YoungBoy Never Broke Again's fourth official studio album, The Last Slimeto, was announced as his last full-length for Atlantic Records, and the rapper hinted that it might be his final album, period. He reportedly declined a $25 million offer to renew his Atlantic contract, citing lack of respect for its artists, and asked to be released from the label along with
Meek Mill, who had similar issues with the company. After issuing a song titled "Purge Me,"
YoungBoy announced that he would be putting out a surprise mixtape named
Realer 2. A day after it was originally planned to drop, the tape first surfaced on YouTube, then appeared on streaming services the next day, with Atlantic listed in the copyright field. After the eclectic 30-track monster The Last Slimeto, this one seems relatively low-key, with most of the tracks being either aggressive, unhinged ragers or more introspective cuts reflecting on his relationships and his path to success. The only guest is Jazlyn MyChelle, the mother of one of
YoungBoy's children, who duets on the most R&B-influenced track, "Poppin Shit." In general,
YoungBoy doesn't do much on this release that he hasn't already done several times before, making this strictly of interest to his devoted fan base. Following a mid-week release and a lower-ranking debut,
Realer 2 reached number six in its second week on the Billboard 200. ~ Paul Simpson