Stream Rico Love’s New Album

Turn the Lights On, the debut album from singer, rapper, producer and songwriter Rico Love, has been a long time coming. The New Orleans native--who also has roots in the Midwest and in New York, regions that are reflected in his work--has been a fixture in the industry for over a decade now, helping craft hits for the likes of Usher, Beyonce, A$AP Rocky, Chris Brown, Nelly and countless others. But Turn the Lights On will be the first full-length solo effort of Love's to see the light of day. (Love's rap-heavy 2007 album, The 5th Element, was shelved and never made its way to retail stores.) This 12-track set features a handful of guests (including Raekwon on the excellent "Bad Attitude"), but it's Love who drives the project forward.

As he explained to XXL's own Dan Rys, Love takes listeners on a story, told in fractured narrative, of a couple who falls in, then out of love. The argumentative couple makes excellent fodder for the kind of personal songwriting Rico favors; Turn the Lights On feels more like a careful study than a typical debut, where an artist might be working out the kinks in real time. Funny what a decade will do.

Stream Turn the Lights On in its entirety below:

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