Swervo is G Herbo’s sophomore album with one of the elite trap music producers, Southside. In a world where gangster rap is noted for its lyrical bankruptcy, G Herbo’s lyrical finesse makes him standout from the crowd of other rappers. This is probably one of the reasons he was described as “The Future” by Drake. Southside can only be described as the godfather of trap producers. He has worked with top rappers and trap artists with his producer tag, “Southside,” as a symbol of his presence on several tracks.
G Herbo begins the album with the a burst of energy on “Some Nights.” He goes on a roll with his lyrics as he finds rhythm with the piano keys in the production. Complementing Southside’s masterful beat on “Swervo,” he keeps the track engaging with his attention-grabbing hook, and creative ad-libs. The 21-year-old,and 21 Savage take a trip down memory lane on “How I Grew Up.” They both talk about selling drugs, running from the police, and hustling while growing up. Unlike the adrenaline rush that comes with his lyrics on “FoReal,” his lyrics on “Tweakin (head)” are patchy.
Herbo’s flow is uptempo. This is why his rhythm with Southside’s production on this album is pretty surprising. His flow goes a little beat faster than the beat, but not too fast that it makes the record sound like a riot of different sounds. However, this style fails him on “Pac n Dre,” and “Bonjour,” making his lyrics sound clumsy. Sometimes, creative accidents appear beautiful to the audience, however when the accident becomes more obvious than the creativity, it is extremely obvious. His collaboration with Young Thug on “100 Sticks” triggers a reaction that goes beyond bobbing the head, or simply moving a part of the body. The combination of the ad-libs, hook, and flow both artists have together will trigger a party mood. It is arguably the most entertaining track on the album.
Unlike 21 Savage and Young Thug, Juice WRLD is more of an emo rap artist. This means he is more comfortable with downtempo beats than G Herbo is. On “Honestly,” G Herbo proves he can flow on any type of beat. The chemistry between both artists results in a beautiful trap record which features another side of the Chicagoan rapper on the album.“Letter” is another unique record. This is because he takes a break from rapping about guns, drugs, money, and fast cars, to focus on his role as a father and family man. He begins the song with lyrics like “I gotta change my ways/ Might as well start to watch what I say.” He sounds genuine about embracing his role as a family man as he focuses on providing for his family. He dedicates the outro of the song to other men who can relate with the words in his lyrics.
G Herbo is a unique artist. On Swervo, he matches Southsides top-notch production with his uptempo flow. An admirable piece on each song is his ad-libs. From Chief Keef, to Juice WRLD, he effortlessly flows with each guest artist even when has to switch to a more downtempo style to suit Juice WRLD’s, hook. There is something special in every collaboration. The issue many people have with drill rap is the consistency of the artist. The ability of the artist to consistently deliver creative lyrics, smooth hooks, and bring out the quality in every beat. This is what G Herbo has been able to achieve with this album.