THE VOICE OF THE HEROES REVIEW: ALBUM OF THE YEAR?
Last week, Lil Durk and Lil Baby released their collaborative project “The Voice of The Heroes“. After reviewing both of their previous projects, this project seems to be ideal for the duo. With topics about the hardships of street/ gang life, Lil Baby brings many skillful bars, while Durk brings a more harmonious flow to the overall topic.
With Baby’s knowledge, will this project receive album of the year like My Turn? Well, we’ll have to see, because, with the recent release of the Migos Culture trilogy and Polo G’s Hall of Fame, this duo will definitely have competition. I think they could have chosen a better name for this project. Voice of the Heroes is too long and in a time where many people’s attention span is small, people may not tune in due to something as small as a title name or cover art. But with their clout, I don’t think Lil Baby or Durk will have this issue.
WHAT I LISTEN FOR IN PROJECTS
When listening to music, I listen for the vibe, lyrics, and production of the song, and as a listener, I expect artists to get out of their comfort zones and experiment. I will be discussing lyrics, production, features, sales, and I will give this project a rating, but, as with all art reviews, my review of The Voice of the Heroes is based on personal opinion.
VOICE OF THE HEROES: LYRICS
In terms of the Lyrics, Lil Baby and Durk expose their audience to the hardships of street life. I think this is a topic that they could effortlessly write about. I would like to listen to different topics other than things that go on in their neighborhoods. I did like the lyricism between the two. Topic-wise, I think they could have expanded, but this album felt more like a narrative of their experiences than telling a story of something that could have happened. Although many may find this level of consistency very tedious, authenticity has been an important topic in rap. I think this project is in the realm of their previous projects. This project feels exactly how one would think if Baby and Durk meshed My Turn and The Voice. Some heavy lyrics from the duo include:
*Lyrics provided by Genius.com*
That shit was real good, I can’t lie, but I had to sacrifice
I’m focused now, and the shit that don’t matter won’t even cross my mind
A lot of shit is startin’ to look different, I opened up my eyes
And I done changed my life from just watchin’, I owe a lot to Slime- Lil Baby on Up The Side
Lookin’ at the man I’m becomin’, it’s gettin’ scary
All these bitches fuckin’ whoever, who gettin’ married?
I ain’t tryna go back to nothin’, I’m tryna have sh-
I be quick to pick up that blicky, I got a bad wrist- Lil Baby on How It Feel
I pay rent to lawyers, got the Lamb’ truck cash, I can’t rent no Goyard
Growers call growers for that weed, just to fill this order (gang)
I know bitches act like they know Baby, so they feel important (let’s get it)
I know niggas pay ni- for safety, so they get extorted- Durk on 2040
Trust you another, f-you more than once
And you gotta be a killer just to hang with us
If you talkin’ about murders then I’m hangin’ up
Run up on ’em, baow, ain’t no one-on-one- Lil Durk on Man of My Word
9/10
MY FAVORITE TRACKS
- Up On Side
- 2040
- How It Feel
MY LEAST FAVORITE TRACKS
- That’s Facts
- Please
VOICE OF THE HEROES: PRODUCTION
The production credits include Murda Beats, Wheezy, London On Da Track, etc. I really like the production on this album and each track felt unique to the other. There were many sounds including pianos, 808’s, trumpets etc. According to Who Sampled, there were no samples on this album. I like the trap-oriented instrumentals throughout the album. With the diverse production of the album, I have no problem with any specific instrumentals. I think they all work well for Lil Baby and Durk, along with their features. I would relate the production more to Baby’s My turn, than The voice.
10/10
VOICE OF THE HEROES: FEATURES
The features on this album are Meek Mill, Travis Scott, Young Thug and Rod Wave. Overall, I think the features contributed to the overall feel of the album.
Personally, for me, it has been a while since I’ve heard anything from Meek Mill, but on Still Runnin, he shows he still has skills. Meek Mill has always been a very skillful rapper, so to see him as a feature was surprising, but also something that I would see happening. With the 808 oriented instrumental, he put a deadly verse together about… well, death.
Next, Travis Scott put a solid verse together for Hats Off. I think the instrumental really fit his style of autotune. I really like his adlibs. They really fill in the empty spaces in his verse, along with adding energy. Travis’s verse wasn’t anything special, but I think this song will definitely be played at basketball games and things of that nature.
Rod Wave was featured on the song Rich off Pain. I really like his southern church sound. I think it really gives a unique spin to trap as a whole. Although many have a melodic flow, very little can actually sing like Rod Wave. I think he gave a great hook too.
Finally, I really enjoyed Young Thug on Up The Side. The way that he began on the instrumental was very well executed. The way Thug rapped on this song sounded so effortless. He gave a smooth flow the whole time, while also switching the flow. I think that was the best part of the album altogether, but this should have been expected from one of the greatest. Then, along with an effortless flow, he puts a hook on the song. Ridiculous!!!
10/10
SALES, RATINGS AND OVERALL REVIEW
According to Rap Current, this album sold 158k units. This is significant for the duo, especially Lil Durk as he is reaching new heights as an artist. It is very interesting for Durk because he has been rapping for years and is just now reaching the clout that he deserves. I think this album is well-deserving of the sales, along with all of the hype. I was not disappointed with anything the album provided as a whole.
Overall the album was really good. I think they could have chosen a better name. The Voice of the Heroes just doesn’t mesh well together. The features and production were the real highlights of the album, but together, they can and have made really good music. Every artist that appeared on this album could relate to many powerless people who are a part of gang life or are a part of the struggle of being a minority, poverty, etc. Lil Baby’s skills are something I think Durk could and have benefited from. I hope they don’t release a deluxe because this album is already long enough.
8/10
How do you feel about this project? Click here to listen.
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