Strictly 4 My Fans

As Lil Herb, the rapper from Chicago’s South Side now known as G Herbo rose among the ranks of early drill stars at the start of the 2010s. Initially associated with his childhood collaborator Lil Bibby, Herb seemed fully formed even on his earliest songs, sounding like an old soul inside a teenage body, thanks to his calloused gang raps and rich, grainy baritone. After signing to a major in 2015, Herb became Herbo, turning in solo mixtapes that felt nuanced and self-assured, channeling influences outside of his musical community, from 2Pac to Meek Mill. *Strictly 4 My Fans* (2016) was the third tape Herbo released as a signed artist before the delayed release of his studio debut, *Humble Beast* (2017), and showcases his hunger for his career and artistry to enter a new era. Like his previous projects, *Strictly 4 My Fans* is populated with unsparing street rap that feels urgent and immediate. Herbo tries out new ideas here, casually straying into fresh stylistic realms. As a whole, *S4MF* feels lusher than previous tapes that stuck largely to industrial-grade drill (e.g., “Run It Up”), incorporating warmer and fuller sonics. See, for instance, the faded vocal sample on “Something\" and the string-driven \"Crazy,\" which recalls cinematic East Coast hip-hop more than it does Midwestern street rap. Contentwise, Herbo finds moments to venture beyond memories of street politics and violence. The middle of the tape contains some unusual moments of levity for Herbo, in the form of two explicit, sex-focused tracks: the detail-oriented “Pull Up\" (the mixtape’s most popular export) and “Control” (featuring Herbo on a rare Auto-Tuned hook). Released two months after the 2016 election, the mixtape also shows the rapper reacting to the sociopolitical climate in the intro: “‘What if Fred Hampton was president?’ I woke up praying that/Because if Trump becomes the president he might bring slavery back.” The line helps frame this tape in its moment, kicking off a collection that snapshots Herbo during a period of transition—throwing caution to the wind while building expectation for his first marquee statement.

G Herbo remains rap’s youngest old man, a wizened 21-year-old who sounds, for the third year running, like he’s on the cusp of something truly great.