Miami rap duo
City Girls had to overcome some serious obstacles on the way to second studio album
City on Lock. The two friends had moved quickly from recording a one-off diss track for fun to collaborating with
Drake and
Cardi B, their audacious throwback Miami rap sound landing them a deal with Quality Control Music. As they were releasing their first widely available recordings in 2018, however, one of the
City Girls was facing jail time for credit card fraud charges and the other was the target of a drive-by shooting. They both survived, reuniting on the other side of these hardships with even more energy, attitude, and confrontational spark on the 15 tracks that make up
City on Lock. The album stays mostly in one gear for its duration: slow-burning, bass-heavy party bangers. Minimal production focuses on old-school 808 programming, with plenty of space for rappers JT and
Yung Miami to spit lyrics about getting money and disregarding haters. "Jobs" is one of the strongest examples of
City Girls at their best, with a slick and simmering groove and both rappers flowing with superhuman confidence. Several guest stars show up, including
Yo Gotti,
Lil Durk,
Lil Baby on the woozy "Flewed Out" and
Doja Cat on the hooky and raw "Pussy Talk." Sex, money, and power are the main subjects of focus on
City on Lock, but there's also an underlying sense of the deep friendship shared by the two rappers. Closing track "Ain't Sayin Nothing" in particular speaks to the struggles the friends overcame and the loyalty that grew between them by living through tough times. The moments of tenderness are brief and understated, though, with the majority of
City on Lock delivering amped-up, belligerent fun. ~ Fred Thomas