Lil Tjay – Destined 2 Win (Album Review)

Lil Tjay aims for greatness with “Destined 2 Win.”

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5. OH WELL

Lil Tjay sounds so gassed up in “Oh Well,” someone might have to hand him a Prilosec tablet.

Lil Tjay definitely does his thing on “Oh Well.” Not only does he keep it real about his winning ways, but he also does a great job of straddling the line between smooth and reckless rapping/singing-wise. If this song had a better hook, I would love it.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Lil Baby came out and said that he turned down the beat that you hear on “Oh Well.” That s**t sounds like something he would spaz over.

4.HOOD RICH

If you feel like an underdog, you will love “Hood Rich.” Throughout the song, Lil Tjay talks about his impressive come-up, reaching greatness, and blocking out distractions.

“Hood Rich” features a hood-emotional instrumental and melodies that you’ve heard before. What I think makes the song special is that Lil Tjay sounds uber-motivated on it.

3. PART OF THE PLAN

Lil Tjay is in his pocket in “Part of the Plan” (Along with lint, escaped gum pieces, and scrunched-up masks… BTW, do y’all also put everything you own in your pockets, too?).

I love it when Lil Tjay sounds like a man on a mission in his songs. In “Part Of The Plan,” he hits us with a relentless flow and melodies that are literally impossible to look past. He also talks about getting revenge on folks and being a figure that can no longer be pushed to the edge by his enemies.

2. CALLING MY PHONE

Do you know who the MVP of “Calling My Phone” is? The machine on the hook.

Aside from the machine’s hook, I also f**k with the song’s smooth-ass vibes, Tjay’s intoxicating melodies and vulnerable lyrics, and 6LACK’s sly/confrontational verse.

Someone on Twitter summed up “Calling My Phone” perfectly:

https://twitter.com/werney666/status/1376887699928326144?s=20

1. RUN IT UP

Lil Tjay, Offset, and MoneyBagg Yo all do major work in “Run It Up.”

I have to get this out of the way first: One of Lil Tjay’s best verses of all time is on “Run It Up.” Not only does he hit us with an impeccable flow on the song, but his swag is also on some admirable young boss s**t.

Offset and MoneyBagg Yo complete “Run It Up.” The two rappers provide that last layer of trillness that the song desperately needs (S**t, now I want lasagna). While Offset hits us with his usual tricky flows on the track, MoneyBagg takes his time with every single bar that he lays down.

I put tons of broccoli, spinach, and mushrooms in my Lasagna (I’m a dork eater).

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1. DESTINED 2 WIN (N/A)

2. BORN 2 BE GREAT (3/5)

3. CALLING MY PHONE (4/5)

4. WHAT YOU WANNA DO (3/5)

5. HOOD RICH (4/5)

6. OH WELL (3/5)

7. HEADSHOT (3/5)

8. GANG GANG (3/5)

9. GO CRAZY (3/5)

10. IRREGULAR LOVE (3/5)

11. MOVE (3/5)

12. SLOW DOWN (3/5)

13. LOVE HURTS (3/5)

14. RUN IT UP (4/5)

15. PART OF THE PLAN (4/5)

16. NO CAP (3/5)

17. LIFE CHANGED (3/5)

18. NUF SAID (3/5)

19. LOSSES (3/5)

20. MOVE ON (3/5)

21. NONE OF YOUR LOVE (3/5)

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(C)

I’m someone that sees major potential in Lil Tjay. Yes, he’s capable of breaking a few glasses when he sings, but he also comes across as someone that is willing to do whatever it takes to be great (You never want to doubt someone that thinks like that). With that being said, Tjay’s conveniently titled album Destined 2 Win showcases some things that he does really well, and a few things that he can improve on.

Here are a few things that I like about Destined 2 Win:

How much Tjay talks about being great in the album. You can never hate on someone that thinks highly of themself. Throughout Destined 2 Win, over and over again, Tjay lets it be known that he’s striving for greatness. Speaking it to existence is definitely getting him closer to that goal, but so is his passionate deliveries when he talks about it.

How the album flows. Destined 2 Win never really deviates from this emotional hood sound. Tjay also stays true to his whiny sound vocally; even when a song calls for gritty content.

How Tjay sounds like a beast when he needs to in the album. There’s a few songs that Tjay proves to the world that he’s more than just a trying singer. On songs like “Run It Up,” he spits like a dude that might be able to hold his own in a cypher.

How the features are kept at a minumum in the album. I thought everybody and their mama was going to be on this album. The good news is that Destined 2 Win only features eight guests, and each person actually fits the song that they were featured on magnificiently.

Here are a few things that I DO NOT like about Destined 2 Win:

It’s way too f**king long. I just don’t think that Tjay is versatile enough to be making 21-track albums. I swear, I literally sighed when I saw how many tracks I had to sift through…

Tjay is an awful singer. Let’s keep it 100, Lil Tjay isn’t the second-coming of Mariah Carey… S**t, he isn’t even the second coming of Akon. He is a below-average singer that relies on melodies that are hard to deny. I definitely get his schtick, but I’m just calling it how it is.

There are a bunch of album fillers. There are some good songs on Destined 2 Win for sure, but there are so many blah ones, too. Like, I literally have no opinion about songs like “Losses,” “Move,” or “None Of Your Love.” Matter of fact, did I even listen to them?

All in all, Destined 2 Win is not a bad album at all.