YoungBoy Never Broke Again - 4Respect 4Freedom 4Loyalty 4WhatImportant

YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s 4Respect 4Freedom 4Loyalty 4WhatImportant was teased to fans over the course of three EPs, each four-song pack intended to represent a specific theme. All of the songs from those, plus four that were unavailable previously, come together to form a long-playing manifesto of the Baton Rouge rapper’s most current focus. While the 4 Respect and 4 Freedom EPs were presented as collaborative showcases with Baton Rouge OG Kevin Gates and Savannah’s Quando Rondo, respectively, YoungBoy has plenty to say for himself across the album. Opening track “Dropout” is gleefully aggro and a step away from the cathartic and soul-baring hymns that have become the rapper’s signature. The pain is ever-present, however, with YoungBoy addressing the public’s judgment of his legal woes on “Can’t Be Saved” and rebuking rap punditry altogether over a classic Isaac Hayes sample on “I Am Who They Say I Am.”