After months of teasing and speculation, and only a few days to prepare after the announcement, the JACKBOYS collab album is finally here! Released on December 27th, 2019, this 7-track record is a team-up of rappers Travis Scott, Sheck West, and Don Toliver (all part of Scott’s label Cactus Jack Records). The lineup is indeed promising, so let’s see how they all performed!
Before getting into the intro track, properly titled “INTRO,” we are given a remix to Travis Scott’s “Highest In The Room” track featuring Spanish musician ROSALÍA and rapper Lil Baby. The Spanish feature caught us off guard at first but added a nice flair, which Lil Baby promptly picked up and finished off with. Immediately after, we hear a nice intro track which funnels into “GANG GANG” (the third track).
As it begins, “GANG GANG” has a mysterious sound, but once the drums kick in, it definitely picks up. Unfortunately, Sheck Wes has a bit of a rocky start, but Travis Scott is able to help the track recover. This sets the table for Don Toliver, who makes sure to keep the track lively with his quick bars and appealing autotune. Sheck Wes is able to pick it back up, allowing Luxury Tax to finish off nicely.
The album continues to keep the energy up with “HAD ENOUGH,” giving Don Toliver the chance to shine brightly on a WondaGurl produced beat. Offset and Quavo are also a great addition to the track and allow it to close off nicely. “OUT WEST feat. Young Thug” steals the show on this one though. Hearing Travis Scott and Young Thug back together on a track is not only a great feeling, but the nasty production from Buddah Bless & Jabz helps bring it up to an 11. Travis obviously does his thing on this one, always going in when he’s on a track with Thug. Unfortunately, “WHAT TO DO” follows and strays away from the hard, gritty sound of the album.
While the energy was “built-up” with the first 5 tracks on the album, “WHAT TO DO” slows everything down and sounds a bit off. It kind of belongs on a solo Don Toliver tape rather than a collab album. Nevertheless, Don Toliver does an excellent job on it, and Travis Scott’s singing is bearable. The outro is also a highlight of the track, with an excellent violin helping to back it up. Even though that track was a “misstep” on the album, the final track “GATTI feat. Pop Smoke” keeps the energy at an all-time high. Pop Smoke’s performance is stellar, with his deep and raspy voice keeping everything exciting and slightly mimicking Jim Jones. Travis Scott does a good job on the track as well, but he doesn’t overshadow Pop Smoke’s presence and adds strength to his introduction.
This new collab album between Travis Scott, Sheck Wes, and Don Toliver is pretty good. Although the “Highest In The Room (Remix)” is pretty average, tracks like “DIRTY feat. Young Thug” and “GATTI feat. Pop Smoke” more than make up for it. The only thing that drags the album down (somewhat) is its length. The album doesn’t overstay its welcome, but it still leaves more to be desired by the listener. Nevertheless, it is still a good album as well as a great way to close out the year.
Rate: 7/10
Do you agree with our review of the new JACKBOYS collab album? What was your favorite track from this tape? Who do you think did the best job? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comment section. If you want to stay updated on album releases, make sure to follow our Instagram @audiblwav. We have a whole bunch of content over there for you, including concert videos, daily song suggestions, and more. Check it out and don’t miss out!