I Rest My Case
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 6, 2023 (2023-01-06)
Recorded2022
Length39:50
Label
Producer
  • 1saused
  • Alec
  • AskMe
  • Ayo E Go Krazy
  • Bj Beatz
  • Chase Vibez
  • Dat Boi Getro
  • DeCastro
  • Dissan
  • Dmac
  • Drok
  • Figurez
  • Flowrency
  • Font
  • India Got Them Beats
  • Ism
  • Jai Beats
  • Jasiah
  • Jeff Beats
  • Kid Krazy
  • King Fisher
  • Powers Pleasant
  • Scalez
  • Sinaki Beats
  • Splitmind
  • Star 9
  • Swiger Music
  • TayTayMadeIt
  • Timmydahitman
  • TnTXD
  • Train
  • Trebble
  • Trentonxkyle
  • Trvll
  • Vintage Rippah
YoungBoy Never Broke Again chronology
Lost Files
(2022)
I Rest My Case
(2023)
Don't Try This at Home
(2023)

I Rest My Case is the fifth studio album by American rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again. It was released on January 6, 2023, through Motown Records and Never Broke Again. It features production from YoungBoy's in-house engineer, Jason "Cheese" Goldberg, alongside Tay Tay, D-Roc, Swiger Music, DJ Trebble, Khris James, DeCastro, Vinatge Rippah, Dmac, Getro, Kid Krazy, Powers Pleasant, TnTXD, Wayv, Yo Benji, etc...[1][2]

It is YoungBoy's first studio project with Motown since signing with the label in October 2022[3] following the completion of his contract with Atlantic Records earlier that year.

Release and promotion

I Rest My Case was first announced by YoungBoy Never Broke Again through his official Instagram page in December 2022, where he stated that an album would be released in January.[4] Despite the album initially being titled Black, through YoungBoy's Amp radio show, he stated that the album's name would be changed to I Rest My Case.[5] Weeks later, YoungBoy's label Never Broke Again revealed the album's initial cover art, however, it received backlash from supporters.[6] Days later, a new cover art was announced which received much more support.[1]

Following the release of the album, YoungBoy would appear on the cover of Billboard's Power 100 magazine[7] in which he stated that this change in appearance was due to him wanting to change.[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Clash7/10[10]
HipHopDX[11]

I Rest My Case received mediocre reviews from music critics. Paul Simpson from AllMusic noted that YoungBoy "appears to be his attempt to hop on the trend known as rage." He concluded his review as he stated wrote that he's "not entirely as unhinged as one might expect from a YoungBoy rage album, it's still a step in a new direction for him."[9] Robin Murray from Clash stated that "YoungBoy Never Broke Again is an unrelenting force in Stateside trap music." Continuing his review, Murray noted that "dealing with fatherhood and responsibility, it pushes his almost punk-like energy in a different direction." Concluding his review, Murray wrote, "An album of subtle progress, 'I Rest My Case' could prove to be his definitive work."[10]

Writing for HipHopDX, Nadine Smith writes that "he’s developed a dependable sound, not quite country rap, but aching with a bluesy soulfulness and frequently accompanied by classical guitar," this was followed up by her stating that "it’s a style he does well, but his voice ecompasses a wider spectrum of timbres and emotions." Concluding the review, Nadine notes that "within those 19 tracks, there’s a more experimental EP, but because of the expectations YoungBoy has established for himself, it feels padded out to album-length with what could easily be leftover scraps from past sessions," finishing off by writing, "YoungBoy’s voice makes a compelling argument for itself, but tightening the focus might help strengthen his case as an artist."[11]

Jason Lipshutz from Billboard stated that, "YoungBoy generally gets more discerning and ferocious with every new project, and I Rest My Case is one of his strongest full-lengths to date."[12]

Commercial performance

I Rest My Case debuted at number nine on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 29,000 album-equivalent units (including 1,000 copies in pure album sales) in its first week.[13] The album also accumulated a total of 39.59 million on-demand streams of the album's songs.[13]

Track listing

I Rest My Case track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Top Girls"Kentrell Gaulden 0:30
2."Black"
  • Jasiah
  • Kid Krazy
  • Powers Pleasant
2:08
3."Louie V"Gaulden
  • Ayo E Go Krazy
  • Ism
  • Star 9
  • Trvll
1:34
4."Swag On Point"
  • Gaulden
  • Anton Simon Kunstmann
  • Noah William Davis
  • AskMe
  • Trebble
2:28
5."Bitch Yeah"
  • Gaulden
  • Timothy Link
Timmydahitman2:48
6."Red"
  • Gaulden
  • Tavian Dawson Carter
  • Eliot Guillory
  • TayTayMadeIt
  • Vintage Rippah
2:14
7."Double Cup"Gaulden
  • Alec
  • Jeff Beats
  • Sinaki Beats
  • Train
2:22
8."Fight With My Sheets"
  • Gaulden
  • Chase Wegley
  • India Arie Williams
  • Aidan Crotinger
  • Chase Vibez
  • India Got Them Beats
  • Splitmind
2:45
9."Rage"
  • Gaulden
  • Carter
TayTayMadeIt2:11
10."Top Haters"Gaulden 0:24
11."Just Like Me"
  • Gaulden
  • Peter Gogola
  • David McDowell
  • Thomas Horton
  • Dat Boi Getro
  • Dmac
  • TnTXD
2:47
12."Ride Me"GauldenScalez1:52
13."Not My Friend"
  • Gaulden
  • Trenton Kyle
TrentonxKyle3:00
14."Mini Me"
  • Gaulden
  • Daniel Leburn
  • Daniil Bukharin
  • Gabriel DeCastro
  • Joseph Nguyen
  • Dissan
  • Drok
  • Font
  • King Fisher
1:56
15."Clear"
  • Gaulden
  • Russell Brandon Jamal
  • Zherdev Artem Evgenievich
  • Bj Beatz
  • Flowrency
2:30
16."I Love YB Skit"Gaulden 0:19
17."Groovy"
  • Gaulden
  • McDowell
  • Horton
  • Jaidyn Hullum
  • Dmac
  • Jai Beats
  • TnTXD
3:10
18."Same Thang"
  • Gaulden
  • Robert Joseph Swiger
Swiger Music2:42
19."Hey Pops"
  • Gaulden
  • Varlet
  • Alejandro Font Belles
  • Ryan Nerby
  • 1saused
  • DeCastro
  • Drok
  • Figurez
2:06
Total length:39:50

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[14]

Charts

Chart performance for I Rest My Case
Chart (2023) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[15] 9
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[16] 5

References

  1. 1 2 Mamo, Heran (January 5, 2023). "YoungBoy Never Broke Again's New Album 'I Rest My Case' Release Date & Cover Revealed". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  2. Garcia, Thania (January 5, 2023). "YoungBoy Never Broke Again Dropping a New Album on Friday". Variety. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  3. "YoungBoy Never Broke Again Signs With Motown". Billboard. October 24, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  4. Keise, Kevin (December 8, 2022). "NBA YoungBoy says he's dropping an album in January". REVOLT. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  5. "NBA YoungBoy launches radio show on Amazon Amp". Fox 8. December 9, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  6. Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (January 2, 2023). "NBA YOUNGBOY TO KICKSTART 2023 WITH NEW ALBUM 'I REST MY CASE'". HipHopDX. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  7. Garvey, Meaghan (February 1, 2023). "The Secret Life, House Arrest and Rebirth of YoungBoy Never Broke Again". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  8. "NBA Young Boy Talks About Fame, His Music, Changing His Ways & More Billboard Cover". Billboard. February 1, 2023. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  9. 1 2 "I Rest My Case Review by Paul Simpson". allmusic.com. January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  10. 1 2 Murray, Robin (January 6, 2023). "YoungBoy Never Broke Again – I Rest My Case". Clash. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  11. 1 2 Smith, Nadine (January 11, 2023). "NBA YOUNGBOY 'I REST MY CASE' HAS GLIMPSES OF EXPERIMENTATION BUT IS MUCH OF THE SAME". HipHopDX. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  12. Lipshutz, Jason (January 6, 2023). "First Stream: New Music From YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Popcaan & Drake, Shania Twain and More". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  13. 1 2 "SZA's 'SOS' Spends Fifth Straight Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200". Billboard. June 12, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  14. "I Rest My Case by YoungBoy Never Broke Again on Tidal". Tidal. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  15. "YoungBoy Never Broke Again Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  16. "YoungBoy Never Broke Again Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
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