On his official full-length debut, Dummy Boy, troubled New York rapper 6ix9ine delivers much of the same exaggerated and empty content that assisted his speedy but controversial rise in the late 2010s.
Issued while the divisive figure was imprisoned for a number of offenses, Dummy Boy mirrors its creator in its overly energized, cartoonishly aggressive, and ultimately soulless presentation.
Growling and yelling, 6ix9ine spends much of Dummy Boy making threats and puffing his chest, employing explosive gun blasts and intense production to get his hollow points across.
In the process, he also manages to pull a decent bunch of high-profile guests into his problematic orbit, including Lil Baby, Tory Lanez, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Gunna, and even Nicki Minaj and Kanye West, who both double-down on their already critically maligned years by contributing a pair of collaborations each.
One of those, "Mama," is one of the album's standouts, mostly for its union of three of 2018's most headline-grabbing hip-hop stars.
Elsewhere, rowdy cuts like "Stoopid," "Tati," and "Wondo" inject Dummy Boy with mosh-worthy vitriol, while lighter, island-inspired breaks with Anuel AA ("Bebe" and "Mala") offer respite from the overwhelming obnoxiousness found elsewhere on the album.
Dummy Boy is unlikely to disappoint 6ix9ine fans, but for everyone else, there's little to back up the hype and controversy associated with the self-professed "King of New York.".