YoungBoy’s popularity over the years has exploded, becoming one of the most listened to artists today. His arrested only saw him gain more popularity, as a competent album was also released during his stint. After his release, he brought us the long-awaited collaborative album with Birdman. Like most works from Birdman, it felt something of a throwaway project. An album of leftovers to hold over fans until his proper album release.
That’s what Colors brings us. An album that is fully in his control. Sincerely, Kentrell was one of his better releases in quite a while, but it was a jail release. A project of leftover tracks put together by the label.
So, with the filter off, YoungBoy brings a project full of diversity but also full of inconsistency. Spanning twenty tracks, he explores new styles, bites others & develops his own. One of the most standout tracks is “Emo Rockstar,” where we hear YoungBoy explore themes of emo music. His music has never strayed from the emotional side, with his albums being full of depressing lyrics, but this song sees him take the emo trap wave mixed with his signature sound. Bellowing the hook on the chorus, he deals with his identity in his superstar position. It’s a layered song, as he deals with his massive fame while also being under house arrest at the time of the song’s release.
While the album is filled with emotional moments, we also hear him attempt to adapt other artist’s styles. The song “DC Marvel,” sees him doing his own take on Playboi Carti’s style. Unfortunately, the result is not notable. He barely adds a different twist to it, with the “baby voice” sounding over done & more obnoxious than his peer. It winds up being a distraction rather than adding to his uniqueness.
He may have plenty of emotional music, but a part of his appeal is his aggressive tracks. “Bring The Hook” sees him directly aiming shots at O-Block & the passed away member King Von. It is a ruthless track in its references, but it’s one that many probably won’t even realize. He drops bars about his street life & how the record label won’t stop him from his actions.
There may be plenty of highlights, but there’s plenty of bloat. Tracks like “Foolish Figure” continues the same themes from “Emo Rockstar,” yet without the unique production to back it up. “I Got This” is a typical love affair from YoungBoy but not any better than songs from his previous albums. Mixing is another issue with this album, as it clearly was not recorded in a studio. His voice constantly overpowers every beat it is put over, sounding amateurish at best.
He may be one of the most promising acts of the new generation, but YoungBoy’s albums are constantly a mess. There are always too many tracks & too much filler. The tracks here that are great could easily be one of his best albums yet, but its bogged down by the other pointless tracks. Considering this is what he is releasing from his house arrest, this could be seen as him trying to just get his thoughts out. So as usual, we are stuck patiently waiting for the classic fully focused album we know he can produce.