Still Listening, Still Loving

Rapper NBA Youngboy released his first project of 2020, “Still Flexin’, Still Steppin’”,Feb. 21st. The 14 track mixtape has no features outside of Youngboy’s label signee, Quando Rondo. This came four months after his first number-one album of his career AI Youngboy 2 released, so fans were expecting the hottest tracks.

The mixtape includes pre-released singles such as “Fine By Time, Bad Bad, and Knocked Off.” This gave fans the chance to see what sound the artists were planning to project onto the tape. There are multiple references to murder, jewelry, drugs, and women which are the usual topics discussed.

He takes the time to show more emotion on songs like Red Eye where he expresses, “I want my Ne back, but I’m caught up with these hoes and I’m thuggin.” Ne is a reference to his son Kacey’s mom, Jania. The two were in a relationship until a lot of different drama occurred causing the two to split.  Although he is singing to life partners on Red Eye, he reminds them why he is the way he is saying, “who you judging, I come up straight from the gutta/Real struggle, me and my brothers had no one but each other.”

Just like Red Eye, the track How You Want It is full of emotion where it sounds as if Youngboy is crying out to really want to understand what his partner wants from him. He sings lyrics like, “I hope I’m who you want cause I want you on side of me,” and “I been depressed with all this money by my lonely baby I just need someone to keep it real.”

Here we see Youngboy basically expressing his need for a genuine woman and hope the one he wants, likes him back. This is interesting to hear from the artist when he often expressed that he “doesn’t care” what others think and who is in his life.

Youngboy boldly states “I just tried to kill another n**** the other day,” on Knocked Off. It’s bold for an artist that has interfered with their own rise to stardom by periods of jail time, probation and house arrest, as well as attempted murder charges. The 20 year old has been expressing the life he’s lived since he was 16, when his first project ever was released. The artists hardcore lyrics alongside his mixed emotions for the women in his life is just him expressing his real self in his songs and fans should appreciate that. Some may criticize and say that it is not the way to be, and although that may be true at least when playing Still Flexin, Still Steppinone can expect the traditional authenticity the artist always displays.