YBN Cordae is a rapper from Raleigh California. He's an interesting mix stylistically. He's a solid lyricist that focuses on struggle and keeps his music "mid brow". It's simple and complex in a very moderate level like T.I.'s Paper Trail album. That's a solid move because it gives him a lot of fanbase flexibility. The only drawback to his message is he lacks a point. He isn't convicted about his life choices like a proud thug, and he spends a lot of his bars defending himself. If he really cares that much about the ethics of his choices, he should stop defending them.
Defining Track
His best song on this release is his track "Have Mercy". It was wildly successful from Lyrical Lemonade and the album sounds like it was the blueprint. He's extremely consistent. He has no lazy bars which is refreshing. On the other hand, he isn't innovating rap with anything creative or difficult either.
Final Thoughts
YBN is good. His come-up ethical struggle spirituality is nice because it puts him in the footsteps of hood leaders and activists, but it's hard to stand out with an angle that generic. He's talented enough to do something a little more creative and I await his sophomore drop.
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