Michigan rapper Peezy first caught ears as a solo artist in 2014 with Mud Muzik, the first in a series of lean-inspired albums showcasing his villainous wit and natural gift for storytelling. But in 2019, that momentum was halted when he was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison on racketeering charges. Since his release in February 2021, Peezy’s life has looked different; he says he’s given up opiates and crime in lieu of running his own independent label, #Boyz Entertainment. His latest offering, the 21-song ONLY BUILT 4 DIAMOND LINKS, shows a veteran artist doubling down on the persona he’s cultivated since his early days, expanding the aperture of his street tales with post-prison clarity.
On “Hustler Vs. Scammer,” Peezy fondly remembers what it was like to be 17 with his own trap house, making fast money and having casual sex, as he recalls minute details like the precise amounts of cocaine he used to buy or the brand of soda he mixed with codeine cough syrup to avoid withdrawls. But treachery was never far. “Bro stabbed me in the back, felt like it was Jason/I’ve endured so much pain, I can hardly take it,” Peezy says over gloomy, piano-driven production that builds in intensity with his rapping. Even while telling war stories, he stays grounded, reminding the listener that he’s happily married now and no longer living in squalor. That song’s title comments on the widening gap between the Detroit where Peezy spent 11 years building a music career and the more recent wave of Michigan scam rappers like BabyTron and Teejayx6. Peezy wisely avoids trend-chasing adaptation by doubling down on the rambling flow that’s more stylistically similar to current L.A. street rap like BlueBucksClan or Ralfy the Plug.
Peezy’s storytelling has only grown more cinematic since transitioning into a full-time rapper and label boss. There’s a newfound sentimentality to his perspective that reflects his understanding of how precarious this new life is. The soulful “Married to Da Game” and the boastful “Murder 4 Hire” are straight bars, with Peezy doling out life advice like a boss who’s annoyed about having to explain how things work again. The effortless cool of “Cruise” and the darkly humorous “Don’t Call Me Twin” reflect the irreverent fun of Rio Da Yung OG and RMC Mike, who Peezy once mentored; while the two rising artists from neighboring Flint, Michigan don’t appear on the album, their influence can be found in Peezy’s deadpan taunts and quick-witted humor. No song better distills Peezy's new outlook than the Mozzy-assisted “Can’t Explain,” where Peezy raps, “It don’t make no sense to have them M’s and still be in the trap/It don’t make sense to make it out and keep on coming back.” The beat is softer and more melodic than we’re used to hearing from Peezy, reflecting a slight dissolution of the no-frills, cutthroat attitude of earlier records.
While Peezy’s past few solo records have felt more like mixtapes, DIAMOND LINKS somewhat clumsily takes album form through varied production clearly aimed at pleasing more than just fans of piano-heavy, regional Detroit rap. On “Shopping Spree,” Peezy joins the wave of rappers remaking 2000s hits, hopping on a flip of Twista’s X-rated 2009 song “Wetter.” In the past, Peezy’s crude sexual innuendos functioned as absurdist humor, but here, lyrics like “I want some head/I’m trying to bust all in your new braces” feel tactless in the context of a love song. Similarly, “Wedding Ring” is ostensibly about a marriage proposal, but Peezy instead spends half the song lamenting what he doesn’t want in a partner in generic Auto-Tune.
These are small gripes when a majority of DIAMOND LINKS evokes the formless fun of past Peezy albums like No Hooks and No Hooks II. But now there’s also a seriousness that grapples with his urge to revert back to old habits, even while the stakes of staying legitimate have never been higher. Toward the end of “Interlude,” Peezy bemoans having “one foot in, one foot out.” His voice is chopped and screwed; the effect is dissociative, underlining the nervousness and paranoia of someone only halfway removed from the streets. ONLY BUILT proves that Peezy doesn’t need to keep risking his life to make compelling music.
