A Review of YG's "STAY DANGEROUS"

Initial Thoughts:

Compton rapper, YG looks to stay consistent following the release of his 2016 album, titled "Still Brazy," with the 2018 release of his third studio album titled, "STAY DANGEROUS." One thing I think about when I think about YG, is consistency. His music has that west coast feel, in terms of the tempo of the beat and the flows used on those beats, which is something we don't really see from a lot of rappers because everyone is following whatever Atlanta artists are doing. YG also knows how to make a good hook that is repetitive but, at the same time not tiring. What I'm looking for out of this album is a few bars, some repetitive hooks but, at the same time a bit of growth in terms of sound. I think the biggest difference between "Still Brazy" and "My Krazy Life," YG's 2014 debut album is what I just said. YG was more of a new act so we were getting things we haven't been exposed to from him on "My Krazy Life." I felt that "Still Brazy" was just "My Krazy Life" part two, not saying I didn't enjoy "Still Brazy," I just didn't see much contrast between the two albums. With all this being said, let's take a look at the track list! "STAY DANGEROUS" has fifteen songs with seven of the songs having features. Some of the features are well known like, A$AP Rocky, 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Nicki Minaj, Ty Dolla $ign, and Quavo. Other features aren't really known such as, Jay 305, Youngboy Never Broke Again and Mozzy. This is a nice mix of artists for an album, hopefully they all bring their A game. Now let's get to the review! 👂🏾

Review 👂🏾

10 TIMES
This song is an example of the repetitive but, not tiring hooks that the listener will get from YG. YG repeats the same thing five times in the hook:
"It's ten times harder for a real nigga
It's ten times harder for a real nigga
It's ten times harder for a real nigga
It's ten times harder for a real nigga
It's ten times harder for a..."
However, the space he leaves in between each line allows for the beat to rock for a second or two before we hear YG again. This prevents the hook from sounding repetitive and getting annoying. This is something YG has done before on songs like "Who Do You Love" and "FDT." I enjoyed the verses on this song and D.J. Mustard produced the beat. HIP HOP FACT: YG + D.J. Mustard = FHIYUH!
+1

BULLETPROOF (ft. Jay 305)
This song sounds like that Atlanta sound that I referenced in my initial thoughts. The heavy bass and high hats make this beat sound like it's straight out of ATL however, it's another Mustard beat. We also get our first feature of the album. While I have never heard of Jay 305, I enjoyed his verse because of his cadence and flow. It wasn't enough for me to go looking for Jay 305 songs but, it was enough for me to let his song rock if came on shuffle. YG did his thing on the hook and verse, proving he could body a different sound. I think this song is a standout so far! (Yes I know I'm two songs in!)
+1.5

HANDGUN (ft. A$AP Rocky)
While the content of YG's verse and hook doesn't blow me away, the delivery of it has me hooked to the song. My favorite part of this song is during A$AP Rocky's verse when we hear a drop that I remember vividly from my childhood.
"Big gun, handgun, shootout, and-1
Hop out, tap out, time out, damn, son (what?)"
That "damn son" had me yelling "This shit is fucking hard!" For context click the link to hear the full drop!
https://youtu.be/z8RkR4rd7dM
You have to remember this drop for you to understand why I'm so hype about it but, back to the song. I enjoyed how high paced the song was. Speaking of Atlanta, this beat was produced by TM88 one member of 808 Mafia. So far this album giving us sounds we don't usually associate with YG. This is another standout song to me. (Yes I know I'm three songs in!)
+1.5

SUU WHOOP
This song is another hard song. I could see 21 Savage on this song as a feature but the song is perfectly fine without it. Two hard verses from YG and this beat sounds like a crossover between an ATL and Chicago beat with the prevalent high hats from Atlanta and the dark vibe of Chicago in songs such as "Love Sosa." Another great song off of this album!
+1.5

CANT GET IN KANADA
I enjoy this song a lot as well. The bass and background remind me a bit of "My Choppa Hate Niggas" by 21 Savage and Metro Boomin off of the 2017 project "Without Warning." The flow between the songs are different as YG is rapping faster. I'm enjoying the wide range of flows we are getting from YG. I also think the change in cadence between the first verse and the second verse is genius. Overall another great YG song!
+1.5

TOO COCKY
We have left Atlanta and have returned to California for the time being in this song. I can tell this is a D.J. Mustard produced song from the get go because of the tempo of it. Another sign of a D.J. Mustard beat is background noise of a crowd yelling (hey, hey, hey) consistently and on tempo to the beat. This song sounds like the hip-hop version of the song "I'm Too Sexy," by Right Said Fred. The delivery on this album has been on point, so far. While the actual lyrics on the song flowed, they took a backseat to the delivery and flow of the song. Another great song off of this album.
+1.5

BIG BANK (featuring 2 Chainz, Big Sean and Nicki Minaj)
The lone single off of this album. I don't like this song however, I can see this was chosen to be a single because of the features on it. I think the beat is missing something to put it over the top and this hook by YG isn't the best. I like how Big Sean shouted out Colin Kaepernick!
"You boys all cap, I'm more Colin Kaepernick
I'm rare as affordable health care"
I enjoyed the flow Nicki Minaj put on display but, it's the same content she's been feeding us for a while. Overall I could have done without this song.
+.5

POWER (ft. Ty Dolla $ign)
We get a Ty Dolla $ign feature on this song which means it's most likely going to be a song for the ladies.
"That pussy got power, that pussy got power
That pussy got power, that pussy got power"
The beat on this song has a bit of an R&B vibe to it with a slow tempo. While it's not my type of song, I think this is a solid song.
+1

SLAY (ft. Quavo)
Another song that appears to be aimed at the ladies with the lyrics,
"One time if you a bad bitch (one time)
Two times just for the savage (two time)"
I'm not the biggest fan of Quavo using auto tune but, I think it works for this song. This is a song that has a bit of an R&B vibe while being faster than the previous song "POWER." Once again not my type of song but, I can see why people would be drawn to it.
+1

666 (ft. Youngboy Never Broke Again)
A Youngboy Never Broke Again feature on this one. I like some of Youngboy Never Broke Again verses, my favorite being his feature on "NBAYOUNGBOAT" by Lil Yatchy. On this song we have YG reflecting on his drug and gun usage with the lines,
"Don't tell I'ma be okay 'cause this shit not okay (uh-uh)
Give a fuck 'bout what you think bitch, fuck what you think (fuck you bitch)
But don't come judgin' me because I had too much drugs and drank"
YG also uses the skit at the end to continue his point further by using a quote from Albert "Alchemist" Thompson saying,
"Lord, help me Lord. These kids Lord, they playing with all these guns and drugs, they remind me when I was young." I also think the reason why the song is called "666" is because many people refer to drugs and alcohol as "the devil" and 666 are numbers that are linked to the devil. Overall, I enjoyed the song as a whole from the verses to the hook but, what really blew me away was the content of the song. Great song from YG and Youngboy Never Broke Again.
+1.5

TOO BRAZY (ft. Mozzy)
I've never heard of Mozzy, I thought he had a good verse. That being said I thought his delivery could be better. That being said he came correct with his flow which was nice. Like Jay 305, I wouldn’t go looking for another Mozzy song but, I wouldn’t be opposed to another song if it came on shuffle. I thought YG had another great verse and I like how Mozzy and YG went back and forth on the third verse. I think this is another solid song, overall.
+1

PUSSY MONEY FAME
We get back to the repetitive but not annoying hooks from YG. YG's content on this song is good as it reflects how people would do anything for sex, money or fame. YG hasn't had a trash verse to me all album long and be continues to come correct on this song as well. Very strong verses on a good song.
+1

DEEPER THAN RAP
Another repetitive hook, what YG does differently on this hook is he speeds up the flow while changing his cadence every time he says "It's deeper than rap, deeper than rap, deeper than rap" A line that stands out to me is
"Come to me you better come correct
Don't come to me mixin' up stories like you DJ Skrillex"
There's a story behind this line that I'm not privy to I'm sure. Overall more good content from YG as he talks about how he feels someone always needs help from him and he doesn't have anyone to turn to when he needs help. More solid verses to go along with this good hook and content.
+1

FREE THE HOMIES INTERLUDE
An interlude with TC, Ty Dolla $ign's older brother giving some words to YG.
+1

BOMPTOWN FINEST
The transition between the interlude and this song is seamless which is something I really enjoy. YG reflects on some stories from his past, such as Lil Frogg's death or YG himself getting shot. The interlude works to set up this song because talking to someone who is in jail is aa part of the life that YG lives. As YG reflects on his life at the end of this album, the interlude transitions to a more introspective tone because as the content YG produces starts to directly impact YG. The content in this song is great once again and the beat is smooth and plays more as background so the listener can focus on the words. A beautifully executed outro track by YG!
+1

"STAY DANGEROUS"

Raw Score: 14/15 | 93%
Quality Score: 17.5/15 | 116.7%

This is definitely my favorite project from YG. He showed us he can maneuver with the trends of today's hip hop in the beginning of the album, threw in some songs for the ladies all before making us think with the great content towards the end of the album. YG stayed consistent with his sound and gave us what we expect of him to give us while, juggling experimentation and taste testing different sounds. The standout songs to me were "BULLETPROOF" featuring Jay 305, "HANDGUN" featuring A$AP Rocky, "SUU WHOOP," "CANT GET IN KANADA," "TOO COCKY" and "666" featuring Youngboy Never Broke Again. Overall, a great project from the perspectives of content, features, delivery and beat selection. Go stream YG's "STAY DANGEROUS" today on your favorite streaming platform. Also, don't forget to follow oldmilktheblog on Instagram at oldmilktheblog!