Last month, Joyner Lucas released the first single from his upcoming album, Not Now, I'm Busy. The emotional track, "Devil's Work 2," saw the rapper speaking on recent losses, like the murder of PnB Rock. Joyner treats the song as a conversation with God, asking the hard questions about death and telling Him that it seems like He doesn't care. It provides a bird's eye view of the culture at large, as well as a wish to undo the trauma experienced within it. The track was a powerful start to the new record.
Now, Joyner has released the second single from his upcoming album. The new effort is titled "Blackout," and Joyner has enlisted Future as a featured artist. At just over 3 minutes, the track is slick and catchy. Lyrically, both the Massachusetts native and Hendrix speak on coming up and the rap lifestyle. It serves as a reminder of Joyner's versatility. He's no stranger to hard-hitting trap songs, but the difference between this and the 34-year-old's last offering shows his ability to speak on a wide range of topics and do it well. He's definitely not a one-trick pony.
Joyner And Future Are The Perfect Duo
"Blackout" opens with the hard-hitting kicks, claps, and hi-hats typical of trap songs. Behind them, a descending harp repeats, providing an atmospheric and dramatic background for Joyner to start rapping over. His flow sounds right at home over the beat. Halfway through the track, Future comes in for his verse. His tone melds perfectly with Joyner's. Keen to show off their flexibility, both rappers switch up the flow several times throughout the song. It may not have the lyrical depth of "Devil's Work 2," but it's definitely the kind of track you want to play on repeat.
"Blackout" is the fourth track on Joyner's Now Now, I'm Busy. Since the album is due to be released on August 18, it's safe to say we can expect a few more singles from the album before it gets released in full. If the first two arrivals are anything to go off of, the album might be the lyricist's best work yet. You can stream the new single on YouTube above. Let us know what you think in the comments!
Quotable Lyrics:
Watch me take some bricks and soap and turn it to a bankroll
Used to wanna get rich like Hov, until I met Jeff Bezos
Billionaire invites, that's the shit that you can't pay for
Levelled up and made some pesos, now your bitch wanna give me besos
First to do it, bitch, I'm Draco
If you want that drama, you gon' get just what you paid for
'Fore I got a check, I went and bought my mom a Range Rover
Wasn't new, but it was paid for, I said "One day, we'll be straight though"