South Florida’s most notorious “Super Gremlin” Kodak Black is Back For Everything on his fourth official studio album. Already sitting atop the Apple Music charts, BFE is his first full-length release since receiving a presidential pardon from former President Donald Trump in January 2021.
On Back For Everything, Kodak continues his historic comeback filled with unprecedented highs and tragic lows — from multiple prison stints and countless heartbreaking losses in the streets to climbing the Billboard charts this past fall with “Super Gremlin.” As the title implies, he is fully back in action on the new project, coming just as hard as ever with uniquely savage bars, unapologetic authenticity and surprisingly gentle melodies.
The magic of Kodak is his unexpectedly calm, almost childlike melodic delivery that he mixes with ruthlessly raw and sometimes uncomfortably believable street-oriented bars. Whatever you may think about the polarizing Pompano Beach native, there’s no denying the stratospheric, lightning-in-a-bottle talent of Kodak Black.
With his new 19-track project, it seems that Kodak wanted to put his full range on display — showcasing a lighter, more introspective sound all throughout. This album also feels like a big bet on himself, with a sole feature from Lil Durk and top-top tier production from an impressive selection of super producers including London on Da Track, Zaytoven, MurdaBeatz, Buddah Bless, Kasimgotjuice, Scott Storch and others.
Fans can tell by the opening track “Let Me Know” that he’s got a lot to get off his chest, gliding over the uniquely lighthearted production to deliver self-aware bars like, “I guess I’m too gangster to win a Grammy” and “Why you always got pain in your music? I be feeling like I gotta sing to get through it.”
He continues with these melodic flows on songs like “On Everything,” “Midas Touch” or the uncharacteristically soulful and definite standout moment, “He Love the Streets” — highlighting his textured South Florida drawl with a near sing-song delivery. He leans in further towards this melodic sound with self-described love songs on “Love Isn’t Enough,” “Take You Back” with Lil Durk and the previously released “Love & War” — full of overly forward and occasionally toxic bars that most people could only dream of saying to their significant other.
Another common theme throughout the album is an elevated sound that feels more friendly to a wider audience, but still preserves that grittiness found on Project Baby. Perhaps most evident in the more polished, almost pop-leaning tracks like “Sink My Ship,” “Usain Boo” and “Vulnerable (Free Cool).” There’s also the jarring “Hitting Houses,” a gentle-sounding, incredibly catchy song about popping pills and committing home invasions.
While taking a slightly less hard-nosed line on this project, Kodak still doesn’t hold back — dropping some pretty devilish bars and painting grittier pictures than ever throughout the whole project. However, on songs like “Smackers“, “Purple Stamp” and “Elite Divison,” fans see him in full rap mode, or on the chart-topping “Super Gremlin” we hear some of the most savage bars anywhere on the project — but sung gently like a child’s lullaby.
While Kodak Black’s off-field antics may not be everyone’s cup of tea, his raw talent and long-standing impact are truly undeniable. No matter what your musical taste is, there is at least one song on ‘Back For Everything’ that will leave you floored. From Pompano Beach to presidential pardons, Kodak’s star power is immeasurable at the young age of 24-years-old.
As long as he can remain as focused and hungry as he sounds on Back For Everything, Kodak Black will surely go down as one of the greats — and certainly one of the most influential artists of the last decade.
Check Kodak Black’s ‘Back For Everything’ below!
