Steve 'Flash' JuonReviewing No Plug’s “Rap Trappin” was a somber reminder that beefs that play out over beats often lead to bodies wrapped in white sheets. Truthfully we don’t need more reminders. You only have to Google the words “dead rappers” to get hundreds of examples, from well known superstars to the little known whose careers were cut down before they could level up. I pointed out in that review that in a different era No Plug surviving one such beef could have quickly risen his profile to dizzying heights, but these incidents have become so common he’s at the same level he was back then. Let’s see if “For Trappers Only” showed any change or growth.
This time around No Plug won me over immediately with the song “Undefeated” just by the happy accident of sampling “Listen to the Cries of the Planet” from Final Fantasy VII. Go ahead and scream NERRRRRD at me. It ain’t nothing new. I’m not sure if it’s produced by Cicero or not, but he’s the only producer I can find a record of, thanks to there being a music video for “23 Shot By Diesel.” Plug’s thick Atlanta drawl delivers lyrics like “I just made your bitch suck my dick with the condom.” Well — nobody said No Plug was politically correct — nor was I expecting him to be. I give him credit for being the same unapologetically rude dude he was the last time I looked him up.
Despite coming a year after the last No Plug project, “For Trappers Only” seems to be caught in the same quagmire as other Plug albums. “23 Shot By Diesel” is under 100K views and curiously the comments underneath the video have been turned off. By the time you reach the album’s finale “N Da Trap” it’s less than a third of the album’s best known song. Let’s do a reality check here — if you’re doing anything over a thousand streams or views you’re at least on your way. If you do anything over a million then you’re reaching a lot of new people and almost certainly profiting (unless your label is stealing all the revenue). No Plug isn’t failing as a rapper per se, but he also isn’t growing his brand since his peak in the 2010’s.
As a total overthinker when it comes to rap music I have a hunch I know why. No Plug is making very short albums with even shorter songs. Nothing wrong with that. That’s almost standard these days. My hunch is that his other hustles in life are a bigger priority to him than his rap career. He makes just enough music to still say he’s rapping and in the game, but seeing diminishing returns from royalties and streaming revenues, he’s not putting his all into it. You can see there’s a passing grade level of effort. He talks just enough shit. His beats are just good enough to hit. He’s got enough fans to keep going. Does he keep going in the hope that just one song will go viral on TikTok and restore him to that mid 2010’s level of infamy? That’s my bet here.
I’d like to see No Plug really give it his all on an album I review later than these two. Some longer songs, a few guest stars, at least one big name like Metro Boomin lacing a track. If I don’t ever find that then I’ll known that No Plug was comfortable with being “good enough” while his true attention was elsewhere.