Hip-Hop Lives Here
Hip-Hop Lives Here
Less than two months after the surprise release of his seventh album , Swag, Canadian pop star Justin Bieber has returned once again, announcing the follow-up , Swag II , with less than a day’s warning. Though the record was promised for a midnight release, it arrived three hours late, with Bieber admitting to fans that he, too, was “clicking refresh” and waiting for it to appear on streaming platforms.
While Swag was filled with questionable lyrical moments (the low point being Go Baby and its clumsy shoutout to Hailey Bieber’s phone-mounted lip gloss holders), its successor is more straightforward, which works to its advantage. Swag II also tones down the overt sensuality of the first installment, which had Bieber making promises to “make your sheets hot” with all the allure of an appliance manual.
This time around, the mood is lighter and often more tender. On Mother In You, an acoustic-driven reflection on fatherhood, Bieber recalls meeting his son for the first time. “It’s half past seven, I had somewhere to be,” he sings. “I guess I’m late, but I got a reason; you’re a beautiful world that’s countin’ on me.” The infamous paparazzi sample, first heard on "Standing On Business ," returns on "Speed Demon," but here it is used more playfully. “Is it clocking to you?” he asks, over breezy guitar lines and a hip-hop-inspired beat.
Love Song, the album’s standout and Mk.Gee’s only contribution leaves space for jazzy piano flourishes to shine. Tems delivers a strong feature on I Think You’re Special, while Bad Honey is another highlight, with Bieber leaning into funk-tinged vocals and layering in falsetto for added flair.
Still, not everything works. The nearly eight-minute closer Story Of God, in which Bieber retells the Biblical tale of Adam and Eve, comes across as unnecessarily indulgent. Lyrically, the album also repeats itself, circling the same two themes: devotion to God and love for his wife.
One improvement is the absence of Druski’s wandering interludes, which weighed down the first record. Yet overall, Swag II does little to set itself apart from its predecessor. Much of the sound remains the same, with returning collaborators Dijon and Mk.Gee, Carter Lang, and Eddie Benjamin are helping Bieber shape a similar R&B-infused palette. There are no obvious singles, and the project reportedly underwent last-minute changes right up until its release.
Like Taylor Swift’s unexpected addition to The Tortured Poet’s Department, SZA’s extended SOS deluxe, or Drake’s lengthy Scary Hours update to For All The Dogs, Swag II feels like a streaming-era project stretched too far. Across both parts, there are strong ideas, but together they run for more than two hours, making the experience bloated and repetitive. There is plenty of good music scattered throughout, but as a double album, it feels excessive. The real question lingers: Did it genuinely need to be released this way?
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De La Soul’s tenth studio album is built around a steady and unwavering mission: to honour the life and legacy of founding member David Jolicoeur (also known as Trugoy The Dove) after his heartbreaking death in 2023. Speaking with NME earlier this year, MC Posdnuos remembered what Jolicoeur’s family told them at the funeral: “If y’all stop, Dave stops. We’re not putting necessary pressure on you, but we would love to see y’all continue on.”
The fact that De La have not shared a release since their Grammy winning 2016 album ‘And The Anonymous Nobody’ makes it clear that they only speak when they have something meaningful to offer. With so many layered emotions around grief, reflection, and legacy rising to the surface, this moment feels right for such a powerful return.
Drawing together an impressive gathering of talent, including iconic hip-hop figures like Nas, Slick Rick, Q-Tip, Pete Rock, Black Thought, and DJ Premier, all acknowledged in an extended opening roll call, Posdnuos and Maseo aim to craft an experience that fully pulls you in. With poetry and spoken word woven throughout, sweeping orchestral touches, and a clean, grounding narration from actor Giancario Esposito, ‘Cabins In The Sky’ attempts to capture the long process of facing Jolicoeur’s absence while firmly insisting on his lasting presence, expressed through lines like “When its Pos and Maseo you see, the magic will always remain three” (‘YUHDONTSTOP’).
One of the album’s most emotional moments arrives on ‘Different World’, which features poet Gina Loring and showcases some of Pos’ most exposed and heartfelt writing to date. Blending internal rhymes with a gentle flow that pulls you along, he shares: “Hard for me to cry, ‘cause I’m thankful… steering us through right and left turns / What we earn is another angel on our side.”
It is important to recognise that this album is not weighed down solely by sorrow or sentimentality. Instead, it stays grounded in the reality of the world we are living in now, offering plenty of new and outward-looking thoughts. On ‘YUHDONTSTOP’, Posdnuos reflects, “There’s high stakes being played around the world, and it’s understandable to be rooted in the present,” while also speaking honestly about De La’s place in contemporary American culture: “Some young ones don’t think we got that edge… Telling us ‘you a pioneer’ means you have American Pie nowhere near you.” Elsewhere, ‘A Quick 16 For Mama’ brings a tribute to the love and sacrifice of mothers alongside Killer Mike, and ‘Just How It Is’, which explores the story of a woman betrayed by her partner, highlights the deeper empathy and insight that maturity has given Posdnuos.
While De La Soul’s reflections on society are sharp and clear, the heart of this project belongs to David Jolicoeur and the space he has left behind. By examining the deep influence he had on their lives, both personally and creatively, the remaining members of the group shine a light on his essential contribution to American hip-hop and show exactly why they continue to be celebrated as some of the culture’s most cherished voices.
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