The Ones: YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s “The Story of O.J.”
With artists releasing songs at a fast and furious pace, it’s difficult for the average hip-hop head to keep track of it all—no matter how tapped in they are. That’s why we created The Ones, a daily post to highlight the song you need to hear.
YoungBoy Never Broke Again - “The Story of O.J.”
The usual criticism of YoungBoy’s music is that too many of his songs sound the same: Bitter, catchy crooning about his insecurities and paranoia, set to either a melancholy piano beat or some gloomy acoustics. Across his many mixtapes you’ll rarely encounter a risk, which hasn’t made the music less effective, but it is predictable. YoungBoy’s refusal to step out of his comfort zone is part of what makes his remix to JAY-Z’s “The Story of O.J.” so surprising. The chilly No I.D. beat was intended for JAY to rap about real estate and taxes, but YoungBoy is angry at the world. “The Shade Room was posting things they don’t understand how I’m living slime/But they won’t understand how I’m 20 cockin’ over 10 million huh,” he raps, taking shots at the Instagram blogs who follow his life like the paparazzi once did Paris Hilton. He doesn’t sing a note. Instead he just raps with straightforward fire, aggression, and hate—all the feelings that make this remix feel like one of Tony Soprano’s unhinged therapy sessions.
Check out previous Ones, and listen to new rap from YoungBoy Never Broke Again and more on our Spotify playlist.
Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
