YG- My Krazy Life ALBUM REVIEW

 Now, it is time to review an album I was not excited for at all. I haven't been looking forward to this one, and was really hesitant on even downloading and listening to it. I am reviewing the debut studio album by Compton rapper YG, My Krazy Life. I do have a pretty good reason for not wanting to review this: YG is not a good rapper. To be honest, this guy just sounds like an amateur whenever I hear him spit. His flow is clumsy, and he doesn't have that much power or uniqueness to his voice. He is just uninteresting. I only decided to give My Krazy Life a listen for two reasons: the features, and the fact that this album was blowing up the internet with people praising it. I figured I will listen, and write an honest review. Will I actually like My Krazy Life?

Upon listening to this project, I will admit I am impressed by the way YG put it together. Very similar to Kendrick Lamar's 2012 album Good Kid m.A.A.d City, this is a story of a kid growing up on the tough streets of Compton, California (or Bompton as YG calls it). He manages to tell these stories through the songs, and I like the way he does it. On My Krazy Life, YG was able to tell a dense, hood story while keeping the songs fresh and very, very catchy. I can not emphasize the word catchy enough. These songs just bang, as nearly all of them had my head bopping up and down the whole way through. The first song, BPT, is the perfect example of this. YG delivers the hook with tons of energy and the whole track is an awesome opener. I love how short the song is as well. The song right after it, I Just Wanna Party, was probably my favorite song on the album. I love how dark the track is, and it fits the story pretty well. YG is simply saying that even though people may be of different gangs, they can still drop all the violence and party sometimes. Schoolboy Q and Jay Rock stop by for some monster guest verses, especially Jay Rock, who fits this track PERFECTLY. Speaking of guest verses, they were awesome on My Krazy Life. TeeCee had a nice verse on Meet the Flockers, Drake killed it on Who Do You Love, and Kendrick Lamar, well what do you expect. He absolutely went off on Really Be.

Continuing the storytelling, things get a lot darker on the track Bicken Back Being Bool, which has a clever title that connects to YG's gang affiliation. On this track, what starts out as an average day with an homies ends up with a home invasion. I love the back end of this track, when the only sounds you hear are the guys robbing the house and an awesome, west coast throwback beat playing in the background. This song goes very smoothly into the next song, Meet the Flockers. YG's verse on this really details what breaking into a house is all about. It is a dark song, and feels really chilling. I love it. TeeCee's last few lines on this song transitions right into the hit single, My N***a. I have been hearing this song forever now, but I still love it. It's a feel-good track and the beat is an absolute banger. YG, Young Jeezy, and Rich Homie Quan's verses on this song are by no means good, but they sound fine if you just let go of everything and turn up to this track. The next two tracks lighten up the mood a lot on My Krazy Life, but I have to be honest. These songs were not good at all. I didn't get anything from them. Starting with Do it to Ya, this song really was terrible. All I have to say is that happy, piano-led love songs are not YG's lane. The next one, Me and My Bitch, was a little better, but still an underwhelming track. It was simply a little boring.

Luckily, YG really picks up the slack on the next few songs, but he is seriously helped out by his big-name features. The love story is continued on the song Who Do You Love, but I guess the third time is the charm, because he gets it right on this song. YG definitely sounds best on this darker production, and his rapping was actually solid here. The hook was so infectious, I could not get it out of my head. This song's execution was nearly perfect. Drake comes in for a great verse, highlighted by a series of nice lines. The next song, Really Be (Smokin and Drinkin), was another one of my favorites on the album. This one really sounded like a throwback, with its funky production and upbeat vibes. This seriously sounded like the type of song Snoop Dogg would have done in the 90's. It was only appropriate to get another L.A. rapper on this song, and YG chose the best of the best: Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick murders this verse, rapping with crazy aggression and his utilizing his incredible lyricism. This song was extremely fresh, and a major highlight on My Krazy Life. YG gets back to the storytelling on the next track, 1AM. This one was super dark and violent, as YG tells a tale of a crazy police chase after a stickup. The lyrics are vivid here and the track was very catchy at the same time. This album closes out with the emotional song Sorry Momma, and I felt it was a nice, fitting closer. While its not something I will be playing a lot, I can appreciate YG trying something different, and I could definitely feel his passion here.

Overall, this is my biggest surprise album of the year so far. Sure, YG doesn't have much technical skill. Also, DJ Mustard's production here was repetitive and unimpressive in my opinion. When you listen to this album very closely, it is just not good. This album is meant to be listened with a carefree attitude, and that is when it really shines. Most of these songs are very, very catchy and serious head-boppers. At the same time, it is pretty cool that YG was able to work the story into the album. Props to YG, because this was an excellent debut project.


MY KRAZY LIFE WRAP UP
+The songs just bang; they are infectious and fun
+Great features who add A LOT to the album
+YG told the story through the music, have to respect that
+Fantastic hooks
-YG can't really rap, not much technical skill
-Beats were very samey and not very dense

Best: BPT, I Just Wanna Party, 1AM

Worst: Do it to Ya

YG- My Krazy Life
9.2/10