YBN Cordae is fixing to become the next great in light of his debut album 'The Lost Boy'.

By: GroovNuke

When YBN Cordae drops off new work, he catches attention.
​
Life has been going that way for the 21 year-old Maryland native since the release of his track 'Old N*ggas'. The single went viral at the right moment in response to J.Cole's single '1985', where he hovers over the new found wave of rap with a remarking "OG" stance. A year later he's one of the listed 2019 XXL Freshman. 

Ironic how your life can change in one year. Now he's doing work with J.Cole

Cordae, who was 20 at the time, places himself in the youth's shoes and captured the main scenery in a local barbershop. "Old n*ggas and new n*ggas, now what's the difference? All in the same boat in a stuck position," Cordae recites as he scrolls through media outlets on his PC. 

Cordae kept traction after the buzzing WorldStar exclusive with tracks like 'Kung Fu', 'Fighting Temptations', and the summer time YBN compilation mixtape. The album consisted of tracks with fellow YBN members Nahmir and Almighty Jay. Guest features on the album included Chris Brown, Wiz Khalifa, and many more. The debut group mixtape was a great chance for them to showcase their talents as one of the more younger rap groups on the rise.

​Although fans from Cordae's end was eager to hear new singles such as 'Alaska' and 'Target', the project in full went over a lot of people's heads. In other words, they were ahead of their time with the YBN project. 

"I don't know where I'm going, but I hope I'm on the right path."
​
Cordae was back around after some time working with Chicago's own Cole Bennett. Him and Cole linked for the video to his single 'Have Mercy', where Cordae added a twist to his creative comfortability zone. It all worked for the better, as he gained new fans and over 11million YouTube hits in three months. 

Cordae's debut album, The Lost Boy released on all streaming platforms July 26. It's 15 tracks long, with features from the likes of Meek Mill, Pusha T, Chance the Rapper, and more. In this album, Cordae doesn't hesitate to place listeners in his shoes. He's went on several platforms such as the Breakfast Club, Everyday Struggle, and Hot 97 to provide more in-depth surrounding to his first body of work. 

Starting a new purpose from what you were surrounded by previously is one of the key messages from the album. Cordae told his story about family relationships, personal struggles with his previous outlook of life, and more. Kid Culture, CoopTheTruth, Take A Daytrip, J Cole, and others worked with him on the album's production. 

The Lost Boy is poised to take on the hands on the time. It gives off a sense of being alright with an uncertain stage of our lives. Cordae was just waiting tables and serving extra fries as he stated over lines in the album. Now he's touring and performing on the Jimmy Fallon show with Anderson .Paak. 

Most debut projects these days don't get the time to resonate with the inevitable aging of hip-hop. We can stream at our leisure. Most projects are expected to be full off back, rather then age with grace along with the artist. Cordae is still a young lyricist in the game who still can tap into a another dimension as an MC.

​In his Everyday Struggle interview, he mentioned his album along the same lines of Kendrick debut project Section.80. Kendrick's album released in the earlier folds of the digital era, whereas to now Cordae's debut reigns in the fully-fledged digital era. 
​

Tracks like 'Broke as F*ck' and 'RNP (Rich N*gga Problems)' are two songs that displays how Cordae's world balanced out in his young life. Other songs such as 'Bad Idea' and 'Thanksgiving' would place you in mind with the big picture, with also keeping the subtle feelings in mind.

​The album displays well balance for someone who's yet to tap into their full potential. It echoes a voice for the ones who're out here lost, chasing their dream with their eyes closed. It's album like The Lost Boy that gives people serenity because they know they're not alone. 
​
"Looking at the bigger picture, portrait, and I smile wide."

Credit: Nikos On The Run

YBN Cordae came into the game with some chronological sense. It's not bad to put himself in the class of the current greats starting off. He shows patience for an artist on the rise like a young J Cole, yet he's thriving off full hunger and places his past into  retrospect like a young K.Dot.

These days you have to have a perfect balance of artistry to stay relevant for some time. That's what has artists like Drake, Cole, and Kendrick running at the top so long. You can't lack substance forever, but you also can't force feed substance to listeners. Cordae has the recipe to remain around for many years to come. 

If you haven't been in tune with The Lost Boy yet, please get familiar. Make sure you spread the NOiZE for Cordae and stay in tuned for great things from him.