Jazz Butler, otherwise known as Lil Tracy, Yung Bruh, Tracy, and Tracy Minaj, finally released his long-awaited album Anarchy. After his best friend, Gustav Ahr, otherwise known as Lil Peep, died in 2017 due to a fentanyl overdose, Tracy has been on a rampage with music. Last year he released two EP's Designer Talk, and Sinner, under Cinematic Music Group records, and the country-rap single "Like A Farmer (prod. gren8)" which would later go on to include rapper Lil Uzi Vert. Lyrics like "I got horses in my car like a farmer/yeehaw finna pick up your daughter", "These Alex McQueens, standing on they neck, can't let them breathe/lil whore", and "I'm so luxurious/them pearls on my neck got 'em furious" instantly became recognizable. These lyrics also allowed Tracy to stand out amongst other Emo rappers such as Lil Skies, Trippie Redd, and Lil Xan. His recent album Anarchy followed in the footsteps of Sinner, yet lacked the depth and ambition that Tracy once had in his past projects.
Similar to other projects Tracy has created, Anarchy began with a slower and lyrically tamer track "Alone In My Castle". This song showed the loneliness and vulnerability that Tracy possess, and how he keeps himself locked up "All alone in my castle/her touch hurts me like a tattoo". This track runs on for 2:32 minutes, and is the equivalent of floating on a lazy river. It's not that enjoyable, and afterwards you're left thinking "that was it?" There wasn't a lot of change or progression in this song, and first-time listeners of Tracy might be turned off by the ease of it.
Moving forward, "Bad For You" sounded like Tracy was reaching back into his 2017 Castles II EP with Lil Peep, and used a lot of guitar samples to show that he can still appeal to his older audience. However lyrics like, "Take a hit and numb the pain/I'm not gonna lie to you and say that its okay" show that Tracy has changed as a person since Peep's death. Similar "health conscious" lyrics can be heard in Sinner like "I'm sippin water/for fun" and "Now I'm onto better things/Chewin' on zucchini" that drive forward the fact that Tracy does not advocate for heavy drug usage like he used to.
A common theme throughout this album was the inclusion of Lil Peep's death, and Tracy's feelings surrounding the sensitive subject. "Rich Dropout", "Tight Rope", "Beautiful Nightmare", and "Ghost" included lyrics that suggest Tracy isn't the same due to this harsh realization that "You have do die before they care" and that, "They love you more/when you're not here anymore". While lyrics like "RIP my brother/Yeah I do it for Gus", and "Pull up in a Benz truck/Bumping Lil Peep" directly told the listener that Peep will forever be a part of Tracy's future. Regardless if the public is interested in him or not.
Tracy had a lot of good-natured lyrics on this album, but as longtime listeners of him know, the good lyrics are never far away from the cringy. Songs like "Shame", "Halo", and "Ghost" include Kindergarten lyrics such as, "I got a lot of tattoos and a lot of cash too/And my car brand new, skrrt skrrt, vroom vroom", "Bought that girl a skirt and then I bought that girl a bag/ Skrrt skrrt skrrt, Tracy pulled up in a Jag", and "Porsche truck speedin' down the avenue/Skrrt skrrt skrrt skrrt, right past you (skrrt)". While the song "Tight Rope" included the unfortunate imagery of Tracy, "Bust[ing] a nut on her face/Then I threw out the cape cause that b**** can't be saved".
Overall, I was not as impressed at this album, as I wanted to be, or thought I would be. Prior to listening to Anarchy, I expected more tracks to be similar to Sinner in that you could tell that each song came right from the heart. "I swear I'ma lose my mind if I lose anyone else/I'll dig em out he grave if I could", and "They say they want the old me, but I'm on some new sh**" showed the conscious change in music style Tracy was going through, however he still managed to hold onto classic Tracy cringe. In the end, I will still support Tracy and will still look forward to new releases by him. But I cannot listen to this album on repeat, or say that it was some of his best work. For the amount of time and effort that was dedicated to this album, and how long this album was promoted for, I'm let down that it only earned a 4.5 out of 10. As a fan of Lil Tracy, I would pick this album up on vinyl, but I wouldn't see myself playing it very often.
