Rating: 8/10

YBN Cordae gained notoriety in 2018 after responding to J. Cole’s song “1985“. In Cole’s track, he discussed the new generation of so-called ‘soundcloud rappers’, and warned them about the realities of the rap world. YBN Cordae took offence as he felt the new generation of rappers shouldn’t just be disregarded by rap’s elders. Cordae responded with the diss track ‘Old N*ggas‘. He agreed with Cole’s critiques of the glorified drug usage that plagues modern rap, but made the case for why new rappers deserve some respect.

On his debut album, ‘The Lost Boy‘, it feels like we’ve come full circle. Cordae proves himself as a force to be reckoned with in the often saturated rap genre; showing maturity as he collaborates with more experienced MC’s. An example of this comes on the Anderson .Paak collaboration “RNP“, which is in fact produced by J. Cole. The track itself demonstrates the rapping prowess of Cordae as he creatively bounces bars back and forth with .Paak, on what feels like a classic hip hop song.

There are times on ‘RNP’ that Cordae is slightly overshadowed by his guest artist .Paak, but all the other features on this album slot in perfectly – helping to emphasise the talent of Cordae without stepping on his toes. Chance the Rapper, serves up one of his best guest features in years on ‘Bad Idea’, whilst there’s a powerful verse from GOOD Music veteran, Pusha T, who trades verses with Cordae on the darker track ‘Nightmares are Real’ as both rappers discuss their rap journeys so far.

What was most striking for me with this project, is that it is Cordae’s debut album. For an artist who has only this year earned his spot as a part of rap’s elusive ‘XXL Freshman Class’, the project shows incredible maturity, talent and skill: in his lyricism, choice of instrumentals and impressively his catchy hooks.

Prior to this album, I’d also not heard much of Cordae’s singing ability (something that most rappers struggle with), but Cordae sings nearly every hook on the album, apart from a few features: each one just as catchy as the next. ‘Sweet Lawd’ is just a short skit/snippet on the album, as Cordae’s reworks the chorus from his hit track ‘Have Mercy‘, but for me it was a surprise highlight: as Cordae shows his range, smoothly singing over a soft gospel-like piano backing.

On a day with a fair amount of other rap releases, there was a chance that Cordae’s debut could have been overshadowed. Fortunately Cordae’s emotive storytelling and humble rise to stardom make for a great album. Cordae opens the final track of the album, ‘Lost & Found‘, with the lyrics “Yeah, I was a lost boy, now I’m found’; if this project was Cordae truly finding himself, then I for one can’t wait to hear what comes next.