With the arrival of Mariah the Scientist’s second studio album: Ry Ry World, she immurses us into her world, literally. This album is much more personal and captivating than her debut album, Master, which was presented only two years prior, with a look and feel to go along with it. It’s evident that her music is very personal to her because of the details she incorporates into every song. Ry Ry World is 10 tracks that have an overall theme of the universe, the stars, and the atmosphere and tells a story along with its paired visuals. The 23-year-old from Decatur, Georgia pulls much inspiration from how and where she grew up, and it shines through in her music. This inspiration comes out in various ways, whether it’s references in lyrics or other topics. This album is for anyone who is looking for closure from a relationship or an album that tells a story. But, most importantly the album overall gives an ethereal feeling when listening to it.
The theme is very consistent throughout the album. Mariah ties her feelings towards the relationship at topic with the universe, space, and how these feelings many times intertwine for women. The instrumentals for all the songs, especially the key songs, create a dreamy feeling created by pianos, strings and synths to marry the theme with the lyrics. With 5 of the 10 songs produced by K. Rain, it is easy to hear the collaboration and the direction they wanted the album to go in. Many times when there are multiple different producers on an album, it can sound like an assortment of songs pieced together, rather than a full story composed prior to the album being born. With Ry Ry World, it is evident in all the elements this is a piece of art thought out from beginning to end.
Track 1- Impalas & Air Force 1s
The opening track on the album kicks off with the line, “Take me to your leader”, making the listener aware that Mariah’s mind is elsewhere, possibly not on Earth at the moment. Being the shortest track on the album at only 1:39, it serves its purpose of introducing the main topics of the album, the universe, love and Atlanta. She transports us elsewhere, but still brings her world along. She goes on to say, “Nothing I’ve seen on the East Side. I wonder what they’ll think of Impalas & Air Force 1s?” This is a nod to where she’s from, East Atlanta, where the culture involves the love of old cars, such as Chevy Impalas, and the most popular shoes are Air Force 1s, white to be specific. Both are mentioned frequently in other artists’ songs who are also from the city. She ends the song with “Who’s your favorite girl, I wish I could be her” hinting at the fact the relationship she is referring to in this album is no longer.
Track 2- Aura
A second single of the album, and rightfully so, starts with a fairy-like intro and the pre-hook of this song is, “I can be what you need, maybe more, everything” as if she’s trying to prove to her previous lover that they are made for each other, a central theme we’ll see throughout the album. There is a sample here from the Isley Brothers, “Make Me Say It Again Girl” which shows up most prominently as the chorus,
“Oh, I believe you are a rainbow,
All the heaven I need to see
You’re the promise everlasting
Where you are, I hope to be”
These sample lyrics, “Heaven” and “Rainbow” fit in perfectly with the theme of the album, and especially the instrumental here. The lyrics tie perfectly with the ideas of the universe, the planets, and the ethereal feelings provoked by the album. The visual for this song is only 1:57 minutes while the song is 3:13 minutes. In an interview, Mariah mentioned how there wasn’t any need for a video. In the whole song, she got her point across in that short period of time. The visual for this song is her running from arrows shooting from the sky. She is wearing all red, the color of passion and love, running through a field of deep snow. She is eventually struck from behind by an arrow, implying that she has been struck by Cupid. Before she can fall, colorful rays cover the sky, this is where the correlation between “2 You” comes in, because at the beginning of that video, it looks like you’re traveling through space in the same sky that is in “Aura.”
Track 4- RIP
The starting lines of this song are, “If we can’t live forever, baby it is now or never. And if nothing I guess I’ll see you in Heaven.” Again, the mentioning of Heaven, and the ideas of time in space are continued through the songs. The reason this song would be another key song, is because this is where she narrates why the relationship ended, with the title of the song “RIP”. In the verse of the song she mentions how she could give everything she has and more to this person, and it still won’t be enough to satisfy them. Mariah says, “Well I dream to be a fool” so this way she doesn’t know what her partner is really doing, and she is able to overlook all the wrongs he is doing. She would rather focus on the good, but she just can’t, and that’s why the relationship ended.
Track 7- Maybe
This whole song is a narration of what could have been. What she thinks could have come from the relationship. She lists multiple things they could have done to possibly save the relationship like praying, being more brave, escaping together and so many other things. It seems as if it’s an in-real-time reflection as to how she feels now that the relationship has ended, and hindsight has started. Based on the lyrics, it is clear Mariah saw more in the person than he saw in himself, and let the fame get to his head. She said, “Liked you better for what you could have been” then later in the verse, “And I know you know I held my end of the deal.” With the combination of these two lines, the other person has really disappointed her. She wanted something real, and it was just something he could not do for her.
Track 9- All For Me
Arguably the most personal song on the album, All For Me narrates a feeling she has of missing this person, specifically after a long night of partying. She goes through the emotions of the night she first says, “these feelings get to talking, headed out of the party, and I know you see me calling.” Then, in the chorus she explains how she knows most likely he is with another girl, but in the possible chance he isn’t she wants to spend more time with him, she wants him all for her, hence the title, “All For Me.” She then narrates how she isn’t too far from where he stays and she doesn’t want to spend another night alone. Then, she compares herself to this new girl in his life, and she can’t do half of what she is willing to do for him. It’s a borderline desperate attempt to get him to give in to seeing her.
Being her most personal album, Ry Ry World narrates all the emotions of a relationship turned sour that her audience can relate to. From feelings of sadness, to regret, to anger, and missing the person, the album as a whole encompasses these emotions over delicate beats to match the emotions.
