Rich Slave

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The title of Young Dolph's <i>Rich Slave</i> instantly sets up a kind of duality that directly confronts the legacy of racism and capitalism central to America. Dolph's catalog is filled with songs that hinge on self-made narratives about how he got to the money by any means necessary, and this album is no exception. But under the provocation of its name, such themes feel more contradictory than ever. Tracks like “I See $'s” and “Death Row” contrast wealth with misery or at least an ongoing ambivalence about the true costs of financial succe. Even when the lyrics are at their most triumphant (“Used to sign for the pack, now I sign T-shirts and posters/Drop 500 racks to drop the top on that new roadster” as on “Hold Up Hold Up Hold Up”), the rapper's matter-of-fact cadence sounds as if he's unfazed. That tension comes to a head on “The Land,” which makes explicit the wages of being Black in America, wealthy or not, and on the title track: “All them diamond chain, he look like a rich slave.” .

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

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