Album Review: Lil Tjay Makes his First Statement with 'True 2 Myself'

The 18-year-old Bronx rapper is the latest addition to the melodic rap scene.

Written by Thomas Galindo

Lil Uzi Vert. Juice WRLD. Nav. Lil Tecca. Pi’erre Bourne. Roddy Ricch. These are a few of the many melodic rappers that are actively topping the charts nowadays. Melodic rap is the new wave, and pretty much any new rapper popping up is coming from this subgenre. The subgenre presents songs that essentially sound like a 3-minute hook, where the verses and chorus are barely discernible. Some other prominent characteristics include autotune, crooning, and sassy lyrics. The voices of these melodic rappers are typically young-sounding and vibrant, which is why Lil Tjay fits the mold so perfectly as the next artist in this subgenre to come out of nowhere and top the charts.

True 2 Myself is a 55-minute album filled with buttery, catchy bops that portray a fresh voice ready for stardom. Many of the tracks had previously been released as a part of Tjay’s F.N EP that dropped in late August, or as singles dating back to 2018. But, as the first full-length project Lil Tjay has released as a part of Columbia Records, the pressure’s on for Tjay to put his best material forward and make a name for himself. Singles such as “Leaked” and “Brothers” received remixes that were added to the end of the album, with Lil Wayne and Lil Durk features, respectively, bringing increased attention to the project. The album opens with “One Take,” a 3-minute track that is basically one long verse. In the track, Lil Tjay impressively plays with the same rhyme for about 20 seconds at a time before moving on to the next, and references comparisons he gets to other melodic rappers such as A Boogie wit da Hoodie: “They said I'm the new A Boogie, relax, I ain't never try to copy your swag, I'm just tryna put my hood on the map.” This is one of the several standouts on the album that prove Lil Tjay is a name to remember, and an artist to have in your library.

With debut albums, having songs that fans can point to when looking back is important, and also important in the moment to draw attention to the artist. The flow or theme of the album is less of a priority than having songs that are recognizable to fans. Songs like “Ruthless” and “F.N” do a great job of this. They not only show the talent of Lil Tjay, but all have terrific hooks that fans can memorize and can’t help but go back to. In the pre-released single “Ruthless” featuring Jay Critch, Tjay gives a spectacular sing-song hook and rides the beat just as well as any other melodic rapper in the game could. What makes Tjay special is that while he has a smooth, energetic voice capable of harmony, his lyrics are concise and effortless.

As for the new material on the album, “Post To Be,” “Decline,” and “Mixed Emotions” are a bit more emotional than the songs he had previously released. Still containing catchy hooks, Tjay croons the somber lyrics over mellow instrumentals. Although these tracks lack the energy of earlier singles such as “Leaked” that drew listeners to him, he is, for the most part, successful in dabbling with this softer side. The features of Lil Baby on “Decline” and Rileyy Lanez on “Post To Be” do a fair job of matching the feeling of the songs with their verses.

While most of this album is a positive look for Tjay, there are some weak spots. Tracks such as “”Top of My Game” and “No Escape” have generic, unexciting beats, and the tone in Tjay’s voice doesn’t match the passion in the lyrics. The song “Sex Sounds” completely deviates from Tjay’s trademark style, where he sings some saucy, sexually explicit lyrics that just don’t go over well. The song is slow, boring, and full of love clichés that really aren’t worth the listen. But the takeaway of debut albums should always be the upside, or lack thereof. And with True 2 Myself, there is certainly more of an upside than a downside. If Lil Tjay can continue to refine this style of music, and continue receiving co-signs from other prominent artists in the rap game, the sky’s the limit. And yes, while potential is not promised, Tjay’s talent is tangible. There are more than a handful of tunes on this record to prove that Lil Tjay has a place in the landscape of melodic rap. Lil Tecca’s “Ransom” reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 list, and his debut album, which dropped in late August, isn’t nearly as impressive as this Lil Tjay album. This album is definitely worth a listen, and even if you don’t make it through the entire record, you will be sure to find some bops that’ll be stuck in your head for the rest of the week.

REVIEWSAfterglow ATXOctober 16, 2019