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Rowdy Rebel’s slew of features leading up the album have been nothing but impressive. On every song he was on, he was a showstopper. While his newest album sees his foray into the NY Drill sound, it is quite a disappointment.
His impressive feature profile had been building for quite awhile, but one in particular was on the Young Stoner Life album Slime Language 2. The anthemic beat lets his performance shine, letting few bells & whistles shine for him to let his voice gleam through. Its an energy that is absent on this new album, something that could’ve used a lot more of.
Young Thug – Came and Saw (feat. Rowdy Rebel)
Instead we get tracks like “Understand Me,” which has to be some of his laziest work to date. He doesn’t keep the same energy, instead sounding like he’s trying to constantly catch up to what the beat is doing. He doesn’t sound as confident, instead rapping like he was forced to be there.
While what he’s doing on this album is much better than whatever the hell Bobby Shmurda has been up to, it feels like a waste of time. What Bobby has been doing has been laughably bad, while Rowdy’s performances are boring. Even when the beat does something special, Rowdy decides to waste time with a adlibbed verse like on “Hot Shit.”
This is all Rowdy’s fault too, as when a feature comes along its a breathe of fresh air. “Paid Off” with Fivio Foreign is easily the best track here, as Fivio raps with intensity that Rowdy struggles to keep up with. With a beat that is an deeply layered drill track, Fivio tears through the beat with a “woo” at the end that feels victorious.
Even though Rowdy has dropped classics, his verse on “Computers” will be remembered for awhile, he can’t keep that vibe for an entire album. Now away from the head of the curve, he’s trying to catch up to it. Unfortunately, he’s also falling behind it.