Jeezy “I Might Forgive… But I Don’t Forget” Album Review

I Might Forgive… But I Don’t Forget

Jeezy

• Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
• Date: 03 Nov, 2023
• Content: cleaned
• Track(s): 29
• ℗ 2023 CTE New World, Distributed by Stem

Rap legend, Jeezy, makes a significant statement with his first independent release, a gripping double album he has dubbed, “I Might Forgive…But I Don’t Forget.”

This is a watershed point in Jeezy’s career because it is the first release under his own label, CTE New World. By being divided into two, “I Might Forgive… But I Don’t Forget” improves its ability to navigate across a variety of subject matters while maintaining themes that let songs work together in spite of their disparities.

The first half is barely memorable, with a few tracks that run somewhat parallel, while the second half is more often emotional thematically. Although the concept of a fully solo Jeezy album is fantastic, it isn’t all love and rainbows as Jeezy intentionally threw in a few extra tracks, bloating the record while experimenting with the pacing.

Album Cover Art

For his new album cover, Jeezy uses an antique-esque portrait of his childhood picture in which he flashes an innocent smile, head slightly tilted, as he poses for a shot.

Tracks and Features

In “Shine On Me,” Jeezy expresses his continued success, and in “No Complaining,” he either acts modest or boasts about his accomplishments and finds satisfaction in another healthy morning. Despite its somewhat humble lyrics, Jeezy utilizes “No Complaining” as a foundation to feel outdated in comparison to his current self.

In the song “This Too Shall Pass,” he names-drops incidents while rapping on maintaining an optimistic attitude and chin up in the face of hardship. However, not everything followed in that direction.

The catchy Trap beats of “Never Had A Bad Day In My Life” and “Couldn’t Lose If I Tried,” produced by Ricky Polo and CuBeatz, respectively, feel squandered as Jeezy reiterates excess, women, materialism, and reinforcing his successful status. In all honesty, some of these tracks feel like they could have been cut down into a much shorter album.

You’ll imminently discover in “Delusional” just how much tenderness lies beneath Jeezy’s hard demeanor. Furthermore, listening to tracks like “Claim to Fame,” “Since Pac Died,” and “Never Been a Fan,” which bring together boom-bap and trap, feels like traveling back in time to the mid-2000s, when Jeezy was at the pinnacle of expressive emotionalism. His tone and rhythm captivate you more than the slick talk.

Both album halves have compelling beginnings and ends, but the second half seemed more cohesive and contained less digressions to keep Jeezy feeling relevant and up-to-date in spite of all that he has experienced. All of this builds to a jaw-dropping closer that both shows empathy for people who have harmed him and keeps Jeezy’s money on the important things. “No Choice” focuses on Jeezy’s steps to achieve success in light of the younger generation of hip-hop artists distancing themselves from the older demographic.

Tracklist

NO	TITLE	TIME
1	I Might Forgive	3:08
2	My Name	2:36
3	No Complaining	3:06
4	They Don’t Love Me	3:40
5	Trust No One	2:44
6	Sad	2:41
7	Couldn’t Lose If I Tried	2:44
8	Rewrite History	2:31
9	Never Had a Bad Day In My Life	2:51
10	This Too Shall Pass	2:18
11	Don’t Deserve Me	2:34
12	If I’m Being Honest	2:15
13	Don’t Cheat	3:33
14	Shine On Me	2:38
15	Keep the Change	3:28
16	Delusional	4:19
17	Nothin to Prove	2:40
18	Titanic	2:46
19	Everything About Me Is True	2:43
20	Expectations	2:39
21	Claim to Fame	3:07
22	What I Gotta Do	3:27
23	My Intentions	3:13
24	Never Be a Fan	3:05
25	Sade	2:54
26	Don’t Let Up	2:24
27	Since Pac Died	2:42
28	Free Champagne	3:14
29	No Choice	4:29

Album Theme

Jeezy explores the individuals and events that have influenced his life, providing an insight into the factors that have shaped him on both a personal and professional level. Following the publication of his New York Times bestseller memoir, “Adversity for Sale,” Jeezy sought therapy to help him make sense of his experiences and figure out how to move ahead.

With “I Might Forgive…But I Don’t Forget,” Jeezy shares with his audience his message of resilience, using his own experiences as an illustration of personal development and healing.

Production Credits

April 4th, ATL Jacob, B.A.M., Bryan Jarrett, CasperDoltAgain, C$D Sid, CuBeatz, DB, DopeBoyzMuzic, Franklin Rodriguez, FRDMade, Hendrix Smoke, Joe Stanley, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, KXVI, Macshooter, Paola Barba, Ricky Polo, Solt Boy, TajBeats, TM88, TripiLz & Vincent Macauly produced the double album.

Stream