While many may know 42 Dugg for things like his stature (a staggering five foot one) or his now iconic whistle before all of his songs and verses, he has also quietly built up a rather impressive catalog of singles, mixtapes and features that have made him a hot commodity in the rap game. Born and raised in Detroit, Dugg became good friends with Atlanta rapper Lil Baby, eventually signing to his 4 Pockets Full label in a joint deal with Yo Gotti’s CMG label in 2019, seen in an infamous video of Lil Baby gracing him with the company chain. Since then, it has been a steady rise for the young rapper, who has continued to put out hits despite repeated trips to jail, his most recent stint only ending last October. Following his release, Dugg put out a few loosies in the fall and winter before announcing that his debut album, titled “4eva Us, Never Them” was to be released on July 4.
Going into the record, the usual was expected from Dugg. Just like his last few mixtapes, the expectation was that there would be a mix of high-energy melodic trap anthems, similar to hits like “4 Da Gang” and his feature on Tyler, the Creator’s “Lemonhead.” Fans also anticipated a few low-key, more emotional tracks like “Free Merey,” and his verse on “Ron Artest.”
For better or worse, the record was simply just more of the same. The intro begins with a spoken word portion, in which a woman essentially compares Dugg to a lion, before the whistle is heard and Dugg gets into his verse, in which he raps about his time in jail as he lets the beat build. The following two tracks see Dugg at his most Dugg, with the rapper essentially screaming for five minutes straight, only taking a break so Meek Mill can do the same thing on the latter. However annoying it may sound, this is Dugg at his best and a great way to kick off the album.
The next track, “Fresh From The Feds,” is a stark contrast from the previous few. Over a solemn instrumental, a much slower, more melodic Dugg once again raps about his life both in jail, his return and the emotional effect it has had on him. There are a few cuts on the album that are similar to this. On top of this, the songs “Wrong Right,” “My Mama,” “Need You,” and the closing track “Real Ones” all have the same vibes. Although Dugg makes a respectable effort to be in touch with his emotions through these songs, they are just boring at the end of the day, and nothing that is enjoyable to listen to. This is not to say that Dugg should stick to making bangers; as is mentioned above, Dugg has proven that he can make low-key, emotional tracks that sound good at the same time. Unfortunately, this is not true for any of his attempts on this record, and the songs simply add time to an already bloated tracklist.
Despite these setbacks, there are numerous songs throughout the album that make it worthwhile. Most of these are just Dugg doing what he has always done and what he is great at, which is filling any song he touches with his rare energy. Songs like “Catch 1” and “Org,” which do not really stand out in terms of their instrumentals, end up as pretty enjoyable songs due to the high-energy performances. Another track that is similar to that is “4eva Us Freestyle,” which starts off with a great performance over a pretty solid FORVERROLLING beat, but all attention is taken away from the song once Dugg, out of nowhere, recites the bar “Sike, I’m lyin’, we be fappin’ [n-words].” What was initially a really strong track ends on a really odd, unexpected note. While there is nothing inherently wrong with Dugg’s lyrics, it certainly catches listeners off guard and distracts them from the rest of the song.
Other than these tracks, the main highlights of the record are the features. All but one of the features (looking at you Rylo Rodriguez) are purposeful and add a lot to the song, while at the same time elevating Dugg’s own rapping abilities. He is able to match the energy of anyone he collaborates with, whether it be trading bars about life in the streets with his long-time friend EST Gee on “Since When,” or talking about not wearing panties with up-and-comer Sexyy Redd on “N.P.O.” It is on tracks like these that Dugg pushes himself to expand his sound, which he can clearly do when he feels the need to. However, for a majority of this record, Dugg seemingly does not feel that need at all. Despite a few standouts, both in the positive and negative directions, 42 Dugg has once again managed to drop an entire project filled with a lot of songs that sound very similar. Depending on one’s opinion of the rapper, this could be very bad or very good, or even more likely not important whatsoever. But, for fans of 42 Dugg and this style of music, this is a step in the right direction for the rapper, who will be an interesting artist to watch as the years go by.