Atlanta rap vets YoungbloodZ score a slam dunk with their latest effort, ‘Ev’rybody Know Me’. Faced with the task of proving their relevance in the “New South” movement, they rise to the occasion and come out on top of their game.
While the lead single, “Presidential” was a bit bland on the production side, coming off like one of Lil Jon’s scraps, the album as a whole is on fire. Prepare for your system to bump, from the intro right down to the album close. Following the brief intro, the album opens with the bass-heavy “Chop Chop”, one of the only tracks where YBZ rap alone. Besides that, the title track “Ev’rybody Know Me”, and the aforementioned “Presidential”, all other tracks feature guests. Normally, that would be a hindrance for the typical artist, not in this case.
Album highlights include “Haterproof” featuring Proverb, “Play Ur Position” featuring Jazze Pha & Mr. Mo of Jim Crow, and “Ev’rybody Know Me”, on which they pay respect to Willie D of Geto Boys with the lyrics “I make big money / I drive big cars / Ev’rybody know me / it’s like I’m a superstar”.
Fellow ATLien T-Boz of the multi-platinum group TLC appears on “It’s Good”, while Mannie Fresh brings that N.O. spin to “What Tha Biz”. Cutty, who laced the hook on Trillville’s “Some Cut” drops in on “Spending Some Change”.
Overall, YBZ’s “Ev’rybody Know Me” is next to perfect. I can honestly say that it’s an album I will be playing constantly. Most rappers aren’t as talented as they appear, and they depend solely on production to carry them through, but YoungbloodZ have the full package. With “Ev’rybody Know Me”, they have truly escalated to the next level of crunk.
