Lil Pump - Harverd Dropout (Album Review)

If you’ve ever, for whatever reason, wanted to listen to your middle school experience as a problematic trap record, then you’ve found just the album for you. Lil Pump stays in line with the problematic side of trap rap with his misguided and underwhelming new record Harverd Dropout.

Given that Lil Pump couldn’t even be bothered to spell “Harvard” correctly in the title, you can probably get a good sense of what his attitude toward school and work is before you even head into the record. Willing to give him the benefit of the doubt? Well, Lil Pump will clap back right away with opening track ‘Drop Out,’ where he proudly proclaims: “Dropped out, then I got rich / Dropped out, then I put a Patek on my wrist / Dropped out for my teacher 'cause she ain't shit.” His unwarranted flexes only continue throughout the record, from ‘Too Much Ice‘ featuring Quavo to ‘Stripper Name,’ where he, YG, and 2 Chainz brag about all the strippers they’ve been with. The middle school angst doesn’t go away either, being the main vibe of ‘ION‘ with Smokepurpp (though this track admittedly has a pretty cool beat) and ‘Off White.’

Harverd Dropout isn’t a total bust. While every song comes with its own range of problems (from lyrical content to the beats), some at least give back a solid output. ‘I Love It‘ is the album’s most solid track, with Kanye West and Lil Pump vibing over the track. simply having fun. There’s no flexing, no “everything sucks” attitude: just fun. Lots of the beats are fairly solid, too: ‘Nu Uh,’ ‘Fasho Fasho‘ featuring Offset, and ‘Butterfly Doors‘ are all pretty enjoyable to listen to. Then again, tracks like ‘Vroom Vroom Vroom‘ that are literally just him making car noises and ‘Drug Addicts‘ dominate the record, making it almost intolerable at some points.

Lil Pump’s Harverd Dropout is highly problematic and uninspired, taking more from a middle schooler’s sense of going against the world than actual life experience. Lil Pump knows his fanbase, and he really went all out to deliver to them. The thing is, the music’s all bark and no bite, and for the rest of us, it doesn’t quite make the cut.

Favorite Track: I Love It

Least Favorite Tracks: Vroom Vroom Vroom, Off White, Drop Out, Stripper Name

Rating: 40 / 100

Stream or buy Harverd Dropout on Apple Music, and follow our 2019 Playlist on Spotify: