Endless Pain

Album review

Louisiana rapper JayDaYoungan started rapping in 2016 and went full-speed from there, releasing project after project and growing both creatively and commercially with each one. Endless Pain is his seventh mixtape since his early 2017 debut Ruffwayy, and finds him advancing his production and musical diversity, and growing more comfortable in his craft. Where Forever 23 -- the immediate predecessor to Endless Pain -- was made up of 16 similarly arranged shorter tracks, the songs here encompass a wider range of styles and moods. The collection starts strong with stand-out track "Bang," a slow-rolling groove made up of funky electric piano riffs and JayDaYoungan's quickly shifting flows. "No Play Zone" continues the melodic trap style much of his earlier material tended toward, with fluid sung/rapped lyrics and Auto-Tuned ad-libs flying by in under two minutes. With dozens of songs released within his first few years of activity, JayDaYoungan tracks can sometimes sound too similar. Endless Pain breaks out of that mold with varied tempos and beats that wander from the eerie, melancholic trap of "Dum" to more emotionally powerful material. Album-closer "Together" tells a story of loyalty and struggle over a rubbery G-funk bassline and dynamic, moody production. In every style he approaches on Endless Pain, JayDaYoungan sounds more confident, driven, and inspired.

© Fred Thomas /TiVo