Jeezy - Pressure

The Guardian 60

(YJ/Def Jam/CTE)

The one-time Young Jeezy travelled the familiar path from street cocaine dealer to successful rapper, and can’t stop banging on about it. “Two hundred fifty one grams in this one plastic, now it’s Avión and champagne,” the Snowman boasts on opening track, Spyder. Now he’s 40 and it’s a well-worn routine, but he has clearly put enough kudos in the bank to call in A-list guests for this eighth album. Diddy (credited with his old name Puff Daddy) is somewhere in the old-skool brag Bottles Up. Rick Ross and Trey Songz drop in, although American Dream leaves Jeezy struggling to keep up with J Cole and Kendrick Lamar’s more current sounding state-of-the-Trump-nation address.

At times, there’s just too much going on – voices, gunshots, revving cars, orchestrations – although D Rich and co’s big, crunchy grooves and one or two fine tunes (notably Snow Season and Cold Summer, featuring Tee Grizzley) cut through, ensuring that Jeezy won’t be returning to the old job.