The debut album from Florida's up-and-comer
Lil Poppa,
Blessed, I Guess, is another mixtape with the rapper blending understated storytelling, hedonistic boasts, and melody-heavy rap. Though occupying a similar lane as his sung/rapped contemporaries,
Poppa puts himself ahead of the pack with his potent songwriting. On "Can't Say," he imagines a better future without stray bullets and racists, on "Boys to Men" he's navigating the bittersweet realities of street success. The production talents of Drum Dummie, Ant Chamberlain, and LuhKim help carry the project to conflicted heights, while
Toosii proves a cockier foil to the introspective "2AM Flights." While still somewhat glued to the mixtape format,
Blessed, I Guess is a conflicted, compelling release from the Jacksonville MC. ~ David Crone