Growth & Development

One of the original Brooklynites to cultivate this New York strain of drill, 22Gz rightfully gets credit for giving the genre its first viral sensations back in 2016 with “Blicky” and the signature “Suburban.” Following up 2019’s *The Blixky Tape*, the similarly criminal-minded *Growth & Development* offers a stark glimpse from the Flatbush fixture’s vantage point. The rolling bass warble of “308” accents his ruthless gun talk, while “No Questions” turns chain-snatching into an unlikely hook. Much like the epic original, “Suburban, Pt. 2” trudges through the war zone with a death wish, its hi-hats hitting like the strays inherent in his brutal bars. Looking beyond his own neighborhood, on “Blixky Gang Freestyle” he shouts out incarcerated rappers Kodak Black and Ralo.

22Gz attempts to chase a hit on a melodic but stale mixtape that struggles to keep up with the drill scene the Brooklyn rapper helped originate.