After dropping the Jay from his moniker, Maryland's own IDK has returned to the fold with the street banger "17 with a 38." It's a different vibe from his previous drop "Baby Scale," which found IDK destroying an instrumental with some wild flows and lyricism. Here, on "17," IDK takes things back to the come-up, when he was wildin' in his late teenage years. It's a classic street narrative, and fans of gangsta rap will definitely find much to love about this one. Where "Baby Scale" was a showcase for IDK's dexterous technical ability, "17" finds the rapper flexing his storytelling prowess, keeping things simple yet catchy and vivid in detail.
"Truth is I ain't do shit but rob white folks, lure they ass to a place I know, take they money take they phone and go sell that shit at my school for the low," raps IDK. "Stack the money, stack the money, buy shoes, stack the money stack the money buy clothes, takin' penitentiary chances all fo' Ed Hardy belts with the rhinestones." These one sided transactions paint a stark picture of an aspiring hustler, earning his clout and respect through sheer force. Speaking of which, Chicago's own Chief Keef comes through to close off the brief loosie.
When Chief Keef first burst onto the scene, he was initially seen by many as the antithesis of a lyrical rapping, instead preferring to rely on the energy of his own magnetic aggression. Yet Keef can still get down, and his verse here is a solid counterpart to IDK's opener. "Took a bitch life now I'm reinvented, can't leave without peein' in it," raps Keef, delivering that signature, menacing lullaby flow. And if there are still people out there doubting Keef's flow, listen to the latter half of his verse, and tell me the young pioneer can't go in.
Quotable Lyrics
Truth is I ain't do shit but rob white folks,
Lure they ass to a place I know,
Take they money take they phone and go
Sell that shit at my school for the low