PTSD in Chicago

This past Friday, G Herbo released the Deluxe version of his album, PTSD.

This deluxe included an extra 14 songs to add to the original 14. The making of a deluxe album isn’t a new practice. In fact, it is an often used tool of the artist because it can help generate more streams or sell for the album. The thing that makes G Herbo’s deluxe stand out from the others is that the new songs actually lend to the overall message of the album.

G Herbo’s PTSD is an album that tells the unsavory, yet realistic, coming of age story of a Chicago kid. Being one of the city’s native sons seems to give all of G Herbo’s music a feeling of authenticity. He talks about getting into the troubles that come with gang life and other aspects of citywide corruption that ultimately hurt minorities in Chicago.

The original album carries with it a very regret-filled tone. The songs are mostly “lessons learned” and guides to a better life from a person that is clearly evolving. This was met with some backlash from his fans used to his more “trap” related songs. This is something that happens with a lot of artists, but I have always admired G Herbo for being able to tell both sides of a story.

The songs on the deluxe album seem to be of a completely different style and tone than the original album. The songs are much closer to the realm of “trap Music” and follow a much faster tempo. There are a lot of great songs on both versions of the album, but I truly feel that these two parts are working together as a whole. I think that both sides of this album provide an introspective look at the problems in Chicago. A great listen, especially given the circumstances we are currently facing country-wide following the murder of George Floyd.