Over the past few months, Joyner Lucas has greatly expanded his collaboration pool and the results largely speak for themselves. Beginning in April this year, the formerly iconoclastic Joyner began working with some of hip-hop’s hottest names including Lil Baby (“Ramen & OJ“), Rick Ross (“Legend“), Lil Tjay (“Dreams Unfold“), J. Cole (“Your Heart“), and Ty Dolla Sign (“Late To The Party“). Today, he continues that streak by tapping Chicago’s Lil Durk for the boastful “Rambo.”
On “Rambo,” Durk and Joyner keep things simple, employing the obvious metaphor of comparing the titular film character’s prowess with firearms to their own rap skills — although it could be argued that Durk is talking about the actual weaponry he has amassed over the years, considering his usual content. “I got the sniper on top of the roof,” Joyner brags on the hook. “You’ll never hear when I shoot.”
Joyner’s stylistic reinvention over the past two years has seen him tap into both his creativity and his sense of humor. While his personality may come off brusque and self-serious, by releasing videos like the visually impressive “Will” and the tongue-in-cheek “Zim Zimma,” he’s humanized himself a lot and made himself more endearing than his beefs with Logic and Lil Nas X suggested.
Listen to Joyner Lucas’ “Rambo” featuring Lil Durk above.