Big Swerv

A decade after *Welcome to Fazoland* introduced G Herbo as a serious contender in the drill scene, the Chicago rapper now maintains an impressive ubiquity in hip-hop at large. The 2020s have been especially good to him, with hits like “PTSD” and features opposite Gunna and Nardo Wick and an ambitious yet well-received double album, *Survivor’s Remorse*. On the comparatively leaner *Big Swerv*, he quickly calls back to his beginnings on “Strike You,” an anti-nostalgic opener that demonstrates how the past informs his present. Frequent production partners Oz on the Track and Southside cast long shadows over the project, the former wielding bass frequencies on the soulful “Yup” and the gnarly Sexyy Red team-up “Ten” and the latter present on potent trap variants “Spend That Bag” and “Trim.” With such reliable beatmakers behind the boards, Herbo pops out and shows off for “Drunk AF” and the evocative “Splat.” Reuniting with Chief Keef for “No Pics,” he rejects the downside of his celebrity status while serving his day-one fans alongside the drill pioneer. Elsewhere, he speaks on familiar themes with Skilla Baby on “Shoot” and 21 Savage on the unsettling “In the A.”