North Carolina rapper Cordae, formerly known as YBN Cordae, is slated to perform at Philadelphia’s Theater of the Living Arts this Tuesday, February 15th. Philly is one of many cities on Cordae’s list as he tours in support of his 2022 album “From a Birds Eye View”.
Cordae generated a lot of buzz following his breakout 2019 LP “The Lost Boy”. This record both highlighted the rapper’s penchant for narrative-focused lyrics and showed he could match the energy of magnetic features such as Anderson.Paak and Chance the Rapper. Shortly after that project, he chose to ditch the “YBN” moniker, perhaps signaling a desire to express more individuality as an artist. “From a Birds Eye View” gave listeners their first chance to witness how Cordae’s artistry had developed during a tumultuous past two years.
While not a complete flop of an album, I do think Cordae’s sophomore effort is decidedly a step in the wrong direction. Frequent themes from his debut album included persistent hustle, family ties, and evolving personal identity. These themes are still present for Cordae, but instead of serving as the fabric that holds the project together, they only occasionally make appearances in the wake of a larger victory lap the rapper is hellbent on taking.
