by Colin Austin

6 Dogs’ self titled project is a message both to and from a troubled generation.

The life and story of 6 Dogs is one that far too many kids from his generation can relate to, one that was filled with mental health issues, drug abuse, and a dark worldview. Because he was able to relate to these issues that plague much of today’s youth, he was able to make music that spoke to a generation of kids that needed someone to look up to as they struggle to navigate a cold and unforgiving world. In this review I’ll be covering 6 Dogs 2017 self titled album, and discussing how its sound not only represents the feelings of millions of teenagers and young adults, but also influenced countless amature artists by showing that anyone can become a bedroom closet superstar with nothing but a laptop, a microphone and a message.

The album “6 Dogs” starts off with my personal favorite track from the project, Kingdom (God). Sonically, the track is a precursor to a sound that has become wildly popular in today's generation of rap music, with a simple yet catchy guitar riff being heavily distorted and placed over a drum track that features equally distorted kicks and 808’s. Over this heavily formulaic instrumental, 6 Dogs sings about how he views God, almost in a way that compares God to himself and the people around him. The lyrics of the hook, “I like to think of God as a common man, Going with the flow as the rest follow plans”, set up a short yet powerful story within the song about a boy who finds God while he’s in college, and God appears as a relatable character, who skates and goes to parties and screws up in classes. The verse ends with the lyric “God is really gnarly”, which seems to represent 6 Dogs’ feelings towards religion and his personal relationship to God, knowing that he doesn’t necessarily live the most pious life, but with the belief that God would understand his life and actions. 

2 tracks later in the project, we hear 6 Dogs’ breakout hit, Faygo Dreams. This song lyrically is a lot closer to what you would expect out of a modern mainstream rap hit, discussing themes of money and popularity, but the heavily autotuned drugged out vocal style which he delivers the lyrics in is something unique to 6 Dogs. The song also starts a theme heard throughout the album of trying to move on from past problems with money and materialistic things, with lyrics such as “I wanna whip them cars now, I’m thankful for these scars now”. These sort of lyrics certainly seem shallow, especially from the perspective of an older listener, but to 6 Dogs’ audience of troubled teenagers there’s beauty in the simplicity of a song of solving trivial problems like young relationship issues with money and fancy cars. These lyrics, combined with an infectiously catchy melody, are a recipe for a hit song that artists still try to imitate to this day.

To 6 Dogs’ audience of troubled teenagers there’s beauty in the simplicity of a song of solving trivial problems like young relationship issues with money and fancy cars.

Much of this project, especially in the beginning portion of it, follow this same formula. Tracks like “Spaceship”, “Chutup” and “Mazi” Love all represent the idea of ignoring issues like depression and drug addiction by focusing on making as much money as possibly, with the hope that this will make all other problems in life disappear. The song “Getaway” gets a bit more personal with this idea, featuring the lyrics “I remember I wanted to end it, now it’s f*** around and get these digits, money made me walk with a limp”. This song, carried by an 808-heavy beat, leads into the track “Someone”, which seems to be a turning point in the album. Lyrics such as “F*** this clout, it’s a trick” and “F*** this cash, it make me sad” still have a very immature aura about them, but it’s in this immaturity that you realize that the issues being discussed in this project are ones faced by a junior in high school who is simply using his talent as a cry for help. 6 Dogs’ vulnerability begins to shine at this point in the album, as he begins to realize that the money which he thought would solve his problems has only made them worse.

While the instrumentals and vocal style on this project maintain a similar sound throughout, songs on the second half of this album carry a much sadder tone lyrically than in the rest of the album. In the song “No Savage”, 6 Dogs admits to putting up a facade of being resilient towards his emotions, while still discussing the exact things he does to appear as if his problems aren’t getting to him. Although he realizes that drugs and money aren’t the solution to his problems, he continues to pursue them, as they’re all he has known for too long. The song “Hearse” shows 6 Dogs’ realization of where his habits are taking him, with the lyrics “I ain’t dead yet but I’m f****** hurt, Burberry coffin 6 feet in the dirt” being a representation of his lifestyle leading to an early death.

The album closes with the song “Flossing”, another of 6 Dogs’ top hits. The song is an incredibly strong closer for a debut album, featuring one of the catchiest melodies on the project, while simultaneously wrapping up the ideas he presented throughout. The lyrics “Tell my mom that I’m sorry, I just popped another oxy” and “Tear stained racks all on my floor, I don’t know if I can do this anymore”, delivered in 6 Dogs’ classic droning voice convey the message that he believes he has reached some sort of rock bottom in his life. The concept of a song being so simple yet containing such powerfully depressing themes is a beautiful representation of an artist who was a voice for kids that faced incredibly tough situations before even reaching the age where they could properly convey what they go through.

6 Dogs’ tragic and unexpected death on January 26th of this year is a reminder to both fans and strangers of his music that the problems faced by today’s youth are very real and deserving of a voice. I pretty much strictly listened to this project in the days following the news of his passing, and while I’ve been a fan for years the messages in this project spoke to me just a little bit more knowing that the death 6 Dogs often predicted in his music tragically came true. If you have never heard this project, I hope you will give it a listen, not with the expectation of groundbreaking musicality or lyricism, but with the expectation of hearing a true story from a member of a generation of kids facing an epidemic of mental health and drug issues.

6 Dogs’ 3rd studio album, and first posthumous album, “RONALD”, was released on March 12th, 2021. Rest in peace Chase, rest in peace 6 Dogs.

You can listen to 6 Dogs' newest album, "RONALD", on Spotify or wherever you get new music.