NBA YOUNGBOY “RICHEST OPP” ALBUM BREAKDOWN

NBA With Richest Opp, his third project of 2023, YoungBoy has further cemented his position as the hip-hop MC who consistently delivers the best music. He has worked on two projects in the past month. He has now recorded an incredible 69 tracks so far this year. The fact that YoungBoy is under house arrest is part of the reason why the Louisiana native has been on a tear. He has taken the extra time to perfect his skills as a rapper while living in his own luxurious and tranquil world in the Utah highlands.

Both his skill on the mike and his remarkable consistency are starting to garner him notoriety. He has released more music at the age of 23 than some seasoned MCs have throughout the course of their entire hip-hop careers. However, YNBA’s work is a clear reflection of the rap industry’s internet culture. Instagram live streams frequently herald the release of new songs. The attention spans of hip-hop fans are getting shorter and shorter as the genre develops. For many artists, the harsh truth is that maintaining relevance requires consistent work.

NBA YoungBoy is the only artist who can get away with this consistent output without ruining their brand. He has one of the most recognizable voices in hip-hop thanks to the combination of his forceful and flashy punchlines and the high-pitched melodies. On a dime, he can switch between quick flows and harmonies of melody. As a result, his authoritative presence over a track can undermine bad beats.

In actuality, he isn’t entirely abandoning Richest Opp’s quality for quantity. YoungBoy’s voice is overwhelmingly angry. He was rejected by the industry and has received a lot of flak for his large family, criminal history, and contentious headlines. Richest Opp observes him fixated on his pen game, feeling as though all blades are being pointed at him. The lyrics on the album reach a frightening point at this moment. Violence-related imagery by YoungBoy might occasionally come out as actual rather than metaphorical. This, however, is coming from a person who has actually led that life. NBA YoungBoy experienced violence and drug use firsthand while growing up in the slums of New Orleans.

Consider the song “F**k The Industry Pt.2,” in which he criticizes performers like Drake, Jay Prince, Lil Durk, and Lil Yachty. He says: “Talked to Drake across FaceTime, he wasn’t feelin’ me / Told me that he f*ck with Durk, damn, that sh*t gettin’ to me / Told me that he like the sh*t I’m doin’, but can’t do sh*t with me.” He makes reference to Drake and Durk. This “me against the world” mentality permeates the entire album as he accuses previous colleagues of doing whatever they can to thwart his achievement.

The majority of Richest Opp is accompanied by frightening piano chords as sirens scream in the background. This menacing mood is continued by other notable songs including “Free Meechy,” “Slider,” and “Hurt My Heart.” YoungBoy’s choruses are consistently excellent throughout the album. When Richest Opp veers away from the record’s main emotion, it starts to lose momentum. The toned-down, modest songs like “Just Flow” and “I Got That S**t” allow the wallpaper production to become more and more visible. The listener wishes NBA YoungBoy was in a room with producers who are willing to take greater sound chances after listening to Richest Opp as a whole.

The more that YoungBoy’s menacing voice dominates the song, the better. Fans will probably walk away from the album with a few personal favorites to tide them over till the inevitable release of the next project, making up for the repeated problems. Richest Opp may be NBA YoungBoy’s best song to date in 2023, but it still leaves the listener wanting what comes next. The hip-hop industry can only rap over repetitive tracks for so long before moving on to the next big thing. The world hasn’t changed much yet, though. Richest Opp is expected to enter the Top 5 after selling a project of 58k units in the first week. In fact, the undertaking positions him for an important turning point. He now ranks alongside Drake and Future as the rappers with the most albums sold.

With Richest Opp, people who have abandoned his chaotic world over the previous year might consider going back. He hasn’t worked on a project this emotionally intense in a while. Between him and Soulja Boy, it has already led to a social media battle. NBA YoungBoy was accused by Soulja Boy of timing the album’s release to capitalize on his excitement.

NBA YoungBoy reacted angrily, starting a social media feud. However, the conflict between the two charismatic MCs was nothing more than friendly competition. Soulja Boy stated on the Bootleg Kev Podcast that he would be interested in working with NBA YoungBoy. It appears that his conflict with Lil Durk is still very much alive.