Album: 500 Days of Summer
Label: Ball Hog
Release date: August 15th, 2025
Rating: 5.2/10
Protect, a 22-year-old Buffalo native, is the new face of uninteresting, repetitive cyber-rap. He has been on a meteoric rise in the digital world of hip-hop. His alignment with BruceDropEmOff, the owner of his label Ball Hogs, has made him a star.
Unfortunately, on his latest album, 500 Days of Summer, Protect is a reserved, disengaged artist who has no interest in anything that doesn’t pertain to building his riches or his crew.
Production is handled by a dynamic range of producers: Noah Mejia, Cade, Nine9 and Rio Leyva. Together they build the sonics of the album, going for classic video game OSTs spun in hyper-futuristic stylings that are palatable to the screen addicted rap fans of today.
Protect’s greatest appeal is his knack for pop culture; the album’s title is borrowed from director Marc Webb’s 2009 film. The album’s track listing also features titles that reference popular media, such as “Cartoon Network” and “Sly Cooper.” Throughout the album’s run he playfully likens himself to figures like Tom Cruise, Lil Wayne and LeBron James.
Each song is just a short burst of energy, offering catchy hooks with breezy 8 and 16-bar verses that are forgettable. Apart from “New Jeep,” none of the songs ever reach the 3-minute mark. Perhaps that’s the point, using brevity to distract from his lack of memorable rhyme schemes.
While his delivery is monotonous, it’s consistent. He offers very little in terms of vocalization or cadence, leaving empty space in areas to experiment. It’s hard to tell if he’s trying; if he is… he’s not doing a good job.
It’s also difficult to tell who he wants to be. As his voice is submerged in FL Studio presets and autotune, he blurs the line between south Atlanta twang and Buffalonian enunciation. On “Tor” his vocals are strikingly like rap prince OsamaSon; a bewildering listen that requires a replay to confirm the queue didn’t abruptly change.
Protect relies on melodic warbling to paint his picture of the highlife. Even with the boring delivery he maintains a generally easy-going demeanor throughout the album, with hints of bravado sprinkled in-between. He never misses the chance to shout out Ball Hogs, stamping his loyalty firm.
Amidst the general misfirings, there’s moments of enjoyable tracks throughout. On “Sip In My Room,” he amplifies his drug-fueled flex session to the max while conveying themes of a diligent work ethic. “Gee Wizz !!!” is a hasty, bass-first banger, where his vocals are drowned out in reverb, causing headache. “Gossip Girl,” easily the standout track, features modulated sines fused with airy vocal patterns.
500 Days of Summer should have been a chance for Protect to explore in terms of style, but he shies away from experimentation for security. If he’s looking to continue his reign as a luminary in rap’s summer smash, he should look outwards to expand his palate of production and vocalization.
In the meantime, we’ll see how much longer he can hog the ball.
The arts desk can be reached at arts@ubspectrum.com
