Shy Glizzy's first studio album, 2018's
Fully Loaded, came after years of mixtapes, singles, and performances that kept the industry buzzing about the D.C. rapper. The album was a star-studded affair, with features from
Rick Ross,
Young Thug,
Lil Uzi Vert, and many more helping push the album into the charts. Materializing less than a year after
Fully Loaded, second album
Covered N Blood is more streamlined, with
Shy Glizzy reflecting on loss, sex, and struggle over atmospheric and often melancholy beats. His delivery remains marked by a marble-mouthed voice that sometimes cracks in sharp, intentional articulation.
Covered N Blood is especially lonely feeling for a rap album, and not just due to
Glizzy being joined only by
YoungBoy Never Broke Again on "Bang Bang" and 3 Glizzy on "Oh Lord" -- a stark contrast to the feature-heavy
Fully Loaded. Much of the album finds
Glizzy in an isolated state of contemplation, remembering lost friends on multiple songs. He even manages to nod to the murder of hip-hop icon
Nipsey Hussle on "Ridin Down Slauson," even though the album was released just weeks after
Hussle's passing. Even at its most muscular and catchy,
Covered N Blood feels distant and tormented without ever resorting to sad-boy posturing. The darkness feels as real as the flexing, and
Shy Glizzy's pained lyrics make for a captivating and sometimes chilling album. ~ Fred Thomas