Kodak Black 'Dying To Live' | Album Review

When Offset's album didn't drop on Friday, it was kind of a blessing in disguise, as instead, we had the time to fully digest the sophomore project from Kodak Black. 'Dying to Live' is 16 tracks long and features guest appearances from Offset, Juice WLRD, Travis Scott and Lil Pump, which for a rap album is arguably minimal for features, despite them being heavyweights in the game. 

After a year spent mostly in prison, Black has returned reinvigorated in his music, starting recording this album immediately and aptly reflecting his feelings about the charges he is currently facing. The young Floridian rapper gives us his raw emotion but doesn't forget to be unapologetically himself and be comfortable in his own skin. He's no role model, but he knows that and that helps him to make good music. 

This, his second studio album, combines bangers with stories of hardship and struggle, lost friends from fame, jail and violence. Every tale is different and every tale is powerful. It's undeniable that Kodak has a huge influence - when Cardi B adopted the flow of his breakthrough track 'No Flockin' into 'Bodak Yellow', she blew up into an international superstar.  

This record is complex and mature without being self-indulgent, which is something a few rappers could learn from. This is a Floridian album through and through, and Kodak proves he still has the Florida rap game under lock and key despite his absence. 

Final rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️