July 30th approached quickly for Soulja Boy. Originally announced as an album, Life After Fame arrived at its release date with little to no hype. Instead of pushing the album back, the “Crank That” rapper delivered a nineteen-track mixtape with zero features. Recent singles “We Ready” and “Ridin’ Round” are nowhere to be found on the tracklist. Everything about the project, including the cover art, seemed to be changed last minute. Although it seems rushed, Life After Fame isn’t a total train wreck. In fact, in comparison with Soulja Boy’s recent mixtapes, Life After Fame is no less than average.
Despite the lengthy tracklist, there isn’t much versatility on the mixtape. This is proven early, as two of the first three tracks have “Bandz” in the song title. “Alotta Bandz”, the second track, is rather sloppy. Soulja raps about how much money he has, and mutters extremely random ad-libs in between his lines. The following song is quite the opposite. “Bandz On Me” is a syrupy-banger with captivating production. Though the rhymes are simple, Soulja uses auto-tune to his advantage as he flows seamlessly over the beat. “Stuntin” also features the SODMG founder using the notorious voice software, as he sings harmonically on the five-minute track.
Each song on Life After Fame is either a hit or miss. A perfect example of how the tide can dramatically turn is the transition from track nine to ten. On track nine, “Ferrogamo On My Belt”, Soulja Boy hits rock bottom. He raps “Ferrogamo on my belt, on my belt, on my belt” for the hook of what may be the most annoying song on the mixtape. Fortunately, the following track “Flexin” is a catchy tune with a banging beat. If it wasn’t so inconsistent, Life After Fame would have been a much more pleasing effort from Soulja Boy.
Who knows what’s next. Another mixtape, possibly an EP, or maybe even a true album from Soulja Boy. Besides perhaps Lil B, nobody in the rap game delivers more free music than Soulja, but that comes with a downside. With excessive quantity comes varying quality, and that keeps Soulja Boy’s music unpredictable. Hopefully, “Ridin Round” was just a tease and his fourth studio album is on the way. For now, Life After Fame is just the next chapter in Soulja Boy’s lengthy discography.
