KODAK BLACK “BACK FOR EVERYTHING” REVIEW

When Top Dawg Entertainment’s president Punch questioned which rapper from the current crop could be deemed a superstar last week, the Internet erupted. “The superstar’s career may be coming to an end. Nothing is sustainable, he tweeted, sending Gen Z rap fans into a frenzy. Is the superstar’s demise due to overexposure? But some promising names emerged from his remarks. Lil Baby and Doja Cat, whose renown has grown tremendously in recent years, were among them, but one name was obviously absent.

Despite the numerous legal troubles and issues that frequently hampered his professional advancement, Kodak Black has proven his tenacity in the over ten years since the triumph of “No Flockin.” He has had numerous run-ins with cancel society at that time due to his unabashed self-expression both on and off the record. However, the caliber of the songs he continues to produce has elevated him to a crucial position in the current rap musical landscape. It’s not commonly known, and Yak’s frequent social media rants about credit he should be given frequently take focus away from the actual argument he’s attempting to make. If you’ve been paying attention, you can’t really deny it, though.

Back For Everything, the name of his fourth studio album, encapsulates his goal since being released from prison in 2021: regaining what is rightfully his. In his absence, a new generation of artists rose to prominence, many of whom he personally impacted. Following the release of Dying To Live, he spent time in the shadows, which stopped the momentum that was showing his development as a person and, more significantly, his breadth as an artist.

His capacity to access his feelings while viewing them through a larger lens of self-awareness that was equally laced with uncertainty and resiliency. Yak’s suffering transformed him into a generational voice that spoke to Project Babies all throughout America, albeit a mumbling one.

Even while the influence that comes with popularity isn’t always acknowledged at award shows, it still exists. And in the album’s first track, “Let Me Know,” he expresses how complicated the relationships he’s built, both before and after his success, are weighing on him. From the betrayal of friends and allies as he deals with escalating legal problems to the underappreciation of his power and talent. He believes that Khalid winning Best New Artist at the 2017 VMAs instead of him was a mistake.

He takes comfort, though, in the knowledge that his impact has extended beyond Broward County, reaching the top of the charts with Cardi B’s blockbuster single, “Bodak Yellow” — a triumph that symbolizes an even bigger success for people who have experienced the same hardship as he has. He raps over beautiful flutes, saying, “I do it for the true n***as because I won, too. He adds with a clear sense of self-awareness, “The fact I made it out the shit that they be goin’ through/ Make ’em feel like if I win then they won, too.”

The complaints bother him, but addressing them early in the project gives Yak’s dedication and inspirational tones a chance to shine through. Yak arrives at a fork in the road where he acknowledges his blessings and continues to flirt with the possibility of going back to his previous self thanks to the futuristic, spacey production of Buddha Bless on the album’s title track. “Why do you keep scheduling? Boy, you wealthy now?” he rhetorically asks. He answers firmly, “Because I fell in love with hittin’ licks.” On “He Love The Streets,” one of the most sensitive moments on the album, he further tackles the difficult dichotomy of this line.

Kodak experiences a flash of insight thanks to the menacing production by Boi-1da, Vinylz, Lee Major, and Sean Momberger. On the 19-song album, there is a sobering passage where he contemplates the route to self-destruction he has chosen. He raps, “Tryna get up out this mindset, it’s like I’m chained by it/ Gotta switch up all this shit before they get me,” realizing that popularity has only made people more interested in him.

There are many facets to Kodak Black’s artistic expression, some of which we haven’t yet fully grasped. Back For Everything is still a thorough examination of a far too complex character in the contemporary rap musical landscape. Although he hasn’t changed his commitment to street-centric music in eight years, his maturity shines through when he talks about his own life aspirations, such as building riches for future generations, starting a family, or finding love.

Yak has released four or more projects in the past year, including Sniper Gang Presents Syko Bob, Snapkatt: Nightmare Babies, and Before The Album, which had a number of songs from his most recent album. Back For Everything, however, really does feel like the return project that people have been waiting for. Even though it was released last fall, “Super Gremlin” is on track to be a certain 2022 hit. There is a good chance that tracks like “War & Love” and “Sink My Ship” will rule the radio airwaves.

Back For Everything demonstrates that he isn’t defined by his flaws. His personal choices and controversy have kept many from accepting him as one of this generation’s bona fide stars.