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Expectation often sets apart the exceptional from the average. When there is no standard or goal set out for one to achieve, many can appear to be great on one particular occasion. However, when there is an expectation for someone to meet a particular standard, that’s when you’ll see people separate themselves from the rest of the pack. Those who not only respond to, but exceed expectations, usually find themselves being looked at as a success story in their particular field. And the ones who consistently exceed those expectations over a long period of time, end up becoming legends.
YBN Cordae has seen one of the quickest star turns in the history of hip-hop music. In less than 2 years time, the 21 year old MC has gone from a young upstart to the most respected MC of his class. Standing alongside the likes of Megan Thee Stallion, Rico Nasty, Da Baby and other newfound star artist, he has managed to generate a buzz from his peers and fans of hip-hop that has had him mentioned as one of the game best prior to having an album released already. Taking it a step further, Cordae has not had an official mixtape or EP drop before his inclusion into the mainstream hip-hop conversation. That speaks to his prowess as a rapper and the respect he’s generated through the moments where his music has been heard. Hailing from Prince George’s County, Maryland, by way of Raleigh, North Carolina , Cordae began a serious career in hip-hop in Los Angeles, where he would meet fellow group members YBN Almighty Jay and YBN Nahmir after connecting on social media. Nahmir had already began to garner buzz as an MC, and would actually be selected for the XXL Freshman list in 2018. The collective would go on to do a group project, a 23-song effort titled YBN: The Mixtape, highlighted by Cordae’s popular single Kung-fu, which would serve as his introduction to the mainstream hip-hop audience.
However, Cordae would soon see his name go from relatively unknown to the topic of discussion on many hip-hop forums with a simple freestyle. On the widely respected LA Leakers radio show, he would deliver one of the most popular freestyles in recent memory, rhyming over a group of distinctly different beats. His effortless transition from beat to beat, given his age and relative inexperience, had fans and peers clamoring for more music from the undeniable talent. Over the next year, he would secure a spot of the 2019 XXL Freshman cover and features with established artists such as Curren$y, Logic, Amine and H.E.R., elevating his star even higher in a such a short amount of time. But no matter the song or artist he teamed with, Cordae does more than hold his own on tracks. He raps as an artist who wants to earn his title as the best. With that approach, naturally discussions formed about what people should expect from his debut album. For an artist talented and versatile enough to rap well in any setting or era, it was hard to speculate the project’s direction, only further driving expectation and anticipation for a quality project. The fans would not be disappointed.
Only July 26, 2019, YBN Cordae would release his debut album The Lost Boy under Atlantic Records. A perfect range of 15 tracks and 45 minutes in run time, he constructed an album that wouldn’t draw on too long, potentially having the listener lose whatever message it may convey. The intro track Wintertime is a soulful, solemn and strong exercise in introspective rap. Cordae uses the subtle jazz melody to the tell the story of a young kid who is turning his times of personal struggle and anxiety into a successful career and positive lifestyle. He also makes it clear that the leg will take no backseats in hip-hop out of sheer respect for his favorite MC’s. He sounds focused, supremely and confident, as if he expected to rhyme this well long before he wrote a single line to the song.
That confidence carries over to the following track, as the trap influenced Have Mercy, an even less humble flex of his lyrical ability, as he floats over the beat with rhymes about his life’s purpose, living righteously, his talent and the other perks that he prays for often. In a song that first comes off as the typical trap record, Cordae manages to throw in quality verses about humble beginnings, the future and how he views his status in rap music. Cordae amps up that same tone on the loud and intense Broke As F**k. Whether it being the passing of his grandmother, incarceration of family or not being able to afford the lifestyle he wanted, the song almost sounds like a therapy session, as he explains what drove him into this mentality. It’s one of the few intense moments of the album, and a high quality song.
Self-awareness and emotion both play a central role during the course of this debut album. Cordae stresses a sense of belonging and togetherness on the lighthearted track Thanksgiving, where he tries to convince his significant other that they were meant to be together and that they should work out any issues they may still have. He admits and highlights his shortcomings with hopes of making a better way in the slow tempo based track Thousand Words. And he uses his past decisions to teach someone else in the enlightening and encouraging Been Around. The guitar laden track shows a young man only in his early twenties, who is wise in learning from the past and wanting others to use his experiences to help others avoid the same mistake. The tracks sound as if they are coming from a veteran MC and not an artist who’s delivering their first major project.
Cordae’s debut effort also impresses with a guest list of features that elite level MC’s would love to have on their project. He trades bars with Chance The Rapper about life and it’s bright and dark days on the soulful Bad Idea. He stresses getting back to being his own person and staying on the right path in the solemn, Ty Dolla $ign assisted track Way Back Home. Importance of family and loved ones takes center stages as Cordae raps about the struggles that exist around him on the very honest and emotional Family Matters, highlighted by a beautiful chorus by one of R&B music’s most talented young stars, Arin Ray.
For two of the most detailed tracks of the album, Cordae enlists the helps of two of hip-hop’s most respected veteran MC’s. On the dark and melancholy Nightmares Are Real, he teams up with the luxurious drug dealer rap legend Pusha-T for a track detailing make or break decisions that have helped mold them into their place in hip-hop as well as life. And for the politically and socially charged We Gon Make It, a strong and heartfelt chorus from rap superstar and social reform advocate Meek Mill sets the stage for verses downing the current state of the political climate in the country as well as the state of hip-hop culture. A track with a broad horizon, it may take several plays to truly appreciate the depth of the message the two MC’s convey so well. Lastly, in a very traditional tribute to hip-hop’s versatile spirit, Cordae goes bar for bar with perhaps music’s most multifaceted stars in Anderson .Paak for the fun and uptempo RNP. A track that sounds tailor-made for the 90’s, the duo rhyme almost line for line about the flashy rapper lifestyle and the “tough” decisions that come with being rich and famous. Despite having a decade plus between them in age, the tandem fits together perfectly for one of the year’s best songs.
The album closes out on a fun note, with the upbeat free flowing outdo Lost & Found. Cordae once again flexes his muscle lyrically over the horns and 808’s, using different flows in two minutes of straight rapping, no catchy hooks or singing involved. He brags about new found wealth, women and treating his mother to new things. And while the track does show his youth, it also shows his hunger and desire to not only be the best, but to challenge his peers to be at their best to compete with him someday. That confidence is refreshing for hip-hop. And for a MC barely into his 20’s to bring that traditional hip-hop feeling mixed in with new school enthusiasm and bravado, it’s exactly with the genre needs.
There are very few hip-hop artists who have attention of the industry almost immediately as they hit mainstream status. From the moment Cordae dropped that now famous freestyle, he has been picked as the next great MC and a leader of the new generation of artists who have the talent and the intelligence to survive in the tough, social media driven music age that exists now. With that comes an expectation of great music and an original approach that only few can measure up to. With his debut album The Lost Boy, he’s exceeded expectations out of the gate. The project is as well rounded, well produced, structured and delivered as well as any debut album we’ve seen in well over a decade. And while that’s high praise for an artist who has just arrived, when you see potential greatness, you have to acknowledge it. YBN Cordae is on the right track to become the next hip-hop superstar, and it is well deserved due to this debut album.
Top 5 Songs:
1. Thousand Words
2. RNP
3. Have Mercy
4. Way Back Home
5. Been Around