Chicago's murder rate has decreased for the third year in a row, yet the effects of gangs, violence and a failing socio-infrastructure are still present in everyday life. And thus, it also comes out through the music from the city.
G Herbo is a product of this system and understands the realities of his environment and the associated PTSD that comes with it. (Ironically, the album was initially titled PTSD.)
Despite having faced legal issues in the past two years, including a battery charge against the mother of his child, to which he pleaded guilty, the release of his latest project, Sessions, introduces someone whose pain echoes in every track. "My album is going to shed light on the things that me and my brothers experience every day. This is going to be the realest album I've ever dropped and I'ma tell it like it is," he tweeted.
Opening with the soulful Harry Fraud-produced "Summer Is Cancelled," Herbo raps feverishly about his place in life and the things around it, including his paranoia and what haunts him — and throughout this album, what follows him too. While songs like "Can't Sleep" speak on anxiety and drug use, and "My Bro's a Legend" is a harrowing ode to his brother's death, G Herbo also manages to lay down the gritty street single "Hunnit Bands" and the melodic "That Boy." As clean as his delivery is, and as sleek as the lyrics bend, his emotions take the reins.
Vulnerable and honest, G Herbo walks through the valley of the shadow of death to arrive at Sessions. He knows his faults, takes responsibility and pleads for help in 30 minutes. While his past may haunt him, if this is the groundwork to take a step into a new life, G Herbo is heading in the right direction.
(Machine Entertainment Group)G Herbo is a product of this system and understands the realities of his environment and the associated PTSD that comes with it. (Ironically, the album was initially titled PTSD.)
Despite having faced legal issues in the past two years, including a battery charge against the mother of his child, to which he pleaded guilty, the release of his latest project, Sessions, introduces someone whose pain echoes in every track. "My album is going to shed light on the things that me and my brothers experience every day. This is going to be the realest album I've ever dropped and I'ma tell it like it is," he tweeted.
Opening with the soulful Harry Fraud-produced "Summer Is Cancelled," Herbo raps feverishly about his place in life and the things around it, including his paranoia and what haunts him — and throughout this album, what follows him too. While songs like "Can't Sleep" speak on anxiety and drug use, and "My Bro's a Legend" is a harrowing ode to his brother's death, G Herbo also manages to lay down the gritty street single "Hunnit Bands" and the melodic "That Boy." As clean as his delivery is, and as sleek as the lyrics bend, his emotions take the reins.
Vulnerable and honest, G Herbo walks through the valley of the shadow of death to arrive at Sessions. He knows his faults, takes responsibility and pleads for help in 30 minutes. While his past may haunt him, if this is the groundwork to take a step into a new life, G Herbo is heading in the right direction.