On Friday, August 4th, “Youngboy Never Broke Again,” a well-known rapper out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, dropped his fourth and final studio album while being signed with Atlantic Records. This album came despite a federal court in Los Angeles deemed him “not guilty” on all federal gun charges, which has placed him on house arrest since October 6th, 2021. 

This album was highly anticipated, as “The Last Slimeto Sampler” had many creative and unique beats that listeners had not heard from Youngboy before.

Songs like “Wagwan,” “Holy,” “Loner Life,” and “Acclaimed Emotions” used an instrumental guitar base that showed a different side to the artist than what listeners deem familiar. But the major hit on the sampler that had the rap world talking was a song titled “I Hate Youngboy.” 

Youngboy, famously known for his “beef” with Chicago rapper Lil Durk, dropped a song titled “I Hate Youngboy,” dissing not only Lil Durk but also Lil Baby, King Von (who is deceased), Gucci Mane, and India Royale. All have taken Lil Durk’s side in the on-going conflict.

The song is a diss track responding to Lil Durk’s piece titled “AHHH HA,” in which Lil Durk calls Youngboy out. As expected, it blew up, breaking the Billboard Hot 100 and causing waves in the rap community while resonating with fans today. 

When Youngboy’s new album dropped at midnight, I was sound asleep. However, when I awoke, I felt ecstatic because it was time to listen to a new Youngboy Never Broke Again album.

After my first listen to the entire album, I felt disappointed with the featured hits, but I was shocked at how catchy the other songs were. Songs like “Ummm Hmmm,” “Free Dem 5’s,” “Kamikaze,” “Swerving,” and “Top Sound” were immediate favorites for me. Not only were they up-tempo, but the lyrics mixed with the beat sounded flowy and tense, which is exactly what you get when listening to Youngboy.

Like the sampler, Youngboy kept “The Last Slimeto” consistent, sticking with the guitar base on his emotional songs, which works well for him because his flow is unmatched. 

On previous projects, many critics claim “all the songs sound the same” due to the trap style beat. However, on “The Last Slimeto,” I can confidently assure you this is untrue, as every song was textured differently with high-flying moments, due to the mix of instruments used in the project. I thoroughly enjoyed not only his fast, tense songs, but also his more blues-styled songs that flow with anguish and deep feeling.

In terms of comparison, “The Last Slimeto” trumps his more recent projects such as “From the Bayou,” “Colors,” “Sincerely Kentrell,” and “Top,” to name a few. Although it does not overtake his early compositions, it is not out of mediocrity.

His early projects are legendary and are still listened to by many; albums like “Until Death Call My Name” and “AI Youngboy 2” have both gone platinum, making them easier to deem as “better” than “The Last Slimeto.”

Overall, “The Last Slimeto” was a treat for my ears because it gave me a different perspective on Youngboy Never Broke Again than what I reconciled with prior to the album drop. I think many listeners would agree, as his beats and bases sounded quite different from previous ridiculed projects.

“The Last Slimeto” will go down as a quality Youngboy project, as it is a varied, unique, catchy product. I look forward to his later projects and hope to see the different uses of instrumental beats later.