My Life 4Hunnid - YG: Review
is a Compton based rapper who first emerged in 2013 with a contemporary hip hop sound and a few mainstream hits. He changed course with his sophomore record 2016's critically acclaimed Still Brazy which adopted a 90's g-funk hip hop approach. Since then he has released two more records, each of which took a much more contemporary trap flavored approach. With a few singles leading up to My Life 4Hunnid he forecasted a transition back to his g-funk sound and generated significant hype in doing so.
Review By Lavender:
This is the most excited I've been for a YG album, well ever really. Still Brazy blindsided me and emerged as one of my favorite rap records of the 2nd half of the 2010's. Since then YG hasn't blown me away with another record even though his most recent release was an improvement over its predecessor. The singles were primarily what made me so excited for this record, not only because they were so good but also because they called back to the sound that made me first fall in love with his music in the first place. Now that the whole project is here I can safely say that My Life 4Hunnid is pretty goo and features plenty of YG's best tracks in years, but it also features some strange detours that make very little sense and hold the album back from it's potential.
When the record is good, it's really good starting with some of the singles released in the lead up to the album all of which I enjoyed. Out On Bail was the most recent track and it instantly became one of my favorite YG songs of all time. He shouts out Nipsey and raps about fucking bitches and drinking hennessy and does it all through one of the catchiest hooks of his entire career. The track is vibrant and catchy and I don't see how it could get much better than this. SWAG is also pretty good as an up-tempo punchy display of luxury that is absolutely infectious. YG is fiery and hooky in his delivery and the result is a vibe that's nearly impossible not to catch.
The other two singles serve as the last two tracks on the record starting with FTP. The track hits just as hard as it did earlier this year and YG holds absolutely nothing back in his lyrical delivery. The song lives up to the high expectations N.W.A set for its namesake. Laugh Now Kry Later is the closing track and while I think the song is decent I do with FTP had ended the record off instead. The song is low impact especially when YG is singing with autotune on his voice and doesn't serve as much of a triumphant closing track, nor does it have any major thematic statements.
The record gets off to a ridiculous start with nearly every song on the first half of the record being a hit. The opener Jealous sounds straight out of the early 90's with heavy bass and fluttering keys. The obvious highlight is YG's confrontational and hard-hitting bars, his flow switch-ups are smooth as hell and he perfectly embodies the gangster rapper ideology on the track. Blood Walk is another killer track with a smooth ass hook that brings a high energy performance from D3szn. YG rides the bouncy beat and delivers one of his most fun verses on the record but Lil Wayne absolutely steals the show. He brings some ridiculous mic charisma that only an artist of his caliber could have. Rodeo made me nervous with Tyga and Chris Brown featured but honestly I think it's a solid track. While it has one of the least involved beats on the record YG and Tyga both legitimately bring it as they trade off rapid fire verses over the first half. Chris Brown's hook is as wonderful as ever but the low point of the song is definitely his sing-songey rap verse which comes off super awkwardly. Aside from that it is pretty good. Finally there's Surgery, the track is pretty good but I wouldn't be doing my reviewer duty if I didn't mention that the name of this song comes from this ridiculous bar. "Dickin her out, and it feel just like surgery". The song has an excellent Ty Dolla $ign hook and a fast paced YG verse that details some domestic bliss. Gunna isn't quite as bad as usual and given how long his verse is I'm just glad he isn't actively annoying.
Speaking of actively annoying a few of the weakest songs I've ever heard on a YG record also pop up here. Hate On Me does absolutely nothing for me starting with Lil Tjay. As usual his naisily generic vocals are so fragile and lifeless they sound like a pre-pubescent robot. YG is also sort of half-singing on his verses over a trap flavoured R&B beat that is just as uninspired as everything else. War Scars has the most generic and forgettable beat on the record but with slightly better songwriting than the last track from Tayxs. Way more of the song is his than YG's and the talent disparity is painfully clear. YG gives a decent feature on his own album but it isn't enough to save the track. Thug Kry features an okay YG verse and a really really annoying Calboy feature with bad singing and painful hanging n syllables over and over again. The beat would be hard to pick out of a line up and it switches up slightly leading into a Lil Mosey verse. His performance is tolerable which is a huge step up for him but the whole track is a total snooze fest.
If a record was only as good as it's worst track then My Life 4Hunnid would be a mess. Thankfully there are some amazing tracks spread across the record that almost make it possible to forget some of the lows. With rich beats, great performances and even better bars across this whole thing it's safe to say that 4Hunnid is easy YG's best record since Still Brazy. While it's short runtime and major duds hold it back from being as stunning an achievement I can certainly say I enjoyed a lot more of the record than I didn't, and what I did enjoy I REALLY enjoyed. 7/10
