letting swagger feel earned. Concurrently, “I’m Sayin” cheekily flexes, deftly stacking sports bars and punchlines while casually keeping the groove unruffled. The seventh track “I Don’t Know Her” — our favourite — gravely centers purpose, gratefully converting bruise and Bible into resolve as the catchy melodic chorus resolutely lifts.
Afterwards, “Come and Meet You” sensually downshifts, cinematographically cruising toward intimacy and reassuringly paying for gas—figuratively and literally. The catchy hook delivered by singer Taylin Archini exudes an R&B romance on with gracious bravado. The next single titled “Say Goodbye” gracefully clears the air, maturely decluttering the heart while the melodic reverb-laced refrain — delivered by featured R&B singer Simoné Mosely — hauntingly lingers. Then, “Can’t Take My” soberly rejects quick fixes, candidly naming vices and therapeutically moving pain into song-shaped progress. Accordingly, “Never Personal” reflectively rebalances, spiritually double-checking motives and patiently choosing composure over chaos while channeling old Drake’s energy. Finally, “Little Bit of Everything” triumphantly sums the arc, effortlessly mixing lanes and confidently proving that range, cohesively arranged, feels naturally whole.
What makes No Squares Around Me feel cohesive is its design. The drums are consistently disciplined, the low end tuned for translation from headphones to car subs, and the hooks are engineered for memory without sacrificing meaning. More importantly, the lyricism translates—not because it’s simple, but because it’s precise: he names places, textures, and feelings instead of vague boasts. The through-line—“don’t reduce me”—isn’t just declared; it’s demonstrated by arrangement: verses that sing when they need melody, melodies that toughen into bars when steel is required.
Authenticity here is a practical art. He can flex, flirt, mourn, and mentor without costume changes, and the sequencing carries you through those rooms with a host’s intuition. Indeed, the album plays like a day in motion: sunrise resolve, midday hustle, dusk romance, midnight honesty. By the last chorus you’re not debating his versatility—you’re grateful for its architecture. No squares, no boxes, just a rounded craft that moves exactly how it says it will.
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