Rating: NNN
Seven years, one platinum record, one gold record and half a billion YouTube views into his career, Soulja Boy has nestled into a comfy spot on the mainstream’s periphery. But this year he’s played an integral role in songs by two of rap’s biggest artists – Drake’s We Made It and Nicki Minaj’s Yass Bish Yasss – which have brought the 24-year-old (!) emcee back to the forefront.
The Atlanta-based emcee is a competent mimic – most effectively aping the styles of Lil B and Gucci Mane. Here, on songs like Hustlin’ and Soulja, he takes cues from current cadence tastemakers Migos, who show up to steal the show on Gas In My Tank.
Soulja Boy’s willingness to experiment is one reason he’s been so successful, so it’s fitting that the album’s highlights come when he takes his flow to extremes. On Come Try It, he uses Auto-Tune to float on a sparkly Zaytoven beat, elongating his vowels in a way that sounds both volatile and defiant.
Top track: Come Try It
