Lil Yachty’s label and music collective Concrete Boys have lastly launched their long-awaited debut album, It is Us Vol. 1. The undertaking is the primary main exhibiting of every of the 5 group members, which embody Lil Yachty himself alongside Camo, Karrahbooo, Dc2trill, and the very first Concrete Boys signee Draft Day. The album, which formally launched on April 5, runs 16 tracks over 47 minutes and presents a wide selection of posse cuts, solo tracks, and all types of blends and mixtures alongside the way in which. Let’s dive into the fabric on It is Us Vol. 1 with out additional ado and evaluate the undertaking’s greatest and worst moments.
The Mission Does Not Begin With A Bang
It is Us Vol. 1 opens with a laid-back intro by Camo, with a short Lil Yachty look creeping into the ultimate moments of the monitor. Whereas the tune “Level Me To It” is a strong monitor, it would not carry the sort of hype or pleasure we might prefer to see in an album opener. The next Karrahbooo-fronted monitor, “The place Yo Daddy,” is equally sleepy, providing clean vocal supply over a low-energy instrumental. Neither of those tracks is a nasty exhibiting of Lil Yachty and his Concrete Boys associates. Nevertheless, it appears clear that It is Us Vol. 1 ought to have opened with a powerful, high-energy posse lower, particularly because the main enchantment of this album is the shared star energy of Yachty’s a number of protégés.
The third monitor, “Dialed In,” brings the banging vitality required to invigorate listeners as Camo and Draft Day commerce bars backwards and forwards with skilled precision, showcasing their glorious lyrical chemistry. All this takes place over a thumping, room-shaking sub bass and cowbell-heavy drums, making the monitor the undertaking’s first actual banger. Subsequent titles comparable to “Playa Walkin,” “Not Da 2,” and “Hit Diff” provide completely different Concrete Boys pairings, highlighting the mixing sounds and mixed charisma of the various budding solo artists alongside Lil Yachty himself.
Yachty Takes Heart Stage On The Album
Whereas it ought to come as no shock that Lil Yachty is the most important famous person of It is Us Vol. 1, it’s surprising that the gifted younger MC has so many solo placements amongst this tracklist. The primary solo lower from Lil Yachty is “LA Reid,” which is sonically nice however supplies little to no justification for being current on the Concrete Boys undertaking. If the monitor had been launched as a single, maybe it may have drawn extra eyes to the ensemble undertaking, much like J. Cole’s inserting of “Center Little one” on 2019’s Revenge of the Dreamers 3. As a substitute, the tune serves to grind the album’s momentum to a halt, and diverts followers towards different Yachty solo tasks as a substitute.
The identical can’t be mentioned for the next two Lil Yachty solo tracks, “M.O.B.” and “Pimpin Ain’t Simple,” which every earn their place on the Concrete Boys album by shouting out and name-checking different members of the crew. The previous monitor sees Yachty floating over clean piano jabs that present a sparse, soothing melody, making it an ideal tune to blast out the home windows of your whip on a sunny day. The latter, “Pimpin Ain’t Simple,” is an R&B type crooner who sees the High quality Management signee reflecting on his blessings, together with the vital ladies in his life, and celebrating his skill to carry it down because the de-facto chief of the crew.
The Posse Cuts Are The Largest Excessive-Factors
Unsurprisingly, one of the best moments on It is Us Vol. 1 are the uncommon situations of all 5 MC’s forming like Voltron to deal with a long-form cypher. The primary correct posse lower on the file comes within the type of a double-jointed monitor titled “2 Palms 2 Eyes 10 Whips/Hire Due.” This tune options Lil Yachty giving it his all alongside all 4 of his Concrete Boys collaborators, with a number of stand-out moments. Yachty’s chilled-out supply of the hook within the first leg transitions easily right into a beat swap, bringing Karrahbooo into the combination along with her most energetic exhibiting on the album. Draft Day’s raspy vocal tenors present some much-needed sonic variety to the monitor earlier than Dc2trill concludes the two-hander by tying the subject material of the tracks along with a clean reprisal of the “two arms, two eyes” chorus.
“On the Radar Concrete Cypher” is one other excessive watermark for the album, as your entire crew locks in with explosive deliveries, together with Camo’s greatest verse on the undertaking. His lyrics, “Concrete diamonds, lay our chains on the bottom and make a skating rink / My mans will slap a n**** on the award present like I am Jada Pink,” are as hilarious as they’re memorable, and are an actual contender for greatest bars of 2024 to this point. The sparse horn part bolstering the instrumental on this monitor supplies nice room for the staff to lock in with a few of their greatest work but. Different highlights on the album embody the Dc2trill solo tune “My Life,” which was launched forward of the undertaking as a single. The monitor has handily one of the best beat on your entire undertaking, making it an actual disgrace that the run-time lasts just below two full minutes.
Conclusion
It’s Us Vol. 1 succeeds at its said aim by showcasing every of the members of Lil Yachty’s Concrete Boys crew however doesn’t succeed at a lot else. The album is a good introduction to those artists for many who could not know them, but it surely by no means actually supplies any long-lasting intrigue. Whereas the album doubtless received’t be revisited by hip hop historians 5 or 10 years down the road, it serves as an important basis for flashier installments to return afterward. In any case, isn’t that what concrete is all about?
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