FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF LIL BABY & LIL DURK'S 18-TRACK ALBUM COLLAB, "THE VOICE OF THE HEROES"
Monday June 7, 2021
I’m going to be honest with new readers: I primarily listen to rock, R&B, and dance-y pop music, never listen to the radio, barely turn on the TV unless I’m watching Netflix, and I’ve only heard of Lil Baby about a month ago. *Pause for the person reading this thinking I’ve been living under a rock for years.*
When the recent release of his collaborative album with Lil Durk, The Voice of the Heroes fell into my lap, I’m like, “This is the universe telling me it’s time I check this artist out”.
Automatically, the beats brought me back to the good ole pre-pandemic days, in the car with my best friend, blasting tunes on the way to a lounge, when my homebody self actually left the house.
Lyrically, I love the common theme of the songs which is never forgetting the tough times and coming out on top anyway, but not being too good for those who aren’t in their positions of power and affluence, especially on the track How It Feels, which they have just released a cinematic music video for, directed by DAPS (Iggy Azalea/Wizkid/Kendrick Lamar). The video concept has a modern-day spin on Robin Hood via jewel heist at an auction.
I’ve seen artists collaborate on projects before where it seems awkward or kind of forced, but Lil Baby and Lil Durk’s chemistry on the album and on screen is perfectly organic.
The 18-track album, released via Quality Control Music / Wolfpack Global Music / Motown Records / Alamo Records, features artists such as Travis Scott, Meek Mill, Young Thug, and Rod Wave. James Harden of the Brooklyn Nets is listed as an executive producer of the album!
After listening to the album front-to-back, I couldn’t get Who I Want out of my mind because I’m sure most of us can honestly say we’ve been in similar situations where we have been with someone we weren’t 100% happy with and there was a secret crush on someone else. Overall, I can say there’s a track everyone can relate to, especially those who are have seen better days, looking for “rags-to-riches” tunes to inspire them out of their funk. That being said, Lil Baby and Lil Durk ARE musical heroes for releasing this album!