Though TDE leads the pack carrying Los Angeles on their shoulders globally, the city takes equal pride in its youthful culture fueled by the sub-genre known as “ratchet” music. The leading pioneer of this popular, minimalist sound has been DJ Mustard, responsible for unavoidable melodies not limited to Tyga’s “Rack City” and “I’m Different” by 2 Chainz. Both are hits that have made it possible for subsequent winners Ty Dolla $ign and Sage The Gemini to forge ahead in today’s market with their respective hits “Paranoid” and “Red Nose.”
Another accomplishment in Mustard’s still fresh yet flourishing tenure was contributing to Jeezy’s recent strides. Their collaboration “R.I.P.” made it possible for the producer’s protégé YG to reset his career after the 2009 smash “Toot It and Boot It” only amounted to a momentary sensation. To the chagrin of some conservative types, the repetitive and catchy “My Nigga” became an Top 20 charting platinum single last year, setting in motion the chain of events that have led to YG finally releasing his Def Jam debut, My Krazy Life. The culmination of buzz and persistence, Mustard’s signature whistles, keyboard arrangements, snaps and percussion are found all over this retail release, with his recognizable stamp transcending local trends.
More conceptual than the average collection of songs, My Krazy Life intentionally draws a cinematic narrative arc. This is a double-edged sword, as it ties the album together thematically, yet also introduces cliché moments such as the Notorious B.I.G.-inspired simulated sex skit attached to the end of “Do It To Ya.” YG showcases simplistic rapping along with the lack of disparity in his production, flaws that somewhat weaken his introspective, firsthand account mobbing with the Tree Top Pirus in the famed jungle of Compton. “BPT” is the opener where he shouts out his place of origin, using the alphabet’s second letter in place of its third to signify Bloods instead of their rival Crips. Replicating this defiance on the album’s title and throughout its lyrics, “Bicken Back Being Bool” (“kickin back being cool”) gives outsiders an up close look at this twisted lexicon that is natural to YG.
Paying homage to the ghetto’s intertwining themes of celebrating survival amid ongoing chaos, “I Just Wanna Party” tries to squash the looming threat of drama with its hook warning, “I don’t wanna hurt nobody, but I’ll beat the fuck out of a nigga.” Here ScHoolboy Q represents the southern section of Figueroa Street while Jay Rock puts on for Watts, the gangster oriented half of Black Hippy nearly seeking out dangerous misunderstandings. Influenced by YG’s environment and the days before he started pursuing Hip Hop, “Meet The Flockers” uses the talk box vocoder effect in his story of risking a felony charge for breaking and entering. This technique gives reminders of the innovative era predating the modern heavy abuse of Auto-tune, a vision further fleshed out on the aforementioned TeeFLii-featured ladies anthem “Do It To Ya,” which places an updated spin on Tha Dogg Pound’s classic “Let’s Play House.” These derivative songs display YG’s ambition to evolve beyond the limitations of the ratchet sub-genre. It’s a worthwhile effort were it not for him consistently missing the mark lyrically.
Mindful of his audience caught up in the cheap thrills of carefree nightlife, YG aims for My Krazy Life to achieve universal appeal by reaching clubs. The crass “Left, Right” is sure to please his flesh chasing peer group entering early adulthood, and the bravado laced “Who Do You Love?” should thrive among the Top 40 crowd, thanks to a solid guest appearance from Drake. Where these moments fall in line with the presently dominant movement DJ Mustard built from scratch, “Really Be (Smokin N Drinkin)” takes a sudden turn to stray from the script. Venting about stresses including paranoia and the pressures of fame, YG puts his machismo to the side to hold his own alongside a barrage from Rap’s leading firecracker Kendrick Lamar. This welcome glimpse into reality is uncharacteristic for an emcee most known for bragging on his hard earned criminal reputation and prowess with a variety of women.
While YG is guilty of glorifying his past centered on claiming his set and retaliation, the obligatory “Sorry Momma” attempts to rectify matters. Accentuated by Terrace Martin’s saxophone, this closes things off adding a dash of sophistication to an occasionally trite ride. Uniting to showcase more than the stereotypical regional trends that have powered their initial individual success, YG and DJ Mustard have seized opportunity and capitalized on proper timing for this formal arrival.
With the exception of “Me & My Bitch” (a tale of two way infidelity) wedged in between a festive midsection, the Pushaz Ink crew has pieced together a well sequenced and cohesive package with My Krazy Life, but this aspect and his street credibility aren’t enough to win over naysayers expecting an overall greater performance.
West Coast
Album of the year
i’m sorry but this one is a straight 5/5 gangsta rap classic material
AOTY
No 5. But I can’t lie it does bang
WEST IS BACK. YG deserves the Crown. Kendrick Is too lyrical to be a west coast king. YG did justice with the west with this album. GKMC didnt sound west. MYKRAZYLIFE! WESTCOAST PRINCE YG
Wow so to be considered “west coast king”, you can’t be lyrical. You sir/madam, are a dumbass.
4.75 !!! Are you kidding me ??? I Know this shit is wack.
It had that west coast feel, bangs too. I like it.
3/5 pretty good album, first time listening to anything related to YG and he is pretty decent.
4/5, YG really has the west coast feel and reminds me of classic gang banging rap. Love this shit.
Love the album. Love Schoolboy Q’s too. The West is back and it sounds great!
The Chronic 2014!
I foresee that this is going to spin in my car for a while.
You stupid.
Thank You.
Best album so far this year. Storytelling, production, transitions, skits etc. ON POINT! Going to go down as Compton classic.
Nigga you stupid.
5/5 — wow. very impressive.
its just some nerdyass white squares at DX anyway
thats why they gave Oxy and this album low scores
i cant get jiggy with this shit its like more teenybopper music to dance to
Album Slaps!
This ain’t really anything special, other than some catchy production, dude’s ability isn’t anything to look at. Sorry and shit
if doggystyle is a classic this should be too. Snoop has a nice flow but come on.. him n yg have the same subject matter. Snoop is definitely one of the forefathers of west coast gangsta rap but..give yg some credit.
YG’s nothing like Snoop. This album is not like Doggystyle.
Good, but not really impressive.
5stars great album!!!!
Fair rating if you ask me. The beats and most of the guest features save this album. YG has no lyrical ability to speak of. Dude would probably be sticking up mini-marts if it wasn’t for Mustard.
Exactly. Co-Sign this 100%.
I actually really enjoy this album. He really impressed me, didn’t think he had it in him. Not a really a “lyrical” album, but the concept is there the whole way. YG representing the West Coast! 4/5
dis hard
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My Krazy Life>>>>>>>>>>Chronic>>>>>>>>>> GKMC.
My krazy life will go platinum.
Good joke.
Kill yourself, sir. If this only was between GKMC & MKL, I could respect your opinion (Kendrick had a better Debut imo but that’s another discussion for another time) but once you worked in The Chronic, you lost me. The Chronic is a classic & this is far from that. It’s a dope album to vibe to but it’s nowhere near classic status.
It’s a good album to vibe to when you’re in the mood for that,but it’s nothing really special….about 80% of the beats are the same old mustard shit.3 stars
Glad DX had the nuts to fart at the cool table with this rating.
(Y)
1 star because DJ Mustard.
agreed
I’m really impressed with this album. I knew who YG was before & based off what I heard from him before i thought all he made was rachet music, but his debut album really changed my opinion on him. YG’s My Krazy Life Tells A Story & it details the daily life of YG & the struggles & his upbringing with gangbanging, things like that. I really like throughout the whole album he has skits in between the songs that makes this album feel like a concept type of thing. This album to me is really good & i’m definitely buying this album. Rating 5/5
not bad, not bad at all.
COOL
great album imho
a Compton classic !!!!
Bicken Back hard af
I don’t think so.
MUSTARD ON DA BEAT HOE
dude is a wack producer. basic beats
yg
THIS ALBUM IS DOPE AS HELL!!!
Are you retarded ??
YES!!!
400!
Ambitious
Top 5 Dead or alive: Gucci Mane, Waka Flocka, Chief Keef, Soulja Boy and tie between 2 Chainz or Lil B
Top 5 worst.
Don’t like the tone of this article….album was dope af
Pretty good for his first album. Wasn’t expecting that, just wanted to get the album for support. Great pick up, love the West Coast vibe.
You all retarded?? c’mon dis shit is wack
They must be if they gave this trash a 4.00
HIPHOPDX DONT KNOW SHITBOUT WEST COAST MUSIC
YG IS LOW KEY RETARDED AND A TYPICAL AVERAGE RAPPER
BUT THIS ALBUM IS WHAT LA IS ABOUT RIGHT NOW
JUST HOW THE CHRONIC PORTRAYED EARLY 90S WEST COAST
MUSTARD PRODUCTION WAS ON POINT
THE ALBUM STORY WAS ON POINT
YG WAS ABOVE AVERAGE WITH THE RAPPIN
THIS ALBUM IS AT LEAST 4/5
DIDNT EXPECT THIS FROM A “TOOT IT AND BOOT IT” RAPPER
exactly!
Chill the fuck out before you have a stroke. My Krappy Life wasn’t all the great in my opinion.
You’re an idiot. This is nothing more than a weedplate.
I like it. He really has grown from those toot it & boot days. This is pretty good for his first album. There is still room to improve.
eh, good production, good features save this one.
just want my music heard thats all, im not looking for no record deal, getting famous ‘r anything like that.! so please just spare a few sec. to check me out, & if you like what you heard please SUBSCRIBE so ill know you actually listen & support
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaSNK0pm4eY
A beautiful solid album build with a story! Just like the doggystyle and chronic. Even Life After Death. This album is beautifully produced and has a great story and heck even YG drops some good bars. Only thing is YG doesn’t have those sick bars but he makes up for it in his delivery. Sick Album.
Who?
this is a modern day CHRONIC
might not have that impact chronic had
but this album represents what LA is right now
impressed
true
NOT!!
exaggeration
YG & Dj Mustard doin some classic shit right here. This is the album for the summer 2k14, We bumping this shit out in Europe , West is back !
stop lying to yourself. its mediocre
^^Schoolboy Q fan…its not our fault Oxymoron was MEDIOCRE. everyone will let that album collect dust like it should. yall rap nerds did the same thing when Born Sinner came out lol. yall have Short Term Memory Loss
“everyone will let that album collect dust like it should.”
Just like YG’s album.
garbage as expected
of course you bitches are hating.. 3 out of 5 are you kidding me?! this was a well crafted album so give credited where its due. YG showed that hes more than just LA club bangers that people freak to. Hop off TDE’s nuts. Garbage biased review like always
ITS REALLY NOT ALL THAT SPECIAL, FAGGOT. HOP OFF YG’S SACK FOR A SECOND & CLEAN OUT YA EARS. I AGREE WITH THIS REVIEW, JUST NOT THE SCORE
You are a dumbass.
Just bought the shit, listened to it, and finna take this ho back to the store. Most wasted money ever.
it’s not even in the stores yet haha wtf are you sayin.. haters are unbelievable
Rap Nerds are mad cause they were shocked when My Krazy Life was better than Oxymoron
Oxymoron was wack. YG killed this shit so bad. This album is the SHIT.
No, this album is SHIT. Oxymoron is better than this.
All I heard was YG from Toot It & Boot It fame tryna sound gangsta. I just can’t respect that.
YG mane. him and school boy q killin it
average album. ktt niggas hyping this guy up too much.
50 cent is gonna come sweep all these swag fags away Animal ambition nigga
very nice
MY KRAZY LIFE >>>>>>>>>> OXYMORON
ASK YO MAMA
You got it backwards.
Dope record if you ask me
meet the flockers >>>>
really be >>>>>
Quality tracks dope production solid overall project
didn’t like some feats tho
Westcoast shit doe
The west is back!!! If your not from LA you will not fully appreciate this album!! Yg surprised the fuck out of me but besides dom kennedy he really represents how we live in la this shit gonna be the the shit we bumpin the summer for sure along with oxymoron
Im on the east coast and I fuck wit mustard and yg movement. Breath of fresh cali air. This trap happy shit was fuckn up the ozone
For his lane, It is an amazing album. Much respect to YG.
who gave this hot garbage a 4? Damn you readers fucking up. Beats all sound the same. Lyrics are whack as shit. I’d give it a 2.75
Thank You !!
This album is dope
DOPE!
DX fell
better than anything released this year for surre
..
This album is actually pretty good. got to give props, nice beats and good lyrics.
i really like the 1AM song.
Fuck niggaz fall back, YG keep makin the slappers
u fall back broke ass dickrider
This that shit!!!
yall suck
Shit is a slapper, might be better than schoolboy’s.
this is an amazing album..
fire
TRASH
Westside back on!
crazzzy
meh
Dope album
Good WestCoast album. Really suprised!
decent album, overhyped imo. personally i get tired of hearing the same old dj mustard beats and yg’s flow always the same. plus he doesnt say much
Classic gangsta rap! End to end dope album…Cali is killing it right now.
A1!!!!! Banger
Really GOOD !!!!!
not even classic, idk why people losing they mind over this. Decent at best
I know right! not like Schoolboy Q’s album..now that was the best gangsta rap cd to come out since Get Rich Or Die Trying. The best part was his constant yelling adlibs in the background cause it always woke me up right when I was about to fall asleep from his lukewarm verses
Classic. Extremely harsh review.
Yeah, classic garbage.
Heat!!! West Coast Gangsta Rap is back! I LUV IT!
YG straight dropped flames. West Coast gangsta shit since NWA and snoop know that!
You got jokes
Fuck this garbage ass nigga. Gangsta Gibbs album betta than this bs. Gibbs said he didn’t wanna be Jeezy’s flunky anyways. So YG wack ass took his place.
YG AND KENDRICK LAMAR THE ONLY REASON THE WEST COAST IRRELVENT
I think you mean relevant…dumbass
Most of the people here are incredibly biased looking for any reason to not like this album. listen to it with zero expectation like youre supposed to do with music and enjoy. YG put together a great album that surprised everyone. Give it up for him and stop finding reasons to hate it.
Your logic is the reason why music today is garbage. YG’s album is trash.
surprisingly good. at least better than I expected.
ATTENTION HIP HOP ELITIST:
You are scum and very annoying. you have very bad taste in music and are arrogant knowitall smartasses and people will shun you. Stop missing out on good music because you think you know it all and are better than others. There is nothing wrong with listening to MF DOOM and Gucci Mane, Nas and Lil Boosie, Kool G Rap to YG. Open your mind you closed minded folks
– The rest of the World
You don’t speak for anyone. Stop defending this garbage.
Bitch he’s defending music in general
No, he ain’t. He’s defending a trash album.
Cosign
eh
The new klassic
You fans have problems of judging albums in a different hip hop genre. Going into this album I didn’t expect being overwhelmed with lyricism. Surprisingly this album was one of the most cohesive joints i heard in a while and its an easy listen. It’ was a fun album to me and a great Gansta/Ratchet Hip-Hop album which is the genre he is in!
iT’S GARBAGE, NO MATTER WHAT IT IS.
This is a really good album and this was my first time listening to yg.. who ever did this review is trippin !
Production: 4.5/5
Lyrics: 3.5/5
Content: 4/5
Track assortment: 5/5
Structure: 5/5 Album was highly conceptual. Great imagery.
Wouldn’t recommended / [Would recommended] / Highly recommended
Great Debut Album for Yg and What he does.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA
did Drake say he would pinky swear… with who??? his bff???
come on man some1 should filter some of the wack shit these children be saying.
my producer, engineer, shit even my girl (if I had 1) would slap the shit out of me if I ever stepped in the booth talking about I would pinky swear if my pinky ring wasn’t so big… on what PLANET is that a hot line… cause I need to move there and just freestyle on records
YG is crap. His album is crap. Thats why it sold nothing. Chronic? (Holds in laughter) Don’t ever compare this bullshit to Dr. Dre’s classic West Coast opus. So putting a few bootleg and highly contrived interludes is what constitutes a classic these days? FOH. DJ Mustard is the worst thing to happen to the West Coast since Eazy and 2Pac’s passing. Minimalistic tracks stolen from a sound The Bay Area pioneered. How innovative. The features on this piece of shit album are the only thing going for it. The cover is even wack. You couldn’t go to a real local jail and shoot that shit? And didn’t this gangbang rookie only serve a few months for a simple home invasion felony? Why is he acting like his airsoft, no, his water gun has bodies on it? Killing roaches in the kitchen don’t count bruh. And what gangbangers you know wear pants tighter than their mom’s? This little kid is trying way too hard. Maybe if he put the same effort in creating good music as he does that fake gangster image of his he might actually sell some records. His weak ass crew has no chance of advancement either, they are weaker than him and that’s already WEAK AF. Don’t be mad at the truth either, accept that shit.
You need to quit putting hip-hop on a pedestal. At the end of the day it’s about having a good time and this album does that. Also “(Holds in laughter)” is the dumbest shit I have ever read in my life. What are you 14 years old?
^your logic is the reason why rap is garbage
If you believe rap is garbage why are you on a website that caters to rap?
Dope album..Classic
Get off the crack.
This guy need tell “thank you” to DJ Mustard. Without him it’s not possible to listen
I am so suprised at how good this album is. Based off his singles i figured this album was all hype but boy I was wrong. When listening to this album you get a detailed & strong narrative of YG’s life as if it’s a concept based album. One thing that really impressed me with this LP is that every song flows into each other so well & the skits & narratives are perfectly structured with every song. I like how my krazy life has a real authentic west coast feel to it & I think DJ Mustard & YG knew what they’re were going for on this album. After listening to this album a couple of time I can honestly say how I see why so many critics are comparing this to Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid M.a.d.d city & to me these two albums are very similar. YG may not have the techinal rapping skills as kendrick, but the message of the album is clear, strong, precise & imo strongly developed. My Krazy Life is a superb album with an overreaching story.
Good jokes.
hahaha u crazy
absolutely agree. rap nerds are gunna troll you though. I like it better than GKMC since I hated its beats
Obvious troll.
it’s alright I guess
Great Ablum
This album is a beast
this dude is wack with one banger on the whole album
Overrated and trash.
Niggas will dickride anyone hot at the moment.
This will be forgotten by summer.
This shit go bro
Stop making this mustard dick hot. This shit is boring. Same sound alround. Here today gone tommorrrooooww!
I think this album could be better than it was… it’s very irritating to hear the same beat on 4 or 5 of the songs. The same kinda beat with the “hey… hey… hey… hey…” chant in the background. I LIKE that sound, but you cant just run that shit into the ground on a single album like that.
1AM is my favorite cut…
DOPE
apparently people hate cohesive sounding albums. A lot of my favorite albums have one or two producers on it. Mobb, Little Brother, Clipse, Dre, Three 6. This album was great from start to finish from beats to raps to stories told. HHDX really lost credibility with this review. all the other media outlets gave this one high reviews because it is a solid album. Best one out next to Gibbs’ Pinata
This album is not cohesive, it’s trash. It’s one of the worst albums of the year.
this albums alright, like 3.5/5 but it seems like mustard didn’t save much heat for it, he used it up already. if i was YG i’d be pissed kid ink got that “show me” track that’s gonna be a bigger hit than anything off this album. YG got bars though
YG got no bars. He can barely flow.
Real LA shit
THIS ALBUM WAS BUNK AS SHIT… I WAS REALLY EXPECTING SOMETHING GREAT ESPECIALLY SINCE HE FRM THE WEST COAST…. FUCK IT IM WAITING ON SOME DOM KENNEDY THATS REAL CALI MUSIC
Sick album
YG has a chance to special….. The line: “Rest in peace to myself” was the greatest thing since Biggie smalls’ “The more weed I puff, the more dangerous”
i think he says going going back back to the bank, rest in peace to my safe… is it still as good as biggie?
That line was wack.
It would hit platinum if people buy cd’s or digital to support g-funk.
.
h
YG 400
Chronic 2014 right here.
No, it ain’t.
Dope album!!
Better Than I Expected It To Be Most Def Gona Be Banging This Everyday
YG brought the real westcoast classic sound back, feel like it’s slept on b/c it’s not that “trendy” music that everybody is listening to but it is definitely the best album of 2014 so far BY A LONG SHOT!!!
That’s a joke,right? This is trendy music and it is not the best albumof the year.
Classic album, Good for the west coast. Instant classic ,ima be riding this album for a minute !
This is not a classic and it is not good for the west.
YG is a definite win for the west
You mean a loss.
“RIP to myself”…. I became a fan when he said that line
Never liked yg you know with his mainstream bs like toot it and boot it butt nigggas was going crazy so I decided to buy not going to lie it’s a good album way better then what I thought it was going to be
terrible review. this is a great album.
not Best !
its good just for dj mustard Beats..
aaaa