ALBUM REVIEW: Hoodie Allen – “Whatever USA”

By TJ Hayes

On August 16th, New York-based rapper Hoodie Allen dropped his highly anticipated album, Whatever USA. With a collection of producers, including Andrew Goldstein (Blackbear, 5SOS) Midi Jones (Alessia Cara, Ella Mai) and YOG$ (Quinn XCII), and features from Christian French, Gianni & Kyle and Spencer Sutherland, Whatever USA is a collection of 9 tracks that show the full range of Hoodie Allen’s unique collaborative style.

Before the release of the album, Hoodie dropped a few singles like “Hell Of A Time,” “Come Around (w/ Christian French)” and “Never Going Back” for fans, garnering coveted adds to New Music Friday playlists in dozens of countries while racking up over 6 Million streams on Spotify.

The album starts with the title track and sets the tone for the rest of the effort. It’s super catchy, and fun listen. “Come Around,” like the previous track, warrants your attention with a steady beat and well-balanced vocals. My favorite track on the album is by far “You Should Let Me Know,” with its smooth acoustic guitar and overall lovely, easy-to-follow flow. It is a subtle break from the more upbeat tracks

The album carries on with an uplifting track, “Hometown Kid.” I can see this one being a crowd favorite with its feel-good vibes and relatable lyrics.

As we near the end of the album, “Hell of a Time” was the first introduction to this new era of Hoodie Allen and set the standard perfectly. It’s super catchy and has a nice, steady flow to it. 

With all the upbeat, feel-good tracks, Whatever USA could easily make it on any of my summer playlists. The album is out everywhere now, so give it a listen because this album is sure to become your favorite.

Hoodie Allen will be hitting the road for the Whatever, USA tour this fall. With support from Jake Miller, this particular run of shows will kick off on September 19th in Columbus, OH and travel around the US and Canada before wrapping up on October 20th in Boston, MA.