A Boogie Wit da Hoodie Me vs. Myself Review: An Artist at Odds with Himself

A Boogie Wit da Hoodie can turn the chilliest of insults into an earworm. “Last time we fucked, I wish I would’ve knew that it would be the last time/Girl, I would’ve fucked you like I had time” goes the breathless hook of “Last Time,” a vitriol-filled track from the Bronx rapper and singer’s fourth album, Me vs. Myself. Yet, even with an endless amount of bubbly vocal melodies at his disposal, A Boogie finds himself at a creative standstill throughout.

While the album’s title suggests a collection of songs rife with internal conflict, A Boogie—born Artist Julius Dubose—rarely seems comfortable delivering on that promise, save for a few sappy attempts like “Man in the Mirror”: “I looked at the man in the mirror, he was wearin’ a hoodie/I look at my shirt and that’s not what I’m wearin’.” In terms of a response to this distressing moment of disassociation, the best he can muster is to observe that “it’s scary.”

To his credit, A Boogie does provide a few glimmers of introspection on Me vs. Myself. “Water,” the sparsely arranged sequel to his 2017 breakout hit “Drowning,” finds him reminiscing about how his idol, 50 Cent, taught him “how to rob” before A Boogie was shipped off to Florida by his mother to “finish high school” while under house arrest. It’s the most compelling song on the album, and a stark contrast to the 21 mildly competent heartbreak anthems that surround it.

The rest of the material on Me vs. Myself isn’t so much bad as one-dimensional. Slick, inoffensive pieces of pop-rap like “Ballin’” and “Regular” have a few winning charms going for them, but their inclusions, along with tracks like the patronizing “Come Here,” suggest an artist who lacks the capacity to push himself out of his comfort zone or self-edit. In the end, A Boogie plays it too safe, and in the process, ultimately proves how accurate the album’s title really is.