With a stacked repertoire of heavyweight collaborations in the Hip-hop music industry, including E-40, Ty Dolla $ign, Roscoe Dash, Ying Yang Twins, Compton Menace, and Joe Moses, to name a few, Young Lawless is here to make his mark on the industry and keep up the drive and dedication.
Before even starting the album, '#BARFTW2' has a roster of collaborations throughout the album that gets you excited for each song before it even begins. Opening the project with a heavy-hitting intro, "Turn it up," paints this album's tone as a creative canvas. You can't help but get hyped with Young Lawless and his ability to leave a chorus embedded into your mind. His lyricism and rhyme schemes go hand in hand with a West Coast and Southern flair that encourage you to put this album on full blast and roll down the windows of your car on the freeway. With the up-tempo instrumental complimenting his cadences, this is an extremely strong intro for the project.
The second track on "#BARFTW2" is accompanied by more ominous instrumentation from the beat with an impactful bass line. "Hot One" focuses your attention on the thorough details of the mix, combining Trap music with a Hip-hop vibe that allows his vocals to remain a centerpiece but blend so effortlessly into the music.
Continuing the buildup throughout the project, "Birthday Remix," featuring JohnBoyCOOL and Rich Rocka, transports your mind to a club scene, and suddenly you're matching their energy with the flavourful beat and free-spirited lyrics. This accurately follows the buoyant energy that has been set on '#BARFTW2.'
"Laced," featuring San Quinn, is the fourth track we have in store. It opens with a public service announcement letting the listeners know it should be listened to on high volume and captures this track's essence. Although toned down from the previous song, the cadence presented perfectly matches the tempo and keeps you hooked on what's next to come. We take it back a bit with "My Cell." What strikes our ears is the deep dystopian zest with the added sample that plays throughout this track, saying, "Ladies and Gentleman." It follows suit with the public service announcement style from the previous record, and we're here for it! The heavy bass line has the place shaking and once again keeps up with the attitude of "#BARFTW2."
We keep it moving with the next song, "Over," featuring ZacZeta that adds certain grunge to what is an iridescent, synth-forward beat. The music drops out at the end while the vocals progress and the beat reintroduce itself for the memorable electronic outro. This song adds a unique flair to the album breaking up but not straying from the tone of "#BARFTW2," just after the halfway point.
"Match Ya Toes" is another up-tempo banger that you can already hear playing in your local club scene. It holds a high place on the totem. With a futuristic style beat and a lineup of unsparing collaborations on this record, it keeps the entire melody full of diverse energy and artistic elements that balance each other out on a level out of this world. An eerily haunting beat that features the Ying Yang Twins, "Catch the Wall," takes the Southern flair and expands it with a unique Trap twist. An enticing approach enters as the beat adjusts to a high-impact outro that carries over elements of the main beat components that keep the audience engaged and ready for what is next.
Taking the dynamism to a smoother slowed down love song called "Bedroom," Young Lawless has us all swooning over this track. The sultry and provocative hook that has Lawless singing sweet melodies to all of us listening, making us want to chant it right back to him. The spice level added to this arrangement is extremely hot, and we have declared this the standout record on this album best served with a nice cold beverage. This leaves us at the final song on '#BARFTW2.' This is a song that features Compton Menace and Goldie Gold. "Trappin Right" is an outro that matches and exceeds all elements on this sound voyage simultaneously. We're amazed at how mesmerizing this tune is to tie together this sonic story.
Young Lawless showcases how his artistic abilities dip into versatility over '#BARFTW2.' You can't help but begin to dance throughout each track. This album leaves you picking up the pace and slowing it down on this rigorous expedition. It is no surprise that his loyal fan base, Lawless Gang, supports his every move, hit after hit.
We love the tone that you have set on your album '#BARFTW2.' What was the first song you created for this project and did you know it would be part of something bigger when it was created?
The intro was the first song I created for the album as funny as it sounds. I was having fun in the process of creating the record so I didn’t set any expectations. I was just doing something I loved, which is making music. I didn’t realize it was something big until it hit a million streams.
Was there a specific moment or experience that shaped your inspiration for '#BARFTW2?'
The success of the first album was the inspiration for #BARFTW2. My fans loved #BARFTW so much that I couldn’t go anywhere without somebody asking me when the is part coming out. It was a high demand to make the sequel and that’s what motivated me. So I guess you can say my fans were the inspiration for this album. The positive feedback I was getting from them was amazing. Without them, I wouldn’t have thought to make a part 2.
What is your favorite song from the project and why?
Catch The Wall featuring Ying Yang Twins is my favorite song on the album. It was an honor and a privilege being able to co-produce a remake of their hit single Naggin’. I grew up listening to their music so for me to have a chance to create music with them was a dream come true. D-Roc is a visionary. His talent and work ethic is insane. We had a conversation about something and he had a hook for a song about what we talked about by the end of that phone call.
How would you define your sound to people who haven’t yet heard you? Is this the sound you are staying within future projects?
I would describe my sound as ineffable. I’m from Compton, California but I’m always told I don’t sound like a west coast artist. You might get a story with a message or you might get a little comedy with some witty metaphors. It depends on how I want the listener to feel. Music is a beautiful form of art, and I’m a passionate artist. I wear my heart on my sleeve so expect to hear what’s on my mind at that moment if you're listening to my music
What has been keeping you inspired in 2020 and what can we expect to see next from you?
This COVID pandemic has been my biggest inspiration for 2020. I feel like this is when people need music the most. In these times of pain and struggle. Especially with all the police brutality that’s been highlighted nationwide. I felt it was only right to drop another album this year. I just finished up my new album entitled Psychoactive featuring Yn Jay aka Coochie Man, Sukihana, Steven G, Compton Menace, and a few more special guests that I’m going to announce when I drop the deluxe. The album is being released at the end of October or early November. That’s all I can tell you lol, I don’t want to give up any surprises.