Jake Paul, 23 | Track Review 🎵

Jake Paul releases his second rap single of 2020 with “23.” An improvement over past singles, it also highlights issues many have with Paul.

I usually don’t do this, but HEY, I’m actually doing this. Why – I DON’T KNOW! Anyways,  it’s been a while since I reviewed the god-awful “It’s Everyday Bro” by Jake Paul. “It’s Everyday Bro” was a comic rap song that was cringe to the nth degree.  While only the Jake Paulers likely consider the influencer to be a legitimate rapper, I was curious to see if there had been any inkling of improvement – something that Paul does well despite continuing to draw bad press to himself.  The good news is that “23” is a huge improvement over what Paul has released in the past.  The bad news? “23” is nothing earth shattering or particularly innovative.

One of the biggest selling points of “23” is the fact that it clocks in at under two minutes – HALLELUJAH! Another pro is that the record is backed by solid, banging production work (Joey Iny). This sounds like your standard trap record. In some cases, conformity is a virtue.  This is one of those cases.  Giving Paul a slight pat on the back, he has a decent flow. No, it’s not groundbreaking or starkly different, but it works.

Where “23” gets at least semi-problematic is that it does little to improve Paul’s image. No, \ he’s not trying to, but could it hurt?  Sure, he’s emulating other rappers with the likes of “You know I’m a dog ‘cause I’m fuckin’ her and her friend,” but it does nothing for him. He doubles down which is bothersome.  While he does mention his bad press (“I got the feds watchin’, hater’s watchin’ / News watchin’, that’s a whole lotta eyes”), he doesn’t seem to take it seriously.  Whatever, I guess.

Final Thoughts

So, with “23” is there much replay value? Of course not. It’s not because of the production, of course.  Ultimately, it’s just another generic trap track. Furthermore, whether it’s fair or not, that generic trap track comes at the hands of the pretty much cancelled Jake Paul.  That’s what it comes down to.

Jake Paul • “23” • stop tryna see who put this out • Release: 9.10.20

Photo Credit: stop tryna see who put this out