Reviews

42 Dugg & EST Gee “Last Ones Left” Album Review

Last Ones Left

42 Dugg & EST Gee

  • Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
  • Release Date: 2022-04-08
  • Explicitness: explicit
  • Country: USA
  • Track Count: 20
  • CMG/Warlike/Interscope Records; ℗ 2022 CMG/Interscope Records

Last Ones Left, the new team-up LP from 42 Dugg and EST Gee, is not a particularly ambitious record. Instead, it’s a study in chemistry. On the album, Dugg and Gee both talk street shit over hard Midwest-style beats, and it’s fun to hear them bounce these tracks back and forth.

While the two rappers might have a lot in common, their voices are nothing alike, so the album gets a lot of mileage out of the contrast between Dugg’s high-pitched nasal squeak and Gee’s deep grumble.

There’s no evidence that these guys are chasing any pop crossover while listening to Last Ones Left. Instead, this is a total mixtape-style release. There are tons of collaborations on the album, but Dugg and Gee both have solo tracks. The rappers who make guest appearances are mostly fellow underground standouts like BIG30 and Tae Money.

Album Cover Artwork

The two rappers appear in the artwork for this album. Headshot photographs of both rappers are merged into one photo of them both put side by side with each other. Another prominent feature that cannot be missed is the splash of expensive jewellery.

On their necks, ice. Also on the ice were their names written. The ostentation sure matches the confidence smeared on their looks as they announce to everyone that they are the Last Ones Left.

Songs & Features

Starting the party with “Ice Talk”, as the song title suggests, EST and 42 brag about their achievements, expensive weapons, and flashy lifestyles. They also pride themselves on being incomparable to rappers out there. Not quite the catchy tune here.

“Thump Shit” continues the braggadocio, going on and on about their possessions and promiscuous doings. There’s some talk about violence on this one. The rappers could undoubtedly do better. Great beat, anyway.

On “I Never Judged You”, they both stick to their slick talk script and reflect on some personal issues, the loss of loved ones, and the need to stay focused on chasing the bag. Even with the emo talk, the record still gives blandness.

“Spin”, “Skcretch Sum” and “Free The Shiners” all have the same slick talk theme, filled with pill talk, their sexual rendezvous with women and then some more bragging, while on “All 100s” they express their diehard love for money and their motivation to get to the bag. “All my life, I wanted to get money”, a line in the chorus goes—an uninteresting track.

The rappers bring in their first collab on the project in the eighth track, “Whole Gang Buss”, which includes 42 Cheez, Reaper and Tae Money. The featured guests only join in the slick talk, rapping about the many women they’ve run through—poor delivery.

Big 30 and EST Zo join the rappers on “Free Zoski”, supposedly dedicated to an incarcerated friend of theirs. But funnily enough, they end up talking about violence throughout the song. Pretty unimpressive.

“Can’t be Fucked With”, “My Yungin”, “Everybody Shooters Too”, and “Who Hotter Than Gee” share the same obvious theme of violence, promiscuity, and…you guessed it, more bragging, becoming very unnecessary at this point. It’s like telling the same story over and over. After that, it gets boring like the rest of the songs in this project.

Other featured guests on the 17-track album include EST DeMike and EST Red. Not their best studio effort, but they get an E at least.

Tracklist

No Title Artist Time
1 Free The Shiners 42 Dugg & EST Gee 2:09
2 Everybody Shooters Too 42 Dugg & EST Gee 1:55
3 Who Hotter Than Gee EST Gee 2:15
4 Ice Talk 42 Dugg & EST Gee 2:31
5 Thump Shit 42 Dugg & EST Gee 3:46
6 I Never Judged You 42 Dugg & EST Gee 1:54
7 Spin 42 Dugg & EST Gee 2:21
8 Skcretch Sum 42 Dugg & EST Gee 2:25
9 Free The Shiners 42 Dugg & EST Gee 2:05
10 All 100s 42 Dugg & EST Gee 2:11
11 Whole Gang Buss (feat. 42 Chee 42 Dugg 2:13
12 Free Zoski (feat. BIG30 & EST EST Gee 2:23
13 Can’t Be Fucked With 42 Dugg & EST Gee 1:46
14 My Yungin 42 Dugg & EST Gee 2:17
15 Everybody Shooters Too 42 Dugg & EST Gee 1:52
16 Who Hotter Than Gee EST Gee 2:15
17 Of Course (feat. Tae Money) 42 Dugg 1:55
18 Never Scared (feat. EST Gee) EST DeMike 2:22
19 Strictly For The Gangstas EST Red 1:46
20 Gave It Back (feat. Tae Money) 42 Dugg & EST Gee 2:14

Album Theme

Nothing to see here but slick talk and more slick talk. It would appear that 42 Dugg and EST Gee just wanted to make a “flex” album when they decided to come together for this project.

Production Credits

Holding down the album’s products include the following producers: Antt Beatz, Audiovista, Big Papito, Chi Chi, David Morse, DJ Swift, Duce.6x, Enrgy Beats, Flex on the Beat, FOREVEROLLING, Helluva Beats, Isaiah Brown, Jared Brown, JB Sauced Up, John Gotitt, MIA JAY C, MOZ, Ronnie Lucciano, Saintkeys, Section 8, Spiff Sinatra, Tax Holloway, TyMaz & VenoTheBuilder

Stream

Back to top button