Destroy Lonely is an artist who unknowingly wears his heart on his sleeve. Brash and blunt, the Opium rapper’s catalog is filled with wavy anthems and lustful rhymes that breed gated vulnerability that he’s unwilling to unlock. The more you pry, though, the more you begin to hear.
His sophomore album, LOVE LASTS FOREVER, is his commercial peak, debuting at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 and selling 35,000 first-week units. One would hope that with charting highs comes an evolution (sonically) in some way, and Lone surely achieves this on LLF. Gone are the grunge guitar-type beats that have plagued most of his early discography, this new world is vast, open and spacious — feeling like he’s been abducted to Mars only to come back to tell the tales of his travels.
Slivering synths and bells meet bombastic, booming 808s on LLF, matched with flex-rap verses that meld sounds of classic Atlanta and new wave rage. Lone teeters on the edge of the world and thrives, even if it feels hollow and barebones. It’s like a distant world, and Lone takes us there leaving If Looks Could Kill behind.
In the latest edition of RANKED, we look into Destroy Lonely’s new album ‘LOVE LASTS FOREVER’ to rank our Top 5 songs off the album.
Listen to ‘LOVE LASTS FOREVER’ below!
Honorable Mentions: “ABOUT MONEY,” “LOCK IN,” “SYRUP SIPPIN,” “SHIP HER OFF,” “HONESTLY”
5. CADILLAC
Somewhere in between grainy and atmospheric is a space that Lone loves to hop in and out of, and on “CADILLAC” he does it expertly. Gritted auto-tuned and warbled vocal chops make “CADILLAC” feel like a fever dream on first listen. It’s hypnotizing, much like how Lone raps — effortlessly sliding on the layered, intricate production fashioned by Lil88 and KP. “Jumped out the trap and I turned into a boss / Her p*ssy, just stepped on Voss” and “Two hundred ’round on my neck / I got the Cadillac sittin’ on my chest” are just a few of the flex-filled, salacious rhymes Lone rips off — strongly complementing one of the more thought-out and iridescent beats on the record. It’s a great replay; a quintessential yet elevated Destroy Lonely track begging for solo turn-ups on a night drive home.
4. NO WORRIES
Putting “NO WORRIES” at four was a tough task. This beat just SCREAMS stank face through classic, triumphant Atlanta melodies. Like DJ Esco injecting those hazy, fleeting bells on Future’s “100it Racks” or Metro Boomin laying down the infamous flute melodies that made “Mask Off” a hit, “NO WORRIES” gives off that type of nostalgic aura but brings it to a new era. If 2004 sounded like 2024, Destroy Lonely’s “NO WORRIES” is the epitome of channeling secret ATLIEN sauce. “Livin’ life no worries,” he jumps in with unabashed swagger, counting racks and calling out his Look Killa persona that is unable to fend off his vices: Money, women and drugs. Speaking of drugs, 88 put crack in this beat (alongside with JahDaGod and Taurus). It’s safe to say, I need more of this Lone.
3. THRILL (feat. Ken Carson)
Ah, yes. Ken and Lone are so back. Their ninth official collaboration as a duo, “THRILL,” sounds exactly as advertised. Like a flashback to your first amusement park ride, Ken Carson incites chaos (yet again) and makes way for moshes to run WILD with his opening verse. The chemistry between Lone and Ken is insurmountable, and after past collaborations on each others album’s like “money & sex,” “paranoid,” “singapore” and more, it’s about time this joint album happens. Forget Lil Uzi Vert and Playboi Carti, Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely fill the void the 16*29 duo left following their musical fallout (we say “musical fallout” since we don’t know the extent of Uzi and Carti’s personal relationship, based off of Uzi’s proximity and collaborations with both Opium superstars). “THRILL” is a thrill ride at all points, and one of the most explosive and ear-worming songs on LOVE LASTS FOREVER. The only question: Is this Lone and Ken’s best collab to date? You be the judge.
2. SAY THAT
“This ain’t a lifestyle, it’s just life,” Destroy Lonely tears off on the blitzing “SAY THAT,” which fumes with swirling, bubbly synths and unabashed personality from Lone. Much like on the intro “FOREVER,” distorted growls and warbled melodies make you feel like you’re riding shotgun in LOOK KILLA’s blacked out Range. “SAY THAT” reminds me of the energy and grittiness </3 brought to his sound, with his LLF elevating the song to euphoric proportions. As far as subject matter, Lone’s lifestyle isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s just life, and to him, “getting rich more than twice” is the motto to his madness. I went back and forth with a few honorable mentions for this spot, and ultimately, “SAY THAT” is one that stands out and sticks as one of Lone’s most dynamic, atmospheric efforts.
1. DOUBT IT
Paired with its striking music video, this might be one of Destroy Lonely’s most complete concepts and vulnerable tracks of his career. It might not sound like it through the airy, spacious bells and rumbling 808s (spearheaded by lil88, longtime collaborator Clayco and more), “DOUBT IT” has it all. Dripped in aura, the song is one of the major reasons why Lone’s latest achieved career-charting peaks this month (along with a pair of digital deluxe packs). Here, Lone breaks through the fourth wall, seemingly addressing to fans that he hears the online chatter and discourse (peep his Twitter as of late for more). “They want me to rap about my life, it’s what I do,” he tears off, looking in the mirror and letting the music speak for itself. It’s hard to say where “DOUBT IT” ranks amongst Lone’s single catalog, but dare I say it might crack a Top 10 song berth in his discography. Disagree? I doubt it.
“I’ve been goin’ through some things, but it’s a’ight / You know what they say, ‘More money, more problems‘ / Shawty sayin’ she got my back, I treat her right / She say she savin’ me, but sometimes I still doubt it.”