The internet is ablaze with speculations surrounding the potentially miraculous academic prowess of one of the newest members of the rap music scene, Lil Pump. Google searches and forum threads are brimming with one question about Lil Pump — did the 18-year-old rapper actually turn down an education from Harvard in order to pursue his dreams of fame, wealth and success?
In 2017, the rapper posted a tweet confirming the suspicions: “I REALLY DID DROP OUT OF HARVARD TO SAVE THE RAP GAME.” He includes this speculation as a part of his brand — Lil Pump, the rapper who selflessly left the world of academia to do the rap game a solid. The result of the popular reception of his Harvard dropout brand manifests itself in the title of Lil Pump’s second released album, called “Harverd Dropout.” Lil Pump did not actually go to Harvard, but his playful nature is evident in the way he presents himself.
The Feb. 22 release of “Harverd Dropout” kept many Lil Pump fans on their toes, as the release date was delayed several times after being originally set to come out in Aug. 2018. Lil Pump recently earned himself a spot on the rap music radar with his first album “Lil Pump” in 2017 and rose to fame after his song “Gucci Gang” went viral. Fans and young adults seem to be enthralled by the rapper’s obsession with partying and money. The subject matter of “Harverd Dropout” does not stray far from this precedent.
The end product does not prove to have been worth the wait, at least for those who seek out rap music that is interesting to listen to. It is unclear what Lil Pump is attempting to accomplish with the release of this album. The bulk of the album does not boast any clever lyrics or include captivating beats, and most of the songs are only around two minutes long. Most of the tracks are indistinguishable from each other and offer an only slightly appealing bassline. Despite a lineup of star features such as Kanye West, Offset, Quavo, Lil Uzi Vert and Lil Wayne, the album doesn’t match the more groundbreaking creations of this group.
The rapper self-promoted his newly released album by captioning a recent Instagram post “IM MOST LYRICAL RAPPER OF ALL TIME” — omitting “the.” However, the content of “Harverd Dropout” is far from lyrical and ends up coming off as shallow, dull and materialistic.
The album’s first song, “Drop Out,” features lyrics such as “I been poppin’ pills, sippin’ drank all night” and “Dropped out, and I ain’t never had a job / Dropped out, knew I was gonna be a star.” The track “Be Like Me” featuring Lil Wayne boasts, “Everybody wanna be like me / Spent 2k last week on a white tee / Everybody wanna be like me / Dropped 10k on my Gucci bedsheets” and “I’m a millionaire, but I don’t know how to read (nope).” “Drug Addicts” asserts that “Everybody in my gang is drug addicts.” Perhaps the least lyrical song was “Vroom Vroom Vroom,” where Lil Pump brags about driving an expensive car with women in it.
Lil Pump released 7 of the album’s 16 songs as singles prior to the album’s full release. “I Love It,” featuring rapper Kanye West and a sample from comedian Adele Givens, is the most likable and unique song on the album. However, the success of the song cannot be attributed to Lil Pump’s contribution. Adele Givens opens the song with a sample from a comedy piece she performed in 1992 talking about women being more open about what they want sexually. In a Billboard interview with Givens about “I Love It,” Givens stated that she was excited when Kanye — not Lil Pump — reached out to her about doing the song.
The issue with Lil Pump is his attempt to exude superiority. While it was a smart marketing decision to snowball off of the fake Harvard dropout persona because people found it amusing, his entire existence is fabricated. He is not as lyrical as he claims to be and his songs only reference his lavish lifestyle. Lil Pump’s financial success and popularity indicates something is seemingly going right — but the reality is a far cry from lyrical greatness.
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