Swae Lee has a remarkable track record, having contributed to major hits like co-writing “Formation” and lending his vocals to the hook of “Sicko Mode” without a credit. He famously created “Unforgettable” before generously passing it to French Montana. Furthermore, he’s a co-owner of the RIAA’s first double-diamond single, “Sunflower,” a song that permeated public spaces for two continuous years. Despite these significant accomplishments, at 32, he’s only now delivering his true solo album. While Swaecation technically appeared in 2018, it was packaged within a three-disc Rae Sremmurd release and wasn’t seen as a distinct personal statement. He announced a solo project titled Human Nature to Billboard back in 2020, but that year, along with 2021 and 2022, came and went. He continued to feature on other artists’ tracks (like Post Malone and Alicia Keys) while his solo record remained elusive. After six years of anticipation and a title change, Same Difference has finally arrived.
One would expect eight years of accumulated experiences to provide Swae Lee with ample material. Yet, for much of Same Difference, his lyrical focus narrows to three familiar subjects: flaunting luxury cars, opulent chains, and women who seem to hold little of his genuine interest. On “The Gospel,” he boasts about Frosted Flakes-inspired chains and Alexander McQueen footwear, then remarks that he’s operating on “autopilot,” a sentiment reflected in his delivery. “Everyone Wants” features an uninspired rhyme scheme, pairing “loner” with itself, then “zoner,” and finally “stroller,” suggesting a lack of refinement in the songwriting process. The album’s title track haphazardly drops names like Bill Clinton, Tom Brady, Thanos, Johnny Bravo, and Kurt Angle within three minutes, none of which connect meaningfully. In “Sneaker,” he claims, “I cheat but never cheated her,” only to request a foursome two lines later. On “E Off Emotion,” a track whose title he explained to the Morning Hustle, the creative concept of “taking the E off emotion” unfortunately yields a song devoid of substance, with lines such as “Presidents on presidents/and shawty be all the way turnt up” being as profound as it gets. He even repeats his mention of Alexander McQueen on “Flammable,” as if forgetting he’d already referenced it.
The guest appearances also fail to elevate the material. NAV drifts through “No Call No Show,” discussing his orange Ferrari and pill consumption, a verse indistinguishable from countless others he’s delivered since 2018. French Montana’s contribution to “Suitcase” is essentially a shopping list of high-end accessories: Goyard bags, gold medallions, LV suitcases, and three-quarter mink coats. Rich the Kid’s appearance on “Don’t Even Call” offers familiar rhymes about Patek Philippes and party balloons, echoing the same lyrical themes he’s been using since The World Is Yours. It’s evident that none of these collaborators had much invested, and their performances reflect that. Even Slim Jxmmi, Swae’s own brother, largely sticks to talking about airline baggage and desiring a Rolex on “Working Remote.”
Deep into the second half of the album, “Violet” emerges, altering the mood significantly. Here, Swae vocalizes his decision to leave someone for the sake of his mental well-being, and for once, his words perfectly align with the anguish in his higher vocal range:
“I wish I could buy more time
I wish I could settle down
I had to work some things out with myself.”
The second verse is even more striking (“Breaking each other’s hearts, we can just take turns”), as he addresses a specific individual in a private setting, someone whose name he refrains from mentioning on record (“How come everyone can see it but the one that you really need to?”). “Raising Awareness,” helmed by London On da Track, explores similar territory. “I wanna die with memories, not dreams/We all had our fair share of things that never came to be” stands out as some of Swae’s most incisive writing on the album, and his comment about social batteries being depleted offers a candidness missing from the earlier, more boastful tracks. Jhené Aiko infuses “Mural” with a sweetness that Swae struggles to achieve independently—her line about powerful women deserving forehead kisses is both charming and humorous, making the song notably better with her presence. And “Take My Heart” featuring Post Malone carries a palpable sense of dread: “These feet have walked over a few graves/I can’t see you walkin’ away ‘cause in my world, oh, everyone stays,” possibly referencing the tragic shooting death of Swae’s stepfather in Tupelo in 2020, for which his younger half-brother was charged.
Had Same Difference consisted solely of these four tracks, Swae might have delivered a truly commendable debut. Instead, they are dispersed throughout an album weighed down by generic luxury-rap filler, accompanied by adequate but unremarkable beats that his unique voice can only do so much to salvage. And that voice—characterized by its high pitch, undulating runs, and the ability to bend notes until they practically melt—remains distinct in pop-rap. He could undoubtedly sing from a phonebook and it would likely end up on a playlist. This inherent strength, however, defines the issue with the other twelve songs: his captivating vocals skillfully mask weak material, allowing tracks like “Flammable” or “E Off Emotion” to be heard multiple times before one realizes they offer nothing memorable. After an eight-year wait for Swae Lee to define himself as a solo artist apart from Rae Sremmurd and without relying on features, lines such as “I feel like Michael Phelps” and “Alexander McQueen keep me fresher than an Altoid” ultimately fall short of providing a meaningful answer.
Slightly Below Average (★★½☆☆)
Favorite Track(s): “Raising Awareness,” “Violet”