‘Gotta be’ better

Devin the Dude hasn’t come down yet, but he’s definitely not the highest he’s ever been.

“Gotta Be Me” is packed with raps about bedsheets and blunts (Devin per usual), with the occasional reflection on relationships. Despite the consistency of Devin’s work, the newest testament feels disappointingly limited to the topics.

Devin raps about what he knows and delivers in a conversation-styled, flow-of-consciousness spit. From the sexy-smooth instrumentation to the bedroom flow, the intimate style of Devin the Dude’s songs make for another honest-feeling album.

Unfortunately, the lyrical content works within very defined boundaries and stones the effort.

The lyricism of “Gotta Be Me,” while humorous, is pretty shallow and elementary. There’s not much left to the imagination, as every sexual inclination is described in detail.

Take “No Need to Call” for example, which, while catchy, sounds more like another college boast about sexual escapades (or maybe an interesting ringback idea), than a seduction or track to be taken seriously.

In the end, the record will satisfy previous Devin fans but probably won’t change any minds because essentially, “Gotta Be Me” isn’t really all that different from the artist’s previous material.