Lil Baby & Lil Durk – The Voice Of The Heroes (Album Review)

Two of the hottest rappers in the game right now, Lil Baby and Lil Durk, don’t disappoint in “The Voice Of The Heroes.”

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LAND OF THE TOP 5s

TOP 5

5. MAKE IT OUT

“Make It Out” is one of the few tracks on The Voice Of The Heroes that I think caters mainly to Lil Durk.

You might f**k around and shed ghetto tears listening to “Make It Out.” Over a dramatic Murda Beatz instrumental, both Lil Durk and Lil Baby open up about their relationships with their kids, about fighting cases, about their rough come-ups, about their street ties, and about their quick tempers.

Even though I said that “Make It Out” caters to Durk’s style, I feel like the focus/determination that Baby raps with is the best thing about the song (Don’t get me wrong, I love the emotional verse that Durk puts up in the song).

4. OKAY

“Okay” sounds like every single Lil Baby hit that you’ve heard in your life (Including “On Me”).

I’m not going to lie, I love it when Lil Baby and Lil Durk rap over beats that sound like some trap Friday The 13th s**t like they do in “Okay.” While I think that it is pretty obvious that Lil Baby sounds in his element in the song, unfortunately, Durk does struggle a little to keep up with him. Nonetheless, I can see “Okay” being one of those joints that will get tons of burn in cars with outstanding speakers.

3. HATS OFF

“Hats Off” is an action-packed trap banger. The song features an instrumental that you might hear on a Liam Neeson movie, abominable flows, and lyrics that are full of wisdom-filled quotes and hood sentiments galore.

“Hats Off” features a sound that caters to Lil Baby mightily. I applaud Lil Durk for entering into Baby’s world in the song, mimicking his style well. The biggest surprise about the song is Travis Scott’s extremely sharp, dynamic, and explosive verse (Travis has been snapping on songs as of late).

2. STILL RUNNIN

Meek Mill, Lil Durk, and Lil Baby each try to out gangsta each other in “Still Runnin.”

Do you know what’s funny? “Still Runnin” sounds like it was made while Meek Mill, Lil Durk, and Lil Baby were actually running. The song is powered by a fast-paced/hard-hitting instrumental. Over it, Meek, Durk, and Baby all rap about carrying sticks, getting revenge on enemies, and driving in whips that are nicer than Kelly Clarkson. While Meek and Baby both fly through their verses sounding slier than a muthaf**ka, Durk comes across as a dude that is seeing red.

1. 2040

I can tell that Lil Baby and Lil Durk were literally flexing their asses off during the making of “2040.” Throughout their verses, they talk about destroying their ops, stiff-arming thirsty-ass women, staying true to themselves, and keeping their feet on the gas when it comes to making money.

So, what makes “2040” a top 5 track? For starters, I absolutely love the relentlessness that both Baby and Durk rap with on the song. Secondly, I f**k with the song’s feverish tempo and Baby’s infectious hook.

SONG BY SONG BREAKDOWN

1. VOICE OF THE HEROES (4/5)

2. 2040 (4/5)

3. HATS OFF (4/5)

4. WHO I WANT (4/5)

5. STILL HOOD (4/5)

6. MAN OF MY WORD (4/5)

7. STILL RUNNIN (4/5)

8. MEDICAL (3/5)

9. HOW IT FEELS (3/5)

10. LYING (3/5)

11. OKAY (4/5)

12. THAT’S FACTS (3/5)

13. PLEASE (3/5)

14. UP THE SIDE (3/5)

15. IF YOU WANT TO (4/5)

16. RICH OFF PAIN (4/5)

17. MAKE IT OUT (4/5)

18. BRUISED UP (4/5)

RGM RATING

(C+)

It’s rare that you get a joint album that features two of the hottest rappers in the game; we get that in The Voice Of The Heroes. On top of that, both Lil Baby and Lil Durk make sure to bless us with music that falls in line with the type of music that they’ve been making for the last couple of years.

My biggest takeaway from this album: Lil Baby is in a serious zone right now. I feel like Baby shined so bright in The Voice Of The Heroes, I can’t tell if Durk had a bad showing on the album or was just outmatched. Whatever the case may be, I feel like Baby made sure to meet each beat that he rapped over with the right amount of urgency. He also flows stupendously, he finds clever ways to showcase his trill ways, and he never steps outside of his lane.

I want to reiterate, I don’t know if Lil Durk put up a bad showing or was outmatched in The Voice Of The Heroes. Yes, he made sure to hit us with his signature melodic raps and occasional demonish raps throughout the album, but overall, I just feel like he was on cruise control on too many tracks. I think it’s safe to say that Durk’s impact is felt more when he’s able to take full command of an album.

Let’s please give every single producer that did work in The Voice Of The Heroes some credit. Nearly every track is backed by an action-packed/emotional/dramatic trap beat. The producers might be the main reason people will f**k with this album.

I’m so glad that there wasn’t a bunch of features on this album. With that being said, I feel like Meek Mill was fantastic in “Still Runnin,” Rod Wave put up a great hook in “Rich Off Pain,” and Travis Scott absolutely snapped in “Get Off.” I don’t remember what Young Thug did in “Up The Side” (Must’ve not been all that impactful).

Honestly, I think I would appreciate this album more if there were only 12-13 tracks. I think 18 tracks is just a little too much (Especially because Durk and Baby are a little limited when it comes to content and music styles).

I don’t love this album. I think it’s a little too predictable, not experimental enough, and too long. I do think that there are a few bangers that are riveting as s**t, so all is not bad. All in all, I’m glad rap’s version of Lebron and KD was able to join teams for at least one project.