A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s melodic approach is much-imitated. Inaugurating virtually an entire era in Stateside rap, his rapid rise – all three studio albums to date have been Top 10 success stories – has spawned a legion of imitators. In its length and scope, ‘Me Vs Myself’ is an attempt to evade this formula, but the lack of truly new elements finds the New Yorker doubling down, with only sporadically effective results.
The highs speak for themselves. ‘Playa’ sounds just as emphatic as it did on day of release, while the soulful inclusion of H.E.R. allows Hoodie to lean on his vocal style. Opener ‘Needed That’ shifts between braggadocio and introversion, while the impactful ‘Water (Drowning Pt. 2)’ feels fully realised.
‘Ballin’ is an arena-ready romp, while Roddy Ricch adds additional tone and colour to the piano-dominated ‘B.R.O. (Better Ride Out)’.
That said, there just isn’t enough here to justify the epic expanse of the record as a whole. With a total of 23 tracks on display, you find yourself hitting the ‘skip’ button with unerring regularity. ‘Damn Homie’ is a punchy mid-album link up with Lil Durk, but more often than not the album lurches into A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s safe areas.
‘Come Here’ is a sub-aqueous fusion of R&B tones and his melodic flow, but it never really goes beyond the initial flirtation presented by his bars. ‘February’ is a warning about “taking me for granted” that never quite proves its worth, while ‘Man In The Mirror’ is a forgettable piece of self-doubt that feels oddly like an early 00s R&B jammer.
Nothing here stands out as bad, per se, it’s more that A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie has long since perfected this approach. It’s weighed down by expectation, and the knowledge that previous hits are already out there – probably on your own playlist. A record that feels very much like a side-step, ‘Me vs Myself’ contains little of the soul-searching that the title suggests.
6/10
Words: Robin Murray