V/A – JACKBOYS

A succinct but diverse compilation...

After Travis Scott teased the release of the compilation album back in October, ‘JACKBOYS’ has come upon us by surprise, with an adventure into the collective thoughts of the Cactus Jack label, one that includes Don Toliver, Travis Scott, Sheck Wes, Octavian, and Chase B.

‘JACKBOYS’ is a short but extremely repeatable musical journey, the record stripped down to a mere seven songs. A few artists outside of the record label make an appearance, finding room for includes ROSALÍA, Lil Baby, Quavo, OFFSET, Young Thug, and Pop Smoke.

Fans of Travis Scott will recognise the first song on the tracklist – ‘Highest In The Room’ – however it’s a bilingual remix of the original, ROSALÍA sharing harmonies with Travis Scott on the chorus, while the Spanish rap verse brings an upbeat twist to the song. It also includes the Atlanta rapper Lil Baby, who elevates the levels with his unique flow.

All the tracks on the EP take you to a different realm of music, with samples that have the feel of different cultures and eras of music throughout time. ‘HAD ENOUGH’ is a song delivered by Don Toliver, which features verses from Quavo and Offset, takes you on a journey of serenity and peace, with the subtle flow of all the artists, the trap rappers take a different approach to this song, and treat with delicacy, showing their wide range of musical understanding.

‘WHAT TO DO?’ is also performed by Don Toliver, however this time it features the full range of the JACKBOYS record label, a journey of confusion with an extragalactic sound.

Each song is different, and the wide-ranging scope is something we haven’t had from a collective since ‘Revenge Of The Dreamers III’ by Dreamville and J.Cole record label last summer.

7/10

Words: Ramy Abou-Setta

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