THE HUSTLE CONTINUES: Review
Hey you, ya you come here. Do you enjoy the artistic stylings of the man that brought us “Bandz A Make Her Dance,” an absolutely classic song that we all know and love. Well then boy do I have an album for you.
THE HUSTLE CONTINUES is the latest full length release from the Memphis hip-hop artist, Juicy J. At sixteen tracks and forty-seven minutes, this album kind of falls in that sweet spot of “not too long so that I start to get bored” and also “not too short so that there’s no content.” If you were a fan of Three 6 Mafia back in the 90s, and you have enjoyed Juicy J’s solo work up to this point, in all likelihood you will enjoy this album. Juicy J himself produces the vast majority of these tracks. If you didn’t already know “What Juicy say,” you will quickly learn that he says, “Shut the fuck up” in a very silly voice. That silly voice is actually Logic’s (more on him later), but that’s beside the point. Juicy J’s flows are similar to how they always are, his production utilizes typical trap drum patterns driven by hi-hats, heavy bass, and lots of distorted synth led melodies. The melodies are the thing that change the most on this album which is good but as for variety in production, this project lacks it, barring one quite jarring stray from the path.
The first track is called “BEST GROUP” and is somewhat a tribute to Three 6 Mafia, but also goes into Juicy J’s personal life and how he’s recently married. In general this track is more just a braggadocious trap banger. The words “braggadocious trap banger” can be used to describe roughly thirteen tracks on this album. If that is the sort of thing you enjoy, stay tuned.
We get our first of many features on the next track, “GAH DAMN HIGH.” There isn’t too much to say about this track. We have a more spacey and faded back melody than previously. This seems to jive with the theme of the song which is just about being rich and high. The Wiz Khalifa feature fits but is extremely underwhelming. It is short and repetitive and frankly adds little to the track.
Oddly enough after that we come to the first highlight of the album. “SPEND IT” is a track that has nothing terribly unique production wise but the melody that pops in on the hook truly adds to how sticky it feels. The Lil Baby feature is fine though it does exactly nothing for me. The reason this track is a highlight is that previously mentioned sticky hook and the lovely 2 Chainz feature. It’s short, sweet, and to the point. 2 Chainz rarely disappoints when it comes to these types of features as his world play and punchlines always stand out.
“PO UP” follows and tries to be way deeper than it actually is. Juicy J attempted to write a little tribute track for some of the icons we have lost in recent years, and for the people being put in jail that don’t deserve it. The repetitive nature of the hook teamed with the still ridiculously similar production as previous tracks makes this feel very lackluster. This type of production can work, and does on the last track flawlessly, but we are hitting a rut with this track that will carry on for the next three songs. Also, A$AP Rocky’s muted delivery on this track irks me. It feels lazy and completely mismatched with Juicy J’s faster and more excitable flow on this cut. All around “PO UP” is easily one of the low lights for me.
There is a semblance of life with the next song, “KILLA” as it’s led into with this horror theme (specifically Halloween) inspired piano progression. Unfortunately the drums come in, the bass does nothing exciting, the Conway feature is not the saving grace I hoped it would be, and the track ends up falling into the braggadocious trap banger category. It’s followed up by the utterly forgettable “THAT’S THE WAY IT GOES.” After this we get the very cute “SHOPPING SPREE.” Which has a hook that ends every line with the word Barney. Honestly at this point I started to struggle with my listen.
Then a light shone through so bright all my hope was restored. The beat for “1995” kicked in and for the first time on the album we got a track with the trap hi-hats, and nothing else similar. The melody was comprised of this beautiful R&B vocal sample. The bass is a little more subdued and we get a completely new drum pattern. The song ends up being a Logic track, as he does about 70% of the rapping on it, and there is a good reason for this. Apparently this song was supposed to be on Logic’s album No Pressure, but it didn’t get cleared in time, so Logic gave it to Juicy J to put on his album. The song isn’t special, but boy is it a breath of fresh air.
This gets immediately followed up by the stoner anthem “WHAT I NEED.” Back to back we get a couple of the best tracks on the album. There is more variance in production on this one. Juicy J’s bass is back but the melody is another fantastic vocal sample, and there is this great little skit to begin the track. There isn’t too much here lyrically but this song very much is more meant to be vibed to, and that is just what I did.
Unfortunately the reprieve is short lived. “SHAWTY BAD” feels just like that four track stretch earlier on. No amount of Logic can save this track and this is very much the worse of his two verses on this album. “LOAD IT UP” fits into that mold as well, and the NLE Choppa verse is one of the least enjoyable feature verses on the album.
Megan Thee Stallion and Ty Dolla $ign to the rescue. I have to give Juicy J a lot of credit with the production on “SHE GON POP IT.” The drum pattern incorporates a great clap that isn’t prevalent in any other track up to this point, and the melody is absolutely perfect for the silky smooth vocals of Ty Dolla. Megan opens and produces the best single verse on the album. Ty’s hook is easily the best one on the album as well. It flows, feels light and airy, and just makes you want to dance. Juicy’s verse is also wonderful. He switches up his flow to fit the beat a little better and this track is easily one of the most fun to listen to on the album.
“MEMPHIS TO LA” falls back into the old way of things production-wise. The Jay Rock verse is pretty decent though. The beat feels off for his voice and the mixing of his verse just makes the song sound a bit wonky.
The album’s features are concluded and we have three tracks left. Unfortunately the album goes out with a whimper. “IN A MIN” has some nice unique flows on it, and the closing track’s soft, electric guitar led beat is something new to the album but it’s just a little bit too little too late. Other than that one beat difference, there isn’t anything that great about the closing track.
So ends our journey through THE HUSTLE CONTINUES. The track by track breakdown may give off the impression that I do not like this album, and that’s partly because I do not. However, none of that means it is bad. The album is very well mixed barring the Jay Rock verse which just sounded off to my ears, and the production is consistent. To me that tends to lean towards the boring end of the spectrum but that’s not a bad thing either. Many of the features on the album are quite good, and there are absolutely tracks here worth adding to a playlist. The issue is repetition in themes and beats. Very little here feels unique or adventurous. Maybe that’s okay though. Juicy J is 45 years old and has done it all. He doesn’t need to keep reinventing himself if he doesn’t feel the need. A lot of people will like the album and even more people, like me, will pull four to seven songs out and keep those in rotation for years to come.
Overall this album is fine, and I would recommend people give it a once through to see what tracks they like and don’t like.
The Grade: C-