WHITING, Indiana. – At 11:00 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020, people clamored to get their first chance to hear the long-anticipated release from rapper, singer, and songwriter A Boogie wit da Hoodie (a.k.a., A Boogie). The official release date for A Boogie’s album, “Artist 2.0” was Friday, Feb. 14.

His debut album, Artist, came out in 2014. The album featured other big names like Lil Uzi Vert–whose project Eternal Atake is soon to be released–Khalid, Trap Manny, Gunna, Young Thug, Roddy Ricch, and DaBaby.

The Bronx native writes songs about love, heartbreak, gang life, torture, and sadness. On this new release, A Boogie includes 20 tracks that explore stories of love, drama, hope, and tragedy.

I gave the album a quick listen, and three tracks that stand out immediately are “Hit ‘Em Up” featuring Trap Manny, “Reply” featuring Lil Uzi Vert, and “Streets Don’t Love You.”

These songs evoke an emotional response in the listener. They stand out in their quality, lyrics, flow, and message.

“Hit ‘Em Up” up is the type of song that warns people that “street life” comes with consequences. The track opens with arpeggios on a classsical guitar and reverb-laden vocal cries before a heavy, melodic bass line drops with soft piano chord accompaniment. A Boogie’s flow in the song is smooth, concise, and lyrical: “You know how we pulling up….We might not be big, but you can’t fight no bullets, so don’t try to bully us.” The track blends rap and R&B, as in these lines: “They call me a singer, I’m rapping with melodies, n****, like, na-na-na, na-na / And I’m a bread winner, yeah, n****, so I’m stacking my cheddar up, up, up / You know how we pullin’ up, yeah, n****, you know how we—”

In “Reply,” A Boogie and Lil Uzi Vert tell a story in which they are waiting on a reply from a woman that seems to only love them for their riches and popularity. The song reminds listeners of times when they’ve made a call or sent a text to someone they are into. But they wait, not knowing if the other person is into them: “Yeah, but if I (But if I) / If I write you, girl, tell me, would you reply? (Would you reply?) / You know I used to be a thief up in the night (Yeah, yeah) / And you don’t want that type of guy in your life / But what if I put on a disguise for the night? (Yeah, yeah)”

In the track, “Streets Don’t Love You,” A Boogie weaves a sad tale about a boy that lives a street life and loses everything, including his own life: “But then he seen his moms laid out on the floor / He dropped down to his knees, head high to the Lord / Ain’t the type to cry, but his mom, he really loved / Tears from his eyes dropped beside of the blood / He wishin’ it won’t hurt, but he cried ’cause it does / Then he put his own pump right to his mouth.

He sings this lyric powerfully. Many like me feel the character’s remorse and sadness, some even shed a tear. I couldn’t imagine something this tragic happening to me, but it happens to someone everyday, which A Boogie reminds us.

You can find A Boogie’s latest release, “Artist 2.0,” on Spotify, YouTube, iTunes, among others.