YG

My Krazy Life

BY Erin LowersPublished Mar 16, 2014

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Though YG signed to Def Jam in 2009, it took him four years to create the 14-track masterwork My Krazy Life. After the album was pushed back several times, the long awaited project is now out, and tells an unadulterated tale of West Coast street life.

My Krazy Life may not have been as anticipated had it not been for the certified platinum-selling single, "My N*gga," which finds itself halfway through the album. While its lyrics themselves don't hold weight, it revels in the catchy hook and DJ Mustard's signature production that's celebrated throughout the album. Alongside DJ Mustard's animated beats, YG produces several powerful hits, including the street anthem "I Just Wanna Party," featuring Schoolboy Q and Jay Rock, the coming-of-age tale "Who Do You Love?" assisted by Drake and the introspective "Really Be (Smokin' N Drinkin)."

The latter, produced by Ty Dolla $ign and Chorz, marks a turn in the album where YG abandons 'party-mode' and reflects on his virtues and vices, while Kendrick Lamar laces the track with his own confessional. YG's open narrative of gang activity is spat throughout the album, most notable on opening single "BPT" and "Bicken Back Being Bool," both of which replace the letter "C" with the Blood-associated "B" to distance itself from rival gang the Crips, creating a overt rawness descending from the likes of The Chronic and Doggystyle.

While YG may fall short lyrically at times, it remains doubtless that he's delivered an unfiltered album that not only rejoices in street tales and defiance, but also the growth stemming from mistakes. The cinematic narrative tells the story of survival amongst chaos; it's safe to say despite his Krazy Life, YG is among the fittest that have survived.
(CTE/Def Jam)

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