A favorite son in Brooklyn since he emerged with a vengeance as a teenager, Jay Critch towers over his competition. Coming through with a collection of highly-confident NY rap slappers, the Clinton Hill native shares HUMBLE GIANT. A thorough examination of Critch’s colossal stature, HUMBLE GIANT displays a more mature attitude from the 25-year-old firebrand, alternating his signature flex-fests with songs that take a more reflective and melodic direction. Still, there are plenty of tracks on the follow-up to his acclaimed 2023 mixtape Jugg Season in which Critch displays plenty of his old self, indicating that the giant might not be truly humble: “I done leveled up, god knows I done took a loss/They be teamin’ up against me, I must be the final boss,” he spits on “Final Boss.”
Spanning 13 tracks, the tape displays Critch’s mastery of a variety of New York rap styles, from the slinking and skittering “Too Rare,” which harkens back to the ’00s days of Fabolous and Noreaga, to the recently-shared “Kick It,” a Cash Cobain-produced slice of sample drill with a video set at “Critch Fil-A.” HUMBLE GIANT rekindles Jay’s relationship with his favorite sound architects, including Tony Seltzer, whose wistful guitar melodies on “Absent” allow Critch to open up about his traumatic childhood. The rapper expertly ties his own experiences to those of a star athlete: “Lamar Jackson” rides Eastern strings and icy synths as Critch moves around in the beat’s pocket like the titular mobile quarterback, while “In The League” reflects on how he’s been able to keep his family fed with his rap music. Featuring additional production from B Wolf, Laron, frequent collaborator YungGMoney, and many others, HUMBLE GIANT is available everywhere via Talk Money Entertainment / EMPIRE!
© 2024, Seth "Digital Crates" Barmash. All rights reserved.
