Somehow escaping ‘critical wrath,’ 18-year old up-and-coming rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again shows promise on single, “Love is Poison.”

“Love is Poison” clocks in at just over two-and-a-half minutes. Hmm, these young rappers continue to keep things short. Indeed, YoungBoy Never Broke Again is incredibly young at just 18 years of age.  Nonetheless, YBNBA has incredible potential, already showcased on “Outside Today” and once more on “Love is Poison.”

After the intro, YoungBoy blesses us with the chorus.  It is quite beautiful. While beauty is rarely associated with rap, the chorus benefits from its melodic nature, with a surprising sense of warmth.  The words aren’t warm mind you – he’s clearly pissed and DONE with this girl. The chorus is varied upon its final iteration, but generally it plays out as follows:

“I gave my heart to you this is how you repay me (yeahh) / I put my trust in you this is how you replace it (ohh) / Your love is poison so no more I can’t take it (no more I can’t take it) / Can’t f*ck with you no more because I ain’t basic (noo).”

The script plays out as one would imagine on the verses, with YoungBoy discussing the plight, better yet the poison of love. He serves up robust pop-rap, characterized by an excellent flow and agile rhymes. His performance is made even better by solid contemporary rap production. There’s nothing game changing or groundbreaking – it’s anchored by trap percussion and smooth piano.  Still, appealing, appealing, APPEALING.

Final Thoughts 

Admittedly, I’m skeptical of the ‘new school of rap.’ Regardless, YoungBoy Never Broke Again definitely has potential.  Two singles into profiling YoungBoy, there’s definitely something there.

YoungBoy Never Broke Again • Love is Poison – Single • Never Broke Again, LLC • Release: 2.8.18

Photo Credit: Never Broke Again, LLC