As a follow-up to their 2015 album SremmLife, rap duo Rae Sremmurd make a conscious effort to shirk people’s expectations with SremmLife 2, delivering an album that manages to exist in two spaces. Both as a sequel that builds off of what came before it to create more earworm club rap songs and as a new album that builds distinctive sounds that manage to be totally different than their previous style. It’s almost experimental in that way, while being loud, fun, more than a little stupid, wrapped up in a playful package. It’s not a complex album by any means, but it remains fresh throughout the time that you are listening to it.

She said, "Let me guess, you a drug dealer"

Said, "Nah, I just brought a lot of money

And a whole lot of drugs with me"

It starts off in the traditional style of the duo, sounding much like the hits that they have put out before. Loud, crashing, and full of braggadocio, it grabs your attention and demands that you enjoy yourself. There are no pretensions here about social commentary or special messages. It’s just rap music. “Start A Party” does just that, jumping out at you through your ears and dropping some great, if stupid lines, like the ones above.

The club sound dominate the space on the album, but there are a few tracks that stand out from the pack. “Do Yoga” and “Just Like Us” enter a different, almost pop rap style, with much lighter beats and lyrics. “Do Yoga” is a song that I shouldn’t like, and I would never listen to around my friends, but if it comes on, I can’t help but feel myself singing along to the beat. It’s infectious in its simplicity. They keep the trend up by roping in Lil John for the track “Set the Roof”, which reminds me of “Turn Down for What” in its basic, loud appeal. It’s repetitive and bold, catchy and a hell of a lot of fun.

Which should probably be the motto of the album. Catchy and fun. There are a few songs that fall flat for me, and to say that there isn’t a lot of depth would be an understatement. But at the same time, I can’t help but find myself enjoying the music. It shows a willingness to step outside of their comfort zone and really play around with what they can do with their music. Color me a fan of sequels.

Editor's Choice

Tracklist:
1. Start a Party
2. Real Chill (Feat. Kodak Black)
3. By Chance
4. Look Alive
5. Black Beatles (Feat. Gucci Mane)
6. Shake It Fast (Feat. Juicy J)
7. Set the Roof (Feat. Lil Jon)
8. Came a Long Way
9. Now That I Know
10. Take It or Leave It
11. Do Yoga
12. Over Here (Feat. Bobo Swae)
13. Swang
14. Just Like Us

This title was reviewed before the inception of our current review system and as such is not scored. We still stand by the content of our old reviews.

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Tags: Rae Sremmurd, SremmLife, Hip-Hop, Editor's Choice