J.I.D – “God Does Like Ugly” review

Atlanta, Georgia emcee & singer/songwriter J.I.D releasing his highly anticipated 4th LP. Coming up 15 years ago off his debut mixtape Cakewalk & joining the Spillage Village collective lead by the EARTHGANG around that same time frame, he dropped a couple more tapes as well as DiCaprio after that & signed to J. Cole’s very own Interscope Records imprint Dreamville Records in 2017. He has since made himself home there with The Never Story followed by DiCaprio 2 & more recently The Forever Story, having God Does Like Ugly precede JIDTRO fully produced by Metro Boomin’.

“YouUgly!” opens with J.I.D taking a ceiling challenge to shows he’s above his peers & a beat switch talking about not being the same as an individual tryna stand out in a crowd amongst fools whereas “Glory” produced by Lex Luger delves into his spirituality. “WRK” was a dope trap single talking about relentless hustle being required to achieve his ambitions while the crooning boom bap crossover “Community” featuring Clipse finds the trio looking back on their early days & wanting to shoot Bob the Builder.

Hearing “Walk” by Comethazine getting sampled on “Gz” was an unexpected welcome talking about car robberies while “VCRs” featuring Vince Staples continues the gangsta rap themes over a Jay Versace instrumental. “Sk8” featuring the EARTHGANG reunites the trio for an Atlanta bass cut talking about claiming your side whether it be north, south, east or west just before “What We On” featuring Don Toliver teams up for a psychedelic slow love song DJ Chase B helped put together.

6LACK appears for the tranquil “Wholeheartedly” wanting their partners to promise that they won’t ever switch up against them while “No Boo” featuring Jessie Reyez gives off a more cumbersome approach asking each other if they’re tired of being alone. After the “& We Vibing” interlude, “On McAfee” slaughters this nasty beat from Boi-1da, Vinylz & Cubeatz warning that nobody’s safe while the 3-parter “On Blue” featuring Mereba talks about finding a place to feel safe.

“K-Word” balances drumless & trap hopping over some strings to address the topic of karma prior to “For Keeps” chopping up a jazzy soul sample talking about the feeling he’s been trying to find for so long hitting him right when it seems like the mojo is gone & nothing having the ability to make him step away from the mic. The album officially finishes with an extended version of “Sun” featuring Anycia, which was previewed during his Dreamville Fest last spring.

Starting the “preluxe” run, “Behold” boisterously talks about giving 2 middle fingers in a picture so they don’t ever forget while “Beau” dustily compares himself to Rambo. “Knew Better” by the BlakkBoyz stands at the dawn of a new era while “Lisa” asks not for his high to get fucked up. “Animals” featuring Eminem fresh off the latter’s appearance in Happy Gilmore 2 with the longest reigning AEW World Champion MJF now becoming the new CMLL Mundial Peso Semicompleto Campeon and the current WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch reunites for a breakbeat “Fuel” sequel.

Prioritizing lyricism & artistry above everything else, God Does Like Ugly continues to exemplify J.I.D’s status as the best artist on the entire Dreamville Records roster with a supple prelude to JIDTRO & a virtuous successor to The Forever Story realizing the potential we initially heard almost a decade ago emphasizing the previous’ Christian themes. You’re still getting doses of trap, neo-soul, jazz rap & boom bap within the production except the Southeast Atlanta native’s wordplay keeps getting better with time almost a decade since his major label deal got inked.

Score: 4.5/5

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Lil Yachty – “Let’s Start Here.” review

This is the 3rd full-length album from Mableton, Georgia rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & actor Lil Yachty. Skyrocketing to fame in 2016 by bringing a unique sound & personality to the trap subgenre on his debut mixtape Lil Boat, his subsequent material since then has ranged from being mid at best like Summer Songs 2 or even his previous mixtape Michigan Boy Boat to absolute trash like Teenage Emotions & Nuthin’ 2 Prove. But when I heard that Let’s Start Herewas gonna be a complete stylistic departure for Yachty in contrast to one of my favorite singles of last year “Poland”, I was sold in checking it out.

“the BLACK seminole.” pretty much sets the tone for what’s to come as Yachty sings about his inner self & compares himself to the titular Native American-Africans part of the Seminole people over a Jimi Hendrix/Pink Floyd inspired psychedelic rock instrumental whereas “the ride-“ with Teezo Touchdown takes a more neo-soul route with the 2 singing about needing the special women in their lives by their sides. “running out of time” has a more summery twang to it addressing a relationship that pretty much ran it’s course at this point prior to Foushée tagging along for the atmospheric “pRETTy” singing about dying the pussy.

After the “:(failure(:” interlude, “THE zone~” to go into space rock territory admitting that Yachty feel at home up until he’s by his lonely with Justine Syke counter-parting him telling him she never meant to make him feel alone & asking if he’d put anyone else above her leading into “WE SAW THE SUN!” having a bit of a Tame Impala influence sonically singing about how shit don’t get better & to take picture for proof. The “drive ME crazy!” duet with Diane Gordon has a more synthpop flare to it as they profess their love for one another with Yachty dropping a cool reference to both Kanye’s “Jesus Lord” and later WWE Hall of Famer & unrecognized WWE Champion Ted DiBiase, but then “IVE OFFICIALLY LOST ViSiON!!!!” is an otherworldly experience detailing a bad drug trip over an EPIC guitar riff.

“sAy sOMETHINg” brings back a more mellow vibe instrumentally living the dream & feeling like a teenager again while “paint THE sky” gives me a bit of an art pop feel to it singing about stalling for & overdosing on one’s love. The song “sHouLd i B?” treads the psychedelic pop waters admitting that he needs to do right by his lover & that he ain’t mad at what she did even though he’s unsure if he should be while the penultimate track “The Alchemist.” sings about living a good life over some warm rock production. “REACH THE SUNSHINE.” featuring Daniel Caesar is a 6 minute neo-psychedelic grand finale with them talking about filling a void.

If you told me 7 years ago that the same guy who made “1Night” & “Never Switch Up” would go on to drop a full-blown psychedelic rock album & actually manage to pull it off, I would’ve laughed at you. And if anyone can’t appreciate the artistic growth that Yachty shows throughout Let’s Start Here., then that’s your funeral because the most consistent body of work that I’ve heard from him in a grip. All the artists that he draws inspiration from mentioned throughout the review (i.e. Hendrix, Pink Floyd) have literally made some of my favorite music EVER & the fact that we got a body of work from him in those specific styles of music into his own after being called a “mumble rapper” early on in his career proves ANYTHING’s possible.

Score: 4.5/5

J.I.D – “The Forever Story” review

This is the 3rd full-length album from Atlanta, Georgia emcee J.I.D. Emerging in 2010 off his debut mixtape Cakewalk & joined the Spillage Village collective lead by the EARTHGANG around that same time frame, he dropped 2 more mixtapes as well as then an EP after that & signed to J. Cole’s very own Interscope Records imprint Dreamville Records in 2017. He has since made himself home there with The Never Story & DiCaprio 2, but is returning after 4 long years in the form of The Forever Story.

After the melodic “Galaxy” intro, the first song “Raydar” kicks off the album with a heavy bass-line & some hi-hats provided by Nonstop da Hitman talking about how “when it rains, it pours” prior to the beat switching up into more dramatic saying he’ll “steal the cattle then burn the farm”. “Dance Now” however samples “Yoel’s Niggun” by Zusha talking about making ‘em dance with his 9 whereas “Crack Sandwich” takes a more rugged route acknowledging that you can tell that he never had shit.

The EARTHGANG tags along for the KAYTRANADA/JD Beck-laced “Can’t Punk Me” reminding everything that nothing will stop them leading into Baby Tate & 21 Savage coming into the picture for the chipmunk soul/trap banger “Surround Sound” produced by DJ Scheme talking about putting the rap game on their backs & snatching crowns. “Kody Blu 31” incorporates a crooning sample in the mix encouraging listeners to swang on, but then the Lil Durk-assisted “Bruddanem” shoots for a more mellow aesthetic thanks to DJ Khalil talking about loyalty.

Meanwhile on “Sistanem”, we have J.I.D over some spacious boom bap production describing the tour life leading into the romance-driven “Can’t Make U Change” that starts off with a funky instrumental from Dreamville in-house producer Elite & switches into a melodic vocal loop. “Stars” opens up with a hazy BADBADNOTGOOD beat & J.I.D talking about having his goals set with E. Jones changing it up into boom bap turf as well as a stellar Yasiin Bey verse for the outro while “Just in Time” with Lil Wayne takes a more symphonic approach talking about having the time today.

“Money” throws a guitar & some live drums courtesy of Khrysis into the mix confessing that’s all he really needs dissing the inaugural IWGPヘビー級王座, former 12-time WWE world champion, WWE tag team champion & 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan while the song “Better Days” weaves some piano chords into the chord talking about balancing the highs & lows. The closer “Lauder Too” is a futuristic sequel to a highlight off The Never Story laced by James Blake & Thundercat with the bonus cut “2007” ends the album is a 7 & a half minute epic looking back on J.I.D’s life throughout the past 15 years & it’s a shame that the sample couldn’t get cleared because it’s a great choice for a closer.

I’ve gone on record numerous times saying that J.I.D’s the future of Dreamville & if The Forever Story doesn’t further prove that, then I don’t know what to tell you because it’s a great sequel to his full-length debut & I’ll even say it’s arguably better than The Never Story. I admire that he comes through with more in-depth stories throughout, the production is incredibly dynamic & the feature list is pretty tight.

Score: 4.5/5

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Lil Yachty – “Michigan Boy Boat” review

This is the 5th mixtape from Mableton rapper & songwriter Lil Yachty. Skyrocketing to fame in 2016 by bringing a unique sound & personality to the trap subgenre on his debut mixtape Lil Boat, his subsequent pretty much took a nosedive from there. Why? Because he made a song on that breakout tape about never switching up & that’s EXACTLY what he did. But to pay homage to this reviewer’s home state, Yachty has amassed together some of the hottest rappers Detroit has to offer currently for Michigan Boy Boat.

“Final Form” is a ruthless opener with a hyphy instrumental from Helluva, but then Tee Grizzley tags along for the airy “Dynamic Duo” to talk about how his chemistry with Yachty is unmatched. The harp on “Concrete Goonies” shortly after is pretty cool except the fact that it’s a tad bit offputting hearing him start it off by saying he wants to fuck Kali Uchis. Meanwhile, we have Veeze & Baby Smoove jumping on a piano instrumental to brush off those who wanna fight for a print on “Don’t Even Bother” referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson whereas the song “G.I. Joe” with Louie Ray finds the 2 talking about being young cats who got it over a colorful beat from Buddah Bless.

“Never Did Coke” is one of my favorites on the project with it’s bongo & string-laced instrumental as well as Yachty’s chemistry with Swae Lee, but that same back-&-forth magic on the RMC Mike-featured “Ghetto Boy Shit” falls flat for me even though I like the grubby Carlo Anthony instrumental. Icewear Vezzo & Rio da Yung OG help him go into gangsta rap territory for “Plastic” while the track “Fight Night Round 3” with Babyface Ray & Veeze does it’s title justice by providing a lethal moshpit joint.

Sada Baby’s feature on the braggadocious “SB 2021” is cool, but his performances on the 30 Roc-produced “SB5” are much better if you ask me. Rio comes back into the fold for the glassily-produced “Stunt Double”, except his feature on here doesn’t stick the landing like it did on “Plastic”. The penultimate track “Hybrid” has these inauspicious keyboard melodies Yachty & Babytron both give flashy performances before bringing in some bells for the “This That One” cypher to finish things off with everyone except Slap Savage going off. YN Jay’s verse at the end referencing former 4-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion & the current WWE Champion Bobby Lashley was worth mentioning.

Coming from someone who’s lived in The Mitten his entire life, I’m a bit torn coming away from this. Even though Yachty doesn’t do the modern Detroit style all that much justice, I still admire the fact he took some of the hottest rappers the city currently has to offer & brought them all together.

Score: 2.5/5

J.I.D – “DiCaprio 2” review

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J.I.D is a 28 year old MC from Atlanta, Georgia who released his 1st mixtape Cakewalk in 2010 & joined EARTHGANG’s Spillage Village collective that same year. He dropped 2 more mixtapes as well as then an EP (to which this serves as a sequel to) after that & signed to J. Cole’s Interscope Records imprint Dreamville Records last year, dropping his full-length debut The Never Story just a few weeks after the deal. But now as we reach the end of November, he’s delivering his highly anticipated sophomore album: a sequel to his 2015 EP.

After the “Frequency Change” intro, we go into the first song “Slick Talk”. Here, J.I.D brags about his skills over a haunting beat. The track “Westbrook with A$AP Ferg is a charismatic club banger with some nocturnal bells throughout while the song “Off Deez” with J. Cole sees the 2 viciously attacking their critics over a decent trap beat. The track “151 Rum” vividly describes life in the streets over a trap beat with a prominent vocal sample while the song “Off da Zoinkys” is an anti-drug anthem with a wavy instrumental. The track “Workin’ Out” vents about depression even with his newfound success over a prominently beautiful sample of Helen Merrill’s 1954 rendition of “Don’t Explain” while the song “Tiiied” with 6LACK & Ella Mai is a drab & corny love ballad.

However, the track “Skrawberries (For da Ladies)” does a better job at being romantic than the previous cut does. Especially with the mesmerizing instrumental from J. Cole & the late Mac Miller. The song “Hotbox” with Joey Bada$$ & Method Man is about smoking weed over a punchy piano instrumental rap while the track “Mounted Up” celebrates where he is now over a boom bap beat with some sinister piano chords.

The song “Just da Other Day” discusses his rise in the game over a bland trap beat while penultimate track “Despacito Too” angrily talks about being whatever he wants over this murky boom bap beat. The album then finishes with “Hasta Luego”, where J.I.D lets go or his painful past to become the artist he is know over a nocturnal beat from WondaGurl & Cubeatz.

Overall, this is just as solid as The Never Story & I’ll even say it’s better than the first DiCaprio. The production has stepped up for the most part & lyrically, J.I.D continues to prove each & every single one of us that he truly is the future of Dreamville Records.

Score: 3.5/5

Lil Yachty – “Lil Boat 2” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper Lil Yachty commemorates the 2 year anniversary of his breakout mixtape Lil Boat by releasing a sequel. The opener “Self Made” talks about his success over a spacey, booming trap beat while next song “Boom!” with Ugly God sees the 2 talking to their haters over a bouncy beat, but the hook is annoying as fuck. The track Oops with 2 Chainz gets braggadocious over some bass while “Talk to Me Nice” with Quavo is yet another humble brag over an airy beat.

The track “Get Money Bros.” with Tee Grizzley pretty much speaks for itself over an eerie beat while the song “Count Me In” gets charismatic over a banging instrumental from Pi’erre Bourne. The song “She Ready” gets sexual & the beat is pretty playful, but the PnB Rock feature doesn’t do much for me. The track “Love Me Forever” is pretty much the same thing except with a more moody instrumental & the song “Das Cap” gets in your face over a haunting Southside beat.

The track “Pop Out” is another redundant bragging tune with a weird, electro-trap beat from Digital Nas & a terrible verse from JBan$ while the song “NBAYOUNGBOAT” is basically a showcase of decent chemistry between Yachty & YoungBoy Never Broke Again.

The track “Mickey” is an eerie tune about snitches, but the Offset feature at the beginning is the only highlight about it for me. The song “FWM” might have over a bass-heavy beat, but Yachty’s monotonous delivery will doesn’t get me excited at all. The track “Flex” is another in your face braggadocious banger with annoying ass delivery while the song “Whole Lotta Guap” talks about what he has now & over another bouncy beat from Pi’erre.

“Baby Daddy” with Lil Pump & Offset basically tells this woman that his man is a sucka choke-slamming them like former SMW Tag Team Champion, 3-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 12-time WWE tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion Kane over an eerie beat I’m pretty sure I similarly heard while the closer “66” talks about how he’s allegedly gonna flex until he’s old over an atmospheric DY beat with a decent Trippie Redd feature.

Personally, this thing did not live up to the hype that was set out for it. While I‘ve never been a fan of Lil Yachty’s music to begin with, at least I can commend the first Lil Boat for having a blissful vibe to it. This however, is filled with a bunch of club bangers in a shorter & feature heavy way than Teenage Emotions was

Score: 1.5/5