Yo Gotti - 'I Still Am'

Yo Gotti is a hip-hop veteran at this point. He has past hits like "Yayo," "Down In The Dm," and his latest anthem, "Rake It Up," under his belt. Now, he's back with more heat. Did Gotti bring the fire for his latest album, I Still Am?

Yo Gotti

1.) “Betrayal”- Southside cooked up a ghoul. Gotti’s delivery on the hook is nonchalant, and Gucci Mane-esque. But on the verses? He’s aggressive and looking for revenge. Bump this when your friends turn to foes.

2.) “Back Gate”- What do you know about selling through that back gate? Let Gotti school you to the happenings of the trap’s sacred portal. It’s hard not to be transfixed on Gotti’s stone-cold musing about street activities. The repetition of “back gate” and the harmonizing of the background vocals makes this hypnotizing.

3.) “Brown Bag”- Get familiar with producer, Zaytoven; he was baptising rap’s sonic landscape long before anyone believed in this sound. If you aren’t familiar with that brown bag, Gotti will teach you what this tool is used for. While he’s cohesive this far into the project, he’s also very generic. This wouldn’t be the first a rapper championed brown paper bags. Actually, the Migos made their own version this year on their album, Culture.

4.) “Rake It Up” ft. Nicki Minaj- This is a strip-club anthem. Nicki bodied this. It’s intriguing to listen to her bend and insert “China” into different contexts. This Mike Will Made It produced track is climbing the charts for a reason. Enough said.

5.) “Juice”- Over-slick and minimal production, Gotti is in braggadocio-mode. He flaunts everything from his label’s endorsement of him, to the women that are sleeping with him. It’s a jam that caters to Gotti’s hit-making trapstar sensibilities.

6.) “Different”- Zaytoven returns for Gotti’s proclamations about the negative change he’s endured. To be honest, it’s incredibly underwhelming and boring. Of course people treat you differently! You’re a star! It’s relatable if only on the surface. It’s mostly skippable.

7.) “Save It For Me” ft. Chris Brown- Nevermind the midas touch, Chris Brown has the midas hand. And his hand is all over this; he gets the hook and a verse at the end. He should’ve injected Gotti with some charisma because his energy is lackluster on this one. It feels like Chris Brown ft. Yo Gotti, instead of the other way around.

8.) “2809”- This beat gives me Just Blaze vibes. It’s one of the more introspective moments on this album. Cruise down memory trap-lane as Gotti delivers vivid imagery of his former residence, his early days writing raps, and falling out with former friends.

9.) “One On One” ft. YFN Lucci, Meek Mill- “Murda on Da Beat so it’s not nice”- That’s accurate. Gotti’s slightly groggy cadence makes this track that much grittier. YFN Lucci’s crooning on the hook really helps set the tone as well. But Meek Mill robs all of the attention on the last verse. He’s an energetic contrast to Gotti’s downtempo direct delivery. This is the best collaboration on this project.

10.) “Oh Yeah” ft. French Montana- There’s a DMX recording and then the beat comes to life. This is a club anthem. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Gotti’s next hit. French Montana holds down his feature. I like the “choppa style, chop-chop choppa style” at the beginning of his verse. Another great collaboration.

11.) “Yellow Tape”- “It go murda on da beat boy.” This track is a homicide. Gotti wastes no time; and deliver bars like “fuck a label when you got it out the mud.” 21 Savage has slaughtered many features this year; and this is no different. 21, 21, 21.

12.) “Don’t Wanna go Back”- This track is hard. Enough said. The last couple of songs on this album truly bring out the best in Gotti. He flows on this like a trap-general.

13.) “Around the World”- This reminds me of when Nas did “I Can.” I’m not very impressed though. With a few tweaks, it could be the lead single for Kidz Bop: Hood Edition.

Essential Tracks:

1.) “One on One”

2.) “Yellow Tape”

3.) “Juice”

4.) “Betrayal”

5.) “Rake It Up”

The Verdict:

This is a solid project from Yo Gotti. Although he doesn’t veer too far from his tried and true formula, the collaborations on here should convert many listeners. I Still Am is a B-.