Written By: Mike Double G
Track list
Grade = 60% or 3 ⭐️
Deluxe Tracks
Whoopty (Latin Mix) [Feat. Anuel AA & Ozuna] ✅
Lil Freak (Featt. DreamDoll) ❌
Hit UP ⭐️
Whoopty NYC (Feat. French Montana & Rowdy Rebel) ⭐️
Original Tracks
Politics ⭐️
Set ✅
“BOP” ✅
Whoopty ✅
I’m Lit (Feat. French Montana) ⭐️
Goin’ Up ❌
Real One ❌
Outro (Blessing) ❌
CJ is a 24 year old rapper of Puerto Rican descent. Coming from Staten Island he is another young artist from New York who is capitalizing on the drill sound. His hit Whoopty reached as high as number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Some people have drawn comparisons to 6ix9ine because of his Latin American background and the red bandanas representing blood culture in the Whoopty video. Many viewers also thought he was jacking Pop Smoke’s dance in the video. One thing is for sure, he knows what’s hot in today’s rap game and he has capitalized on it. He released his first project Loyalty Over Royalty on February 19th and followed it with a deluxe version on April 9th.
French Montana executive produced the entire project and is featured on two tracks. The original version of this EP had the smash hit Whoopty, but on the deluxe version he made two remixes to the song. One version is the “NYC” version featuring French Montana and Rowdy Rebel. The other remix was a Latin remix featuring Anuel AA and Ozuna. Any time you have a top 10 hit it is smart to make a remix to give the song some longevity. My favorite version is the NYC version but the Latin remix will have more success as he is reaching out to a different demographic.
Besides the 3 versions of Whoopty, this deluxe version had 9 addition songs. The second single was BOP. This track did its thing but it’s not as big as Whoopty. Both tracks are fun songs that would be put into the drill category. Most of the EP is drill music but CJ also experimented with the melodic sound on this project. The strategy makes sense being that the two most popular styles in the city right now is Brooklyn drill and the melodic rap sound. Fellow New York rappers like A Boogie, Lil Tjay, and JI have had success with the melodic style but this isn’t CJ’s strength. Real One and Outro (Blessings) are two of the weakest songs on the project and they are both melodic songs.
I’m Lit featuring French Montana is a happy medium. It’s not as hard hitting as Whoopty or BOP but it’s within CJ’s comfort zone and sound. This is a record that can be played in the club and get a lot of radio play. It helps that French is on the track as he is known for making club records with catchy hooks. The two best songs on this project have a French Montana feature.
Many people see CJ as a one hit wonder. This is a very good possibility but it’s too soon to tell. One advantage he has is having French by his side. French is a safe bet for at least one hit single. Going forward I would like to see him collaborate more. Working with younger artist from the city. At times some of his songs can sound the same and I think a couple more features would help bring some diversity to his next project. If CJ does what he’s good at then he should have a decent run. However, if he starts doing too much then he might fall off fast. Overall, I gave this project a 60% or 3 stars which is average.
Best Song = Whoopty NYC (Feat. French Montana & Rowdy Rebel).
Download: Loyalty Over Royalty Deluxe