Yo Gotti – Untrapped (Album Review)

Is “Untrapped“ Yo Gotti’s best work to-date?

STREAM

TOP 5

HONORABLE MENTION. MORE READY THAN EVER

“More Ready Than Ever” is powered by this soulful instrumental that flips Dipset’s “I’m Ready” track from back in the day. Over it, Yo Gotti drops bars about selling drugs, toting guns, and bossing up.

~~What I love about “More Ready Than Ever” is that it shows the world how Gotti has transformed from a hood n***a to an OG huncho~~.

5. DOPECHELLA

Jesus Christ, “Dopechella” is hard as f**k!

“Dopechella” features a beat that you would hear on a trap action movie. Over it, Yo Gotti and Rick Ross both brag nonchalantly about their luxurious, violent, and winning ways. After you are done listening to the duo spit, you’re going to think that you just heard two modern-day roman GODs speak. (OK, that might be a bit of an exaggeration)

4. POSE

“Pose” is one of those grungy club bangers that is impossible to hate.

“Pose” is powered by a beat that sounds gassy. Over it, Yo Gotti gifts us with a repetitive hook and a reckless verse. As for featured guest Lil Uzi Vert, his contributions to the song are spunky, youthful, and cartoonish.

Lil Uzi Vert shines when he raps over funky-ass beats.

3. TRAPPED/UNTRAPPED (TIE)

Both “Trapped” and “Untrapped” features old school Gotti, to me.

Both “Trapped” and “Untrapped” are powered by trap beats that remind me that I haven’t been to church in at least two years (Yikes). Over them, Gotti spits as passionately about overcoming depression, learning from mistakes, ducking rats, taking drugs, gunplay, and his fallen friends.

1. PUT A DATE ON IT

Lil Baby and Yo Gotti are two real-ass artists; that’s why it makes sense that they decided to link up for “Put A Date On It.”

In “Put A Date On It,” both Lil Baby and Yo Gotti talk about everything from serving fiends to toting choppers to disrespecting b*tches. Stylistically, I love how both rappers don’t mind sounding like pure savages on the song.

Anytime you give a horn-heavy beat to a rapper, they’re gonna kill s**t.

SONG BY SONG BREAKDOWN

1. TRAPPED (4/5)

2. KNOW YO WORTH (4/5)

3. H.O.E. (HEAVEN ON EARTH) (3/5)

4. MORE READY THAN EVER (4/5)

5. LIKE THAT (3/5)

6. PUT A DATE ON IT (4/5)

7. THEY AIN’T WANT ME TO KNOW (4/5)

8. POSE (4/5)

9. WEEKEND (3/5)

10. DOPECHELLA (4/5)

11. BATTLE (4/5)

12. BOUNCE THAT (3/5)

13. BIG HOMIE (4/5)

14. UNTRAPPED (5/5)

15. POSE (4/5)

OVERALL RATING

(B)

Yo Gotti is the latest southern rapper that I believe we underrate severely. In my opinion, he has an uncanny ability to drop lyrics that bridge the gap between wise and trill. He also understands how to come across like a boss that is passionate about where he came from, inspired by where he wants to go, and ecstatic about living in the moment. All in all, when Gotti speaks, I feel like I’m listening to a hood TED talk.

You get a unique mix of passionate, smooth, and explosive club tracks on Untrapped. For instance, I find it interesting that a deep-ass track like “More Than Ever” is sandwiched in-between a love song in “Like That,” a club record in “H.O.E. (Heaven On Earth),” and a gangsta ass track in “Put A Date On It” in the track-listing. Whatever the case may be, Untrapped is an album that caters to every kind of trapper in the world.

One thing Yo Gotti doesn’t get enough credit for is his ability to pick dope-ass beats to rap over. In Untrapped, not only do you get beats that will get clubs to shake but you also get beats that are soulful, serene, and vintage-sounding. When it’s all said and done, I like the variety of beats on Untrapped.

Folks, Yo Gotti is an A-list rapper. He can make club hits, he can make tough-ass rap hits, he has top-notch confidence when he raps, he can make catchy hooks, and most importantly, with the release of Untrapped, he’s proven that he can make a complete body-of-work.