The Weekly Coos

Though YovngChimi isn’t new to fans of Latin Trap and Reggaeton, 2023 has seen his mass ascension without placating his style of raps. We’ve got singles and a miniseries of the “Glizzy Walk” tracks, but what pushed him forward was getting the Gangsta Grillz treatment amidst a resurgence, one where everyone wanted that addition after a successful turn by Tyler, The Creator. However, he wasn’t the one and only; as it has made such a resurgence, it opened the platform for the underground, like it once was, and a beneficiary was YovngChimi who delivered the collaboration tape Gangsta Grillz Mvrder Gang, which was more of an introduction; as such, it has eased the way for him to appear on major releases like the last Bad Bunny album, and now his debut, WLGS, which for some would translate to whole lotta gang shit. WLGS is one grand debut that doesn’t lose sight of its identity as YovngChimi finds ways to incorporate the mediocre into something that’s replayable even when his flavor for the sound isn’t the strongest—ranging from Latin Trap, Drill, and Reggaeton, Chimi is expressing variety even if it doesn’t all hit.

YovngChimi gets straight to it on WLGS by starting with two ferocious verses in “Glizzy Walk 3,” creating an impactful punch to get you seated for the music about to get delivered. Though his raps are predominately in Spanish, he occasionally flexes his Spanglish, finding unity between the dominant language of Hip-Hop and Reggaeton and giving us something refreshing. I remember the first time I heard an artist truly blend the two, Snow Tha Product, but her career took various paths, unlike YovngChimi, who keeps himself centered on what works best, even with the sidesteps to reggaeton or drill flavors in his songs. Instead of making something more fluid and colorfully party-centric tracks, he brings more Trap sonic-dotes that balance the differentiating melodies and flows, allowing tracks like “Tu$$i” and “Bandida Fina” to have this granular and lavish moments that don’t sidestep from Chimi’s identity, even when his verse gets befallen by the check marks that come from tracks of that ilk—again occurring with the track “Linda,” which barely moves the needle; however, the stern, modestly paced snares elevate the production, making it something more listenable, even when it’s a weaker composite amongst the collective.

YovngChimi shines when he raps about content that isn’t another female grasping his attention superficially. Fortunately, there is more of the flexing and cementing his status as this rapper whose juice reigns over the many artists who have taken a similar route as Chimi instead of that romantic-driven wall-breaking. Though many do rap—no matter the production in this genre-sphere of music—much of the time, there isn’t the tenacity to get more profound than just the apropos, which works for heavyweights like Wisin Y Yandel, Bad Bunny, De La Ghetto, Jowell Y Randy; at least creativity reigns within the complex of their verses. Chimi being different from them adds weight to his overall artistic direction, but as he maneuvers through the various sonic structures, he shows that he can do more than expected. Though it doesn’t always mean the quality is grand, but when it hits, you get sent somewhere filled with fantastic music, especially if you need a deterrent from the more directness of someone like Eladio Carrion. Much of that is thanks to the production and the orchestration, which brings a tempered and easy-paced album. It’s bolstered by a well-rounded cast of features that predominately elevate the craft.

It’s different than expected—especially with the plethora of new artists emerging—as YovngChimi brings producers that are mainstays on both sides of the spectrum—hip-hop, trap, and reggaeton, bridging this fantastic cohesion of sounds and giving us some solid hits that don’t downplay the genre. To hear him flow over these insane beats, whether of Drill influence ala “QEPDC” with Ñengo Flow and allowing fans to hear Flow over something different or it’s the atmospheric and hardnosed trap notes of “357,” Chimi’s song alongside SleazyWorld Go. Having a plethora of producers helps solidify an area of concentration, even when changing sonic textures and tones, and it goes double when the features can easily back up the claim, especially most of the rappers who bring some originality to the fray. That isn’t the case with all, as the song with French Montana and Tay Keith is more of a snoozer, like “Linda,” further making others stand out significantly. It’s especially the case with “Switch,” “QEPDC,” and “Baby Father 2.0,” the sole posse cut on the album, and everyone gets their moment in the spotlight, especially Chimi, who raps alongside heavyweights like Arcángel and Ñengo Flow; additionally, it was a solid surprise seeing Myke Towers rapping and flexing hard, unlike the looseness of his last two albums.

WLGS is one fantastic debut that hits varying aspects of a quality rap album tenfold. One aspect being the production; it was a grand thrill seeing Chimi, alongside many heavyweights, rap and flex such provocative virtuosity that it made up for some of the step-backs toward something more rudimentary. Sometimes, that comes with the territory of balancing hardened raps with more club bangers for the ladies. But as it comes to a close and rounds out, for fans of Latin music looking for something real and less glitzy, Chimi is your guy. Check out his stellar debut, and let me know what you think!