Multi-platinum recording artist A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie has finally released his third studio album after the release being delayed to Valentine’s Day due to the ongoing success of his previous album, “Hoodie SZN.” The Bronx rapper’s album, named “Artist 2.0” as a tribute to his first album, debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200, only falling behind Justin Bieber’s “Changes,” which sold more copies. The complete tracklist entails 20 new songs, including features from other artists such as Khalid, Lil Uzi Vert, and Dababy.

After the initial announcement was made, many of A Boogie’s fans were ecstatic. It had been over a year since his last full album, and several leaked snippets of upcoming songs generated even more anticipation. However, to many listeners, the album itself was mediocre and seemingly lackluster at best. The album mostly consists of A Boogie’s signature melodic verses about heartbreak, while delivering infectious choruses that covers the lack of A Boogie actually rapping in his songs.

While to many newer listeners, A Boogie’s album is catchy and enjoyable, many of his other fans believe that “Artist 2.0” was not A Boogie’s best work by any means, and that many of the songs sounded more like album fillers than a complete project. Another common complaint was the lack of diversity on the track, as the common theme of a heavy guitar bass beat with a mostly melodic hook and verse made it hard for many fans to pinpoint any standout songs. A Boogie’s lack of commitment to completely singing or completely rapping in many of his songs such as “DTB 4 Life” or “Might not Give Up” also led to some critics believing his transition from suddenly singing to rapping ruined the experience for them.

However, despite its issues, “Artist 2.0” delivered what many fans wanted at a basic level, an album where A Boogie’s mesmerizing sing-song flow combined with a melody focused beat could completely shine. Despite the repetition, Artist 2.0 still manifests the brilliant melodic storytelling A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie is acclaimed for. The lyrics and delivery are passionate and animated, and to many fans, the mixture of rapping and singing is still as astonishing as it was when his music was first discovered.

Personally, my two favorite two songs on the track were “DTB 4 Life” and “Me and My Guitar.” Although the two songs were similar in style to the rest of the track, the guitar bass was more distinctive. Overall, I was disappointed but not completely unhappy with the album. The repetitive melodies and lack of contrast between the songs made the album seem more like one long song that never ended. Songs like “Might Not Give Up” and “Cinderella Story” especially characterized this monotonic style in the album. The lack of a strong rhythm and a generally weak lyrical verse from A Boogie, combined with a melodic hook that sounded more awkward than catchy, resulted in two album filler level songs that did not truly reflect A Boogie’s skill or style.