Lil Tjay – Farewell

In sheer numerical terms Lil Tjay has come to define an entire corner of American rap music. The most-streamed rapper on Spotify this centuryhis melodic flows and ear for production has led to massive viral success. Blending his own artistic endeavours with a range of feature spots, Lil Tjay stands as an example of continual creativity leading to astute brand-building.

‘Farewell’ places a full stop against this era of his work. His final release on long-time home Columbia, it’s a sort-of-mixtape, and a sort-of-album – eight tracks, a plethora of guests, and plenty of fireworks. Unlike the gargantuan projects we’ve come to expect from the streaming era, ‘Farewell’ is minute, exact, and finessed – it’s all killer, no filler.

—

—

Pepped opener ‘Let It Go Baby’ is sheer Lil Tjay – the Bronx rapper hits all the right notes, his choppy flow set to word-play that is both vivacious and larger-than-life. ‘Told Ya’ is a club burner, while the rapper allows himself space to reflect on ‘Long Way From The Block’.

Keeping to a strict lane, ‘Farewell’ feels like an on-the-nose gesture, a self-aware summation of the trickery that has led to his rise. NLE Choppa guests on ‘Why’, while Polo G stops by on ‘Back To The Wall’ – the two recreating their ‘Pop Out’ partnership to vivid effect.

Ultimately, the success or failure of ‘Farewell’ comes down to whether you’re a Lil Tjay fan or not. There’s an increased generational divide in American rap audiences, between the resurgent Golden Age forces – Nas, LL Cool J, Common – and the slick moves of a Gen Z crowd. To many, Lil Tjay defines the latter – there’s talent under the chrome-plated hood, however, and by the time closer ‘Built Like A Soldier’ rings out, it’s hard to deny the man his worth. Sealing off this chapter, you wonder where he can take this next.

7/10

Words: Robin Murray