''I Rest My Case'' is the fifth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by American rapper

YoungBoy Never Broke Again Kentrell DeSean Gaulden (born October 20, 1999), known professionally as YoungBoy Never Broke Again (also known as NBA YoungBoy or simply YoungBoy), is an American rapper. Between 2015 and 2017, he released eight independent mixtapes and steadi ...

. It was released on January 6, 2023, through

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and

Never Broke Again Never Broke Again (also known as Never Broke Again, LLC), often abbreviated as NBA, is a record label imprint from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, founded by American rapper Kentrell "YoungBoy Never Broke Again" Gaulden, Rodrick "OG3Three" Jeanpierre an ...

. It features production from YoungBoy's in-house engineer, Jason "Cheese" Goldberg, alongside D-Roc, DJ Trebble, Dmac, Kid Krazy, Powers Pleasant, TnTXD, Wayv and Yo Benji. It is YoungBoy's first studio project with Motown since signing with the label in October 2022 following the completion of his contract with

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

earlier that year.

Release and promotion

''I Rest My Case'' was first announced by YoungBoy Never Broke Again through his official

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page in December 2022, where he stated that an album would be released in January. Despite the album initially being titled ''Black'', through YoungBoy's Amp radio show, he stated that the album's name would be changed to ''I Rest My Case''. Weeks later, YoungBoy's label Never Broke Again revealed the album's initial cover art, however, it received backlash from supporters. Days later, a new cover art was announced which received much more support.

Singles

"Top Girls", "Black", "I Love YB Skit", and "Groovy" were all released as

promotional singles A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...

on January 4, 2023, prior to the album's official tracklist being announced.

Critical reception

Robin Murray from '' Clash'' stated that "YoungBoy Never Broke Again is an unrelenting force in Stateside trap music." Continuing his review, Murray noted that "dealing with fatherhood and responsibility, it pushes his almost punk-like energy in a different direction." Concluding his review, Murray wrote, "An album of subtle progress, 'I Rest My Case' could prove to be his definitive work." Jason Lipshutz from ''

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'' stated that, "YoungBoy generally gets more discerning and ferocious with every new project, and ''I Rest My Case'' is one of his strongest full-lengths to date."

Track listing

Personnel

– vocals * Jason "Cheese" Goldberg – mastering, mixing * Khris "XO" James –

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References

{{Authority control 2023 albums YoungBoy Never Broke Again albums