YG: Still Brazy ALBUM REVIEW

YG's debut My Krazy Life was a really pleasant surprise for me when it came out back in 2013. It was just really refreshing to hear a rapper throwing things back to the G-funk era that guys like Dre and Snoop made so popular back in the early 90's: a style of music that I absolutely adore. Plus, YG tried to make things a little more cohesive and thematic by incorporating skits and tracks that seemed to reference one another in some way. Sure, it wasn't perfect, or especially deep in any way, but it was insanely catchy, and showed off YG's great amount of potential.

Now we have the followup, Still Brazy, an album title (and cover) that make direct reference to YG's blood affiliation. There were definitely lyrics and song titles ("Bicken Back Being Bool") that made this fact obvious, but on this LP, he really embraces his gangster lifestyle through his music. And he really sets a tone with the first track "Don't Come To L.A.", a track that addresses people who think that just by listening to gangster rap means you can live the lifestyle; this track is followed by the hard as nails and autobiographical "Who Shot Me?" which details the aftermath of YG's shooting that occured a few month before the release of the album and even led to the recording of the track "Twist My Fingaz", another track that calls out fake gangsters and even sees YG placing himself on a bit of a pedestal, claiming he's "The only one to make it out the West without Dre"; which is a pretty bold claim (and one that could be easily disputed), but the passion and conviction that YG brings to this track and nearly every other track on Still Brazy really helps sell it.

Overall, I'd say that Still Brazy is a very similar album to My Krazy Life, but it just feels more complete and well executed. Save for a few choice moments, like the shallow politics of "FDT" or the sort of questionable lines on "She Wish She Was", YG manages to put together another great project, and this time around, he even makes good on the conceptual promise of his debut LP.

Still Brazy is a snapshot of the Compton gang scene from the point of view of someone who has achieved great success outside of the hood, but still lives the life that he raps about. My only other complaint would be that this album doesn't feature any of the slower moments that the last album had to break up the pacing, but at least YG manages to still deliver some fantastic hooks, just like the debut.

8.2/10