The Long Goodbye follows the standard tropes of a breakup album: voicemails from loved ones checking in, lyrics questioning what went wrong, karma coming for the toxic ex. Only the breakup here is between actor/rapper Riz Ahmed and his country: Britain becomes “Britney”, who laid with him and took his independence. It’s an evocative, albeit sometimes overwrought concept. Over humid beats from producer Redinho, Ahmed uses fast-paced rap and spoken word to interrogate colonialism. Toba Tek Singh jolts searingly; Fast Lava is all raw urgency; Deal With It pulses with confidence and wry bars (“they don’t like no ’fugees/ but they still killing us softly”). Plus, there’s a welcome feature from “R&Bollywood” prince Jay Sean on Any Day.
Since his work as Riz MC, Ahmed has always admirably considered third culture identity in his music (that grappling with the idea of “home” for the children of immigrants), but perhaps in addressing a wider audience and sociopolitical issues that feel more pressing than ever, The Long Goodbye can feel heavy-handed: even those phoned-in messages from famous friends (Mindy Kaling, Asim Chaudhry) sound jarring. Ultimately, though, Ahmed delivers, offering up some clever writing on this powerful concept album.
