NEXT Album Review

Lil baby, lil durk - the voice of the heroes

1) “Voice of the Heroes”

Sounds like children chanting from the otherside of heaven’s gate. Durk batting first. He sounds lively. Came from nothing raps. Funny how these two make anti-hero music. Lil Baby starts his verse saying he didn’t want to be an idol, and this is our hero? Lol. I like it, though. “We’re rich forever if we play it right.” 

Baby is such a natural rapper. He’s like if Gohan was raised in East Atlanta with no father and unlimited potential. Gunna is his Krillin. Pee is Piccolo. Coach K is Shenron. Durk has to be Vegeta. The beat is a bit underwhelming but they did well. I’ll come back. 

2) “2040”

This is more my speed. The production has a knock that will set off car alarms. Baby sounds like he’s reached Super Sayian. This is a water walking performance. “We are not the same lil nigga.” Felt that. If he’s rapping like this Durk gotta go crazy. “2040” is for your gym playlist.

Durk got tagged in and didn’t fumble the handoff. I would play a Marvel vs Capcom styled video game with Baby & Durk. The next Def Jam: Fight for New York should be Quality Control: Fight For Atlanta instead. The City Girls special attack should be emptying out your bank account. A rapper video game where going broke is how you lose would be a bestseller. 

This is a keeper.

3) “Hats Off” ft. Travis Scott

This beat sounds pretty layered. Like a cinematic video game. Baby is in a bag. “We had a TV but didn’t have cable” is good writing. These guys are taking these personas to heart. Someone should pay Ta-Nehisi Coates to write a comic with Lil Baby as Captain America. One could argue “The Bigger Picture” took him from Atlanta’s rapper to America’s rapper. Good verse. 

Durk sliding. These verses are better than the beats. Top-tier flow. Love the amount of history Durk is placing in this one. “I only feel like I've been rapping for a year,” sir, it’s been more than a decade. He doesn’t sound tired. Durk could do another ten if he sounds like this. 

Travis also has a good flow. He sounds inspired. Way more lively than the zombie who appeared on Young Thug’s “The London.'' Is this a Roddy Ricch delivery or is that Nav? 

I’ll come back, but they deserved a better beat.

4) “Who I Want”

A Wheezy beat. I don’t love it and I usually enjoy Wheezy’s production. Durk doesn’t sound bad. Leaning toward NEXT. Baby is in top form. These two make a good duo but their ear for beats is questionable. That line about not splitting rent is boss talk. Baby back with a second verse. He does not need this beat. I like it, but it's NEXT for me.

5) “Still Hood”

London on da Track tag. They’re doing some back and forth rapping. This is good. They have a synergy that is well balanced. A good bounce.. “I’m going to pratice until I fucking win.” Baby has a great magnetic energy to his rap performances. Durk matched him. Rapping about sleeping on an air mattress will always get my respect. I want to hear this again.

6) “Man of my Word”

Sorry Uzi, but Durk is the real Baby Pluto. To his credit, much like Future, Durk has melodic flows and he’s a disrespectful wordsmith. I like this beat. Baby is still writing raps without commas. He’s the Jack Kerouac of rap. Durk is his Neal Cassidy. This one was good, but not as memorable as I would like. Leaning toward NEXT.

7) “Still Runnin” ft. Meek Mill

A beat with some springs beneath it. Meek starting. He sounds good. Right at home on this album. The God bar was good. Durk came in with energy! Durk is eating this up. His tone is striking. He knows how to sell a verse. Completely overshadowed Meek, but I rather Meek rap than talk on Clubhouse. This could’ve been a solo Durk record. He made them both sound like fillers. Imma say NEXT, but I’ll come back for Durk’s verse.

8) “Medical”

Another London beat. Beautiful keys. A seven track London EP would’ve been a good idea for these two. I like this. Durk is impressing me on this album. He’s styling. And this hook is the ideal Durk hook. Already keeping this one before hearing Baby’s verse. “Save me, save me, save me,” oh yeah, this is good. Baby’s rapping on this album is more personal than My Turn. Durk having a hook about selling fake lean, smh, Future would never.

9) “How It Feels”

Nine songs and this album already feels long. Production variety would help. It feels very one note. Two notes at the most. This is a Lil Baby type beat. This man really doesn't care about commas. I want to see his high school essays. Good verse, though. He’s going for gusto. “I am nowhere near average.” My kind of record. “I know how it feels when the killers tell you everything,” Durk is going for gold! Run this one back. Two times.

10) “Lying”

ATL Jacob beat. Menacing. Durk is going to spazz. This is a  “Back in Blood” type beat without Pooh Shiesty. I can’t believe that man's rap name is Pooh. King Von and EST Gee would’ve eaten this alive. I like the energy of the record. Going to be a big one for them. Baby is a super villain disguised as a hero, the way Durk is the voice that doesn’t talk. Baby hate blogs. “You lil niggas move out my way,” I love that he’s getting more arroagent. I’m leaning toward NEXT because of the beat. Good raps but I really need some variety.

11) “Okay”

I know all the piano-led beats were Durk’s picks. Didn’t expect Baby to start. He sounds emotional. Sincere lyricism. This is solid. So honest. Another hero reference. I like his rapping throughout the album. Solid production. “Okay” could’ve been on My Turn. Baby’s gift is that he makes you feel it. Same with Durk. They just need the right beats because they can’t make a mundane canvas an extraordinary painting without the necessary colors. I don’t need this one. NEXT.

12) “That’s Facts”

This is the one. A Wheezy beat. Sounds like something the Migos would’ve rapped over on the first Culture. The bassline is a big stepper. Baby sounds great. Superstar energy. Another water walking performance. 

He called himself Baby Jay-Z. Ha. Bro said hunching, too southern. Great hook. The whistle is a cheat code. Durk has to bring this one home. A Gunna name drop. Durk is on fire. The Lyor line might be my favorite on the entire album. He’s blacking out. “You not from the mud” was the kind of melodic flow switch that makes him elite. Keeper.

13) “Please”

A Turbo beat. A shorter album would’ve been effective for critical acclaim but the rapping has been consistent. Baby raps with a passion that I enjoy. Sincere rapping here. His growth has been great to witness. As a rapper, he’s only getting better. Love how this beat has personality. The drums dropping out was a nice touch. 

Wish there were more beats like this. The bass! Turbo is a Godsend. Keeper. The structure here is something. Durk came in perfect. “We're gonna spin till we get dizzy.” I shouldn’t have laughed at the, “How you dressing better than your kid?” line. Super Villain rap. Durk would’ve made the hook magic, but I’ll keep this one.

14) “Up The Side” ft. Young Thug

Thug called himself Young Spider. This might be the most articulate he’s ever sounded. The opposite of mumble rap. He’s great. A living legend from the mud. Another good balance with production. One of the better beats. The album is long but there’s some gems on the backend. “Thug The Culture.” Durk and these nicknames will forever be funny. Baby’s verse is solid. I don’t love the production. The longer it plays the less compelling it sounds. I like this, but I’m leaning toward NEXT.

15) “If You Want To”

This is more my speed. The electric guitar is instantly striking. Sounds like it’s about to be a thunderstorm. Baby’s rapping is stronger than the previous track. Durk slid right in. I like them as a duo. They have chemistry. Not quite Lil Wayne and Juelz Santana but this does give me I Can’t Feel My Face vibes. Not crazy about this hook, but it’s not a deal breaker. I know Birdman wishes he signed Lil Baby. Quality Control is the Cash Money of Atlanta. Keeper.

16) “Rich Off Pain” ft. Rod Wave

I’m excited to hear the TnT tag. Rod Wave is here to give a negro spiritual. “Rich Off Pain” describes the genre of this album. This is a record. I hope they push it as a single. Durk saying he knows a million niggas who are millionares off PPP loans is a wild bar. Hearing Durk acknowledge what’s been said about him and sacrifices lets me know that the illuminati YouTube videos are going to make a huge comeback. 

Run-on Baby. He’s good. Just good. This one is a good song. Pure. Heartfelt. Well put together.

17) “Make It Out”

I wonder how many songs they recorded for this album. They don’t burn out, but the music just doesn’t move with enough urgency. I do like it. The production is much better on the back half. Durk sounds good here.

Baby verse starts strong. He just has such a natural style. His voice works on almost any beat. The kind of rapper who could rap on air and make it compelling. His storytelling here is strong. Lots of heart-on-his-sleeve lyricism on this album. I think he’s going to be here for a while.

18) “Bruised Up”

ATL Jacob on the closer. I have been praising Baby but Durk has shown up on all the tracks as well. Production is what held them back, it simply didn’t keep up with their kinetic energy, but overall, they delivered a solid album that is strong enough to feed their fanbases. Baby is going off. This is how you close it out. I thought Rich Homie Quan would be where he is today. The Nickelodeon line was hard. A keeper outro.

Lil Baby and Lil Durk aren’t what I would call underwhelming. They’re energized, candid, and consistent throughout the lengthy album offering. What hurts The Voice of the Heroes, if there’s a flaw to describe, their sharp pens don't equal their most exciting songs. Which is the biggest shortcoming along with the production selection. At best, they’re good, occasionally great, but essentially the music is more of the same instead of an ascending collection of exceptional records. 

If you enjoy them as solo rappers, you’ll like them together. The Voice of the Heroes does provide fan service in that regard, but at 18 tracks, the highlights appear in bursts. Without a variety of vibes the music begins to drag when it should erupt. Explode. 

What should’ve been a summer blockbuster turned out to be a movie of epic scenes that doesn’t capture that epicness as a full-length feature film. 

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