JACKBOYS 2

the take

Six years is a long wait for a sequel to a compilation album from a record label, especially one headed by Travis Scott, and especially after the first JACKBOYS was pretty solid (for its time). Seeing 17 tracks on the standard edition immediately had me worried about bloat. While I don’t think the first JACKBOYS is a classic, it still had strong highlights. JACKBOYS 2 suffers in comparison because it doesn’t really have those standout moments. It feels incomplete, maybe even rushed, especially with speculation it dropped to compete with another major rap release. Either way, it doesn’t come together as a cohesive project. Listening through it honestly felt like a chore. There’s too much average material, and a lot of it feels like it could’ve been better. Outside of Travis and Wallie the Sensei, most of the roster ranges from underwhelming to disappointing. Don Toliver, surprisingly, doesn’t do much here. Sheck Wes still hasn’t had that redemption moment, and SoFaygo is just not it on this project. Even some big features like Playboi Carti and Kodak Black don’t do much to elevate things. Tracks like “MM3,” “ILMB,” “OUTSIDE,” and “CANT STOP” really drag the project down and feel unnecessary. That said, a few songs do stand out—“CHAMPAIN & VACAY,” “KICK OUT,” and “PBT” are actually enjoyable, with “PBT” being a highlight (Travis and Tyla work better together than expected). It’s also telling that the three deluxe tracks outperform most of the standard album. That kind of says everything about the inconsistency here. Overall, JACKBOYS 2 just feels uneven—more misses than hits, and not enough identity to justify the long wait.