Review: Gengis Don – No Rules to This

Album artwork provided by Harmonic Media

By Bridget Arnwine

If an artist names their album No Rules to This, you can rest assured that said artist dances to the beat of their own drum. On the latest project from Brooklyn-born producer, artist, and drummer Gengis Don, it becomes clear that what he’s created doesn’t have to follow a particular formula to feel innovative or even enjoyable. Instead, the record invites listeners to surrender their expectations and follow where Don chooses to lead. All that’s required is an open mind, while the artist’s only obligation seems to be to the art itself.

Before the listener even reaches the music itself, the album’s track list sets the tone for what can be expected. With song titles that include “This is the album single so I have to put it 2nd,” “Song’s already out but I need the streams,” and “I changed the melody but shoutout to Joe Henderson,” Gengis Don thumbs his proverbial nose at packaging and presentation, treating the album format with a comedic irreverence often reserved for obligatory exercises rather than rehearsed statements. The effect is an album that announces its intentions early: less a polished narrative than an open-ended embrace of unpredictability and stale cohesion.

Musically, No Rules to This is solid. The talent, imagination, and vision are all present. However, listeners must be willing to move beyond the intentional disregard for the song titles to fully hear what Don is building beneath. The album lives up to its title. It leaps across styles and moods with little concern for convention. That’s the point. Don’s creativity often drives the songs forward with a familiar improvisational energy, while layered production shifts between textured neo-soul and hip-hop grooves with unexpected melodic turns.

Album standouts include “Album intros are overrated,” which has a sound that feels influenced by the Robert Glasper Experience (Rest in Peace Casey Benjamin); “This is the album single, so I have to put it second,” is a track that commands listeners to dance not only through its lyrics, but through its energy. It’s got a laid-back, sexy club vibe that permeates the air, lingering long after the last note. It’s quite infectious. “Now we’re really getting into the album,” shifts the mood with a more contemplative hip-hop groove, grounding the record in a steady, hypnotic rhythm that feels like it would fit in nicely alongside the jazz-inflected experimentation of Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly. “I changed the melody but shoutout to Joe Henderson,” adds a warm neo-soul vibe to what sounds like Henderson’s classic song “Black Narcissus,” which has an otherwise soft and lyrical feel.  

These moments are where No Rules to This feels most inviting: in the intentionality behind the grooves and in the celebration of creative freedom and inspiration. This album feels like a fun night out and a beckoning to chill all at the same time. That’s not easy to accomplish, but that’s what’s possible when you allow an artist to exist freely. It’s an intriguing statement of artistic refusal, inviting listeners to consider what an album can be when an artist creates fully on their own terms, without prioritizing the comfort of his audience. If this album offers any insight into Don’s future in music, rule-breaking isn’t the destination; it’s just the beginning.

Track list

 1.    Album intros are overrated

2.    This is the album single so I have to put it 2nd

3.    Song’s already out but I need the streams

4.    Now we’re REALLY getting into the album

5.    This almost didn’t make the album

6.    If you have anxiety, don’t listen to this

7.    I changed the melody but shoutout to Joe Henderson

8.    Where my Carribeans at? (Gunshot noise)

9.    You know I had to have a song for the ladies!

10.  This is my favorite verse I’ve ever written

11.  Gotta sneak a positive message in there somewhere

12.  Aaaaaaand, here comes the toxicity (FTB)

13.  Don’t cry because it’s over, cry because you listened