G Herbo – “PTSD”

“Oh, you just like us, they robbed you of your innocence, huh?” – “Intro” by G Herbo. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health disorder where a person has difficulty recovering after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event, and it can last for months or years. G Herbo explained that after seeking therapy to work through his upbringing and lifestyle he was inspired to make an album that expanded and raised awareness about the mental health issues people raised in high-crime neighborhoods go through. On February 28, 2020 Herb released his latest studio album PTSD, which is 14 tracks long and details some of the trials and tribulations he faced growing up.

            “Intro” is the first song on the album, starting off strong. I personally liked how he rapped straight through without a hook. It was reminiscent of his older song “4 Minutes of Hell,” which gave me a hopeful outlook on the rest of the album. The next few songs had great lyricism and storytelling, but Herb didn’t flow right on the beat to me. It sounded like he had the songs already written out, but his producer had a different type of beat, so he just tried to make it work.

In an interview with HipHop DX, G Herbo stated “We’re so immune to a lot of this stuff that goes on in the inner city with like violence, going to jail and all that kind of [stuff] that we don’t know that we suffer from these mental health issues. I’m a product of that. I saw my first murder at nine years old.” The title track “PTSD” featuring Chance the Rapper, Lil Uzi Vert and the late Juice WRLD, expanded upon this statement and picked the album back up with the story that each artist provided. It showcased different perspectives while maintaining the same theme of dealing with mental health struggles from their life experiences. The track also became Herb’s first ever Billboard Hot 100 song, peaking at #38 on the chart. Both Herb and Polo G (who is another Chicago native) held their own on “Lawyer Fees.” Their delivery was organic and you really felt what they were saying.

Many people, news channels, and blogs often describe cities like Chicago as crime-ridden, terrible places that need to be fixed, but often in this same process overlook and ignore the feelings and needs of the people that actually live there. On this album Herb gave a first account of what it is like for someone right in the midst of it. Someone who faced many difficult situations and tough decisions daily at young age, many of which most adults could not handle, which I truly commend him for.

I believe that this album was much better than his last album Swervo because while listening to it I was able to feel the lyrical effort and emotion put into it by G Herbo. But at the same time, in my opinion Herb still needs to look for better beats and producers that work well with him in the future because that’s what hindered a few of the songs on this album.

Favorite Tracks: “Intro” and “Lawyer Fees”

Rating: 8.5/10