Love is the New Gangsta

The R&B star reassesses his values on his soul-baring fourth album. Family life has made a new man out of 6LACK. On his fourth studio album, the Atlantan rapper and singer excavates and excoriates past failings and misdemeanours, examines the state of his mental health and ultimately arrives at the conclusion reflected in the title: Love Is the New Gangsta. “Taking off my cool is such a process, why is that?” he asks on “Bird Flu”, one of several tracks that attempts to get to the bottom of a history of disloyal and self-destructive behaviour through “all the years I thugged it out”. The consequences are addressed on “I GUESS”, which lays out a breakup scene over deceptively buoyant guitar chords, capped with a sing-along hook. “TRAUMA”, an elegantly produced hip-hop and R&B hybrid, finds 6LACK digging down to the root of his problems at the midway point, opening up the back half of the record for lighter emotional fare. It’s on cuts such as the floaty 2 Chainz collaboration “Sunday Again” and the clear-headed certainty of “Vision” that 6LACK finds his balance. He’s choosing to commit to his family—and by extension, himself—with a self-awareness that reconciles with long-term dedication to learning from his mistakes rather than chasing quick fixes. “Bear with me, yeah, that’s all I ask,” he implores on “Bear”, a percussive rap missive that appeals for grace as he rearranges himself into a man no longer defined by his troubles, but conditioned by them. The underlying message—that 6LACK is in just as much need of receiving love as he is capable of pouring it into others—brings Love Is the New Gangsta full circle, with him resolute in the belief that there is strength in vulnerability.