“I can’t believe this pussy n**** tryna beef about this hoe. This a freak, this ain’t yo hoe. You ain’t street, boy. You a hoe.”
These are lyrics to the track “Pull Dat Cash Out,” the fourth track of Trouble’s debut studio album Edgewood, released Friday, March 23rd.
If you’ve ever followed the Trouble, you know the raw, unfiltered content that comes with his lyrics has always been apart of his persona.
Much like his breakout hit “Bussin,” which was the hit off his first ever tape, December 17th, back in 2011, Trouble has never been shy to display the product his environment has turned him into. The only difference now is that he’s major.
Being that Trouble singed to Mike WiLL Made-It’s Ear Drummer Records earlier this month and being that Edgewood was also executively produced by Mike WiLL, as you can imagine, the Atlanta product had all the resources he needed at his disposal.
The 16-track album has features from Drake, Quavo, The Weeknd, Boosie Badazz, and Fetty Wap. Add in some stellar mixing and mastering as only you can imagine Mike WiLL would demand, plus Trouble held his own the entire time too.
Titled after the East Atlanta hood the raised him, Edgewood shows off Trouble’s storytelling ability, song-making talent and, of course, his raw, to-the-bone authenticity.
The addition of Mike WiLL elevates what makes Trouble great. It’s what we saw in 2011’s December 17th and in his 2016 project Skoobzilla — a passion and thoroughness that can’t be denied. It’s part of the reason Mike WiLL signed him in the first place. In a statement to Complex, he details what caught his eye.
“I’ve been watching his grind for years now, since we were young as fuck, coming up in Atlanta on the music scene, trying to make something out of nothing. Trouble is the only person from the city who’s going to give you that raw, pure, honest, real rap, mixed with originality, new flavor, new flows and new lingo. He has the grind, work ethic, and dedication to back it up and the city knows.”
In a city that’s highly competitive with new talent exploding every season, for someone who’s been in the game since 2011 to make a statement album in 2018 says a lot.
Trouble’s scruffy, aggressive flow and his imagery play well against Mike WiLL’s ear for instrumentals. It gives them both versatility and a range of moods to go between. You get anthems, motivational joints, party songs and of course the classic trap vibes.
Despite the big name features, some go the best tracks are stand alone Trouble joints.
“My Boy” and “Kesha Dem” are perfect examples of Trouble showing why he deserves a max contract. From the hooks to the verses, he shows he can bring character to a song as well as making a song thats sellable.
You’re not going to see many albums this well put together with Trouble’s story. He and Mike WiLL bring Edgewood to life and it’s definitely worth a spin.