True 2 Myself

While he’d spent the previous year spreading his name with a small stack of his own singles, Bronx teen Lil Tjay really got himself noticed on Polo G’s 2019 track “Pop Out.” That brutally honest breakthrough feature, filled with brusque references to criminal charges and untimely death, set the stage and tone for the up-and-comer’s full-length project *True 2 Myself*. With Auto-Tuned vigor and a lived-in understanding of hardship, he sings and raps with fluidity, speeding up on cuts like “Hold On” and the streetwise “F.N.” The previously released confessional single “Brothers” gets a fresh remix, with more unvarnished truths courtesy of Lil Durk, while Lil Wayne brings his formidable cosign to the rubbery R&B vibes of “Leaked.”

The breakout NY rapper’s emotionally affecting, piano-heavy street tales start to run together at 17 tracks.