– Written by John Makela –

Last Friday, “It’s Us Vol.1” dropped, a record coming from rap collective CONCRETE BOYS. The group consists of five extreme talents; Lil Yachty, Draft Day, Camo!, DC2Trill, and KARRAHBOOO. The collaboration put together 47 minutes of music that will leave you with a perpetual stank face. 

Lil Yachty’s run is not stopping! He along with Karrahbooo, Camo!, DC2Trill, and Draft Day came out with one of the hardest records this year! The combination of all their sounds work excellently, and really make every song fly by. 

The record dropped under the label Concrete Reckordz, a label started by Yachty representing all those inside Concrete Boys. The Concrete Boys first made their jump onto the scene with the debut single, “Mo Jams”, in December 2023. 

Now let’s talk about the members. The team was formed by Yachty and consists of specifically Georgia rappers (with the exemption of DC2Trill) that have worked with Yachty in the past. 

Lil Yachty, what more is there to say? A veteran in the game at this point, and one has been in the spotlight since the 2023 release of Let’s Start Here. Yachty’s growth as an artist has been insane, experimenting outside the bounds of conventions. This new album is a reflection of all of his previous projects being put together into one masterful tribute to his Atlanta roots. 

Karrahbooo, a unique member of Concrete Boys. She has a very unique style, which although sounding monotone brings a lot to each track. Her animated but relaxed flow that brought so much to each song she was on. She is most well known for her single Running Late. 

Draft Day brings a fresh and dynamic flow. His hard-hitting bars and raspy voice creates one of the most unique and underappreciated sounds. The energy he brings is truly unmatched. This is seen in his previous work, highlighted in songs like Close 2 The Sun; How Far Will I Go; and his newest album DRAFT IN 4TH. 

Camo! serves as straight bars for the group. Where he lacks in experimentality is made up for in his inherent ability to put words together. He stays true to the sound of Atlanta rap, and he makes it work better than most. A song of his that best encapsulates this style is titled FLAGE GONE MAD, a non-stop barfest with a crazy ass beat. 

DC2Trill is a soundcloud rapping veteran. His first album on Soundcloud released 2018 titled Drought Season 2, however his first single PassAround predates this by three years. His sound from these songs are still prevalent in his rapping in It’s Us Vol. 1, but the experience has definitely improved. He stands out on the record and adds to the masterful collaboration beautifully. He is also notably the only member of the group from Port Arthur, Texas. 

Each member has shown endless capability individually, however this album showed the crazy potential for the future of the group. Now let’s talk about the record itself. 

I loved it, it was fresh, fun, and had everything I’d want from an album of this nature. Everything felt fun, you could genuinely tell that they enjoyed making this album. Shoutout to Yachty for bringing this supergroup of unlikely together because these sounds working together is truly one of a kind. 

A few tracks that really stood out to me on this album were; MY LIFE; ON THE RADAR CONCRETE CYPHER; and DIALED IN. These songs made me stank face to the bone. These tracks to me were peak, and are already among my contenders for song of the year. To put it simply, these tracks were exciting. 

This album is a promising start for the Concrete Boys. Yachty has produced a team of highly talented musicians and the potential is genuinely limitless. The future for this group is almost hard to imagine, and this album proved that.