G- Eazy grinded to achieve the mainstream dominance that he now enjoys. His sophomore LP, When It’s Dark Out, was well-received and spawned hits such as “Me, Myself, and I." His latest single, “No Limit,” is already following in the footsteps of its predecessor.

Now he's back and ready for more. The Beautiful and Damned dropped on December 15th, 2017. His third commercial album is twenty tracks long, with stars such as Kehlani, Cardi B, E-40, Halsey, and many others.

So, does it live up to the hype?

The surge in notoriety he received after his second album made G-Eazy a pop star. And, as pop tends to go, artists become too big to fail. This is regardless of whether or not their art still resonates. At this point, G-Eazy’s brand is incredible leverage. The machine behind him—RCA Records—is definitely invested in him for the long term.

So with these factors in place, he can afford any guest he wants for a feature, as well as A-list producers. The Beautiful and Damned has both elements. It sounds good sonically, and G-Eazy’s collaborators are curated perfectly. Not to mention tracks like “Him and I” are likely to dominate radio waves.

And therein lies the issue with G-Eazy’s brand and this album. Even if he weren’t highly marketable, he would still be better than many rappers… and I emphasize MANY. He’s honest, a solid lyricist, a great collaborator, and a decent storyteller. And yet, this album consistently manages to sound overly-commercial and trendy.

The Beautiful and Damned plays it safe.

For much of the duration of this album, G-Eazy is using more or less the same flow, and speaks with the same conversational cadence. Much of the narrative is about his celebrity and the perks that come with it—drugs, women, you name it. He sounds like a static artist instead of the dynamic rapper we’re supposed to believe he is.

In this album’s darkest hours, he is transparent about substance abuse. He talks about the toll it’s going to take on him later…but dismisses the pending harm he’ll feel because he’s having a good time. Sometimes he wants the listener to feel bad for him, other times he’s bragging about indulging.

To remain engaged with this album, the listener has to be fully invested in G-Eazy personally. Unfortunately for me, he sounds shallow and narcissistic often on this album. I don’t feel bad that he can afford to pay for all of the drugs he might be addicted to. I also don’t feel inspired listening to him ruin a Murda Beatz instrumental with a lackluster hook. “Gotdamn that bitch lit," he says, as he tells the listener about how this particular woman only does cocaine.

Go listen to how fire that beat is. Try and tell me that G-Eazy executed.

This album’s closer was the first time I felt empathetic towards G-Eazy’s plight. “Eazy” is the kind of gem that will probably be under-appreciated off of this album. G-Eazy gets up close and personal about his path to stardom. It’s a narrative I wish he would shed light on more.

Essential Tracks

“The Beautiful & Damned”

“Pray For Me”

“Legend”

“No Limit”

“Charles Brown”

“No Less”

“Eazy”

The Verdict

Overall, criticisms aside, The Beautiful and Damned isn’t a terrible album. It’s just not breathtaking either. I expect more from an artist with this much star power, and with so many people invested in him. Given his pop-star notoriety, this album will perform well on the charts and sell thousands of copies. But G-Eazy’s artistry could be pushed further.

The Beautiful and Damned is a B-.