YG released his third studio album Stay Dangerous yesterday and it held its own despite other competition being out on the same day such as Travis Scott’s Astroworld album and Mac Miller’s Swimming album. Stay Dangerous contains 15 tracks with appearances by A$AP Rocky, Jay 305, 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Nicki Minaj, Ty Dolla $ign, Quavo, Youngboy Never Broke Again, and fellow California rapper Mozzy. Stay Dangerous is one of the few albums released this summer from the west coast along with a trap sound. It didn’t disappoint for the Compton rapper.
YG continued to take it back to the basics with his Los Angeles roots as he brought on long-time collaborator and producer DJ Mustard to handle most of the instrumentals on Stay Dangerous. The project started out with a bang for the DJ Mustard-produced “10 Times” record. The hook “It’s ten times harder for a real n****” gives that raw sound that YG has been delivering on since his 2014 debut album My Krazy Life. He continues to rebel and show his hate for Trump on the opening verse with “F*** the DA, f*** the P, F*** the president, f*** the Popo. They follow me, wanna keep me close. Try to hold me back, let me go.” 10 Times set the tone for Stay Dangerous in being one of the best street albums of the summer.
On track 2, YG enlists fellow LA rapper Jay 305 to hop on the KJ Santana-produced record Bulletproof. YG continues to feel himself by opening the record with “They like YG, why you so extra’d out. ‘Cause I pull up in a drop, like bitch check me out. I don’t drive no Tesla, I got too much clout. ” He rides the momentum the rest of the way and passes it over to Jay 305. I wasn’t so familiar with Jay prior to Stay Dangerous’ release but his verse slapped hard and delivered a solid west coast street vibe with “Steak dinners in LA, if you gang affiliated. South Central most hated, watch out. Khloe Kardashian in my t-shirt. For you hatin’ ass n****, I know that gotta hurt. Ghetto superstar since I was 16. Now I got a billboard, the Crenshaw King.”
Handgun was one of the first two singles for Stay Dangerous and it featured A$AP Rocky on a guest verse. The song flowed perfectly as it did a great job of intertwining that west and east coast sound. The hook “I just bought me a handgun and that shit came with the drum. Do a nigga fast like And-1, I need a bag then and some. I hop out the tub, my feet land on Gucci rug. Eat it up, then slide in her, make her tell me who she love” definitely made you bob your head to it. YG had a slow start on his opening verse but then got right back to his gangsta ways with “YG always cuss, YG do too much. Oh my God he always wearin’ red, he a super Blood. You n***** super sus, act like y’all be pistoled up. When them shots fire, all you n***** did was duck.“. While YG had a good verse, A$AP Rocky also had a bit of a slow start to his verse but then picked things up with a fast tempo with the lines “Brady Bunch, wide screen I was 13 with fake bling. When Killa Cam was on the corner with the pink mink. My little man was on the corner with the clink clink.Gold bank, roll 8, gold links.” Overall, the chemistry flowed well between YG and A$AP. I expect more collabs from the two in the future.
Suu Whoop takes YG to his blood affilatted ways in Compton. The opening lines of the record shouted out his hood with “I’m from West Side Bompton Tree. F*** all the fake Bloods and the enemies. YG 4Hunnid chunkin’ big P’s. N***** went quiet, then Mustard did the beat.” The track then proceeds to start with the the DJ Mustard and Holt-assisted instrumental. YG gives the warning on the hook right away to people that enter his Compton neighborhood and to watch themselves with “Suu whoop gang or don’t bang. You ain’t got a pistol, don’t hang.” Despite his stardom, YG doesn’t forget where he came from on Suu Whoop and lets everyone know he’s still bangin’ red everywhere he goes.
On Can’t Get In Kanada, YG knows that him and his entourage keep getting money but their actions and affiliations lead them to not getting into Canada, as noted in the title of the song and opening hook with “Count it up, count it up, count it up. Hit it from the back, p**** mount it up. Tatted up, tat it up, tat it up. Can’t none of my n***** get in Kanada. Bet it up, bet it up, bet it up. Tell ’em it’s a go, n****, set it up.” Canada is often notorious for not letting many rappers in due to their strict background checks and research into peoples’ criminal history so this is definitely a song that I’m not surprised that YG created considering the environment that he comes from.