14. YG – My Krazy Life
Released: March 18, 2014 ~ Reviewed: March 24, 2014 (Rated 2.5 out of 5 Stars)
Keenan Daequan Ray Jackson is only 24 and has been rapping since he was 16. Although he’s younger than his other West Coast brethren, he has seen and lived through enough to have a story that holds weight alongside theirs. Unfortunately, while YG is able to infuse his bars with the tangible authenticity that wannabe thugs crave, that doesn’t mean that they’re good. While he’s spitting grown man tales, too often you can tell that they come from a juvenile perspective. Also, while being convincing is a definite plus, it doesn’t always translate into entertainment.
Things aren’t all bad though. While My Krazy Life won’t grab a place in the pantheon of all time West Coast classics, it has its moments. Chief among them is the production. Mustard gives him a quintessential West Coast album than screams Compton like Chuck Taylors and Low Riders. A young Cube and Snoop in their prime would kill to be on these beats. Also, while he may not be on the level of a Kendrick Lamar, he proved that he can actually carry an album. With a producer like DJ Mustard to keep crafting him sonic masterpieces it will be interesting to see if his skill can eventually catch up with the talent of his mentor. Luckily the potential is there.
My Krazy Life won’t catapult YG onto Compton’s Mt. Rushmore, but it proves that he deserves to stick around long enough for everyone to take notice of a possible future fixture in West Coast Hip-Hop. – GQ-Blu