Reggie Becton - Sadboy, Vol. 2 (Review)
Almost a year following its predecessor “Sadboy, Vol. 1”, Reggie Becton is back with “Sadboy, Vol. 2”. The series is titled Sadboy for a reason; the music is very reflective of its name. Lord knows Reggie has been trying, but he still can’t get things right in his love life and he’s never shy about putting that in the music for us.
One of Reggie’s biggest gifts is his pen. The way he’s able to capture the essence of what dating can feel like for a lot of us today is nothing short of impressive. His production selection is supreme— both layered and vibrant; which I feel gives this album duality, because if you’re not really listening to the words, you could easily just vibe out. Like, I be DANCING to this album. Not to be fooled though, there’s a whole story to unpack here.
I’ve been spending a lot of time with this album over the last month. Since the project is only 7 songs, I want to take the liberty of breaking this down song by song. So if you will, walk with me.
“Bad M’fkr”
Reggie’s intentionality shines from the very first second of the first song. The opening line is: “Thought I was immune to the pain…”. I love this because seeing how this is a continuation album, he’s starting us off right where he left us by letting it be known he’s still dealing with the same issues he was fighting on Volume 1.
This song tells a story of how his lover has him down BAD. With lyrics like, “yeah, you hurt me bad, but I love you”, “I’m sleeping in the danger zone”, “can’t escape you, but I’m tired of running”, and “one look could turn me into stone, cold. I woke up and I still want more”, he knows this situation isn’t healthy for him and yet there’s nothing that could pull him away from it.
“Add It Up”
Reggie seems to hit a temporary moment of realization on this record. For these two and half minutes, he’s seeing his lover outside of the usual rose-colored glasses that he wears for her. He’s angry. What goes around, comes around and he can’t wait for her to collect on the same type of pain that she caused him.
We also get a feature from FELIX! on this one and it’s one of my favorite moments on the project. His entry onto the track literally feels like he descended into it from up above. It’s heavenly.
“E.T.A (Get Right Back)”
This is one of them ones. Despite the message being displayed, this one is going to have you up and moving. It is so good.
The moment of realization is over and they’re back to playing games. Which, the title does a bit of foreshadowing with the inclusion of “(Get Right Back)”. In short, they just can’t leave each other alone.
“Can’t keep trying to be friends, when it always leads to a scene. Are we that helpless? Helpless, to be moving like this?” Even though they’re good for the moment and back linking up, there’s a grand sense of doubt that’s felt throughout. He’s really starting to question the situation he’s in.
I mentioned earlier how special Reggie’s pen is and this song has a line that exemplifies my statement: “Now everybody got somebody that they can’t ignore. Can enjoy, somebody that they fighting for. Somebody that they like, but can’t really say, something like a metaphor.” A metaphor is a comparison between 2 things without using “like” or “as”. That’s what I call BARS.
“Just Friends”
Phew. This might have been the hardest record to get through. This song is a situationship personified. If you’ve ever fallen victim to one, it’s going to hit.
“Just Friends” details the complications that arise when you fall for someone but there’s no promise of commitment. How you can talk to them all day and night, meet their friends, share intimate details with one another and still be… just friends.
“Maybe we can blur the lines. Maybe we’re just undefined.” When you’re in it and you don’t want to pull away from it, you can begin to convince yourself that you’re satisfied because it has to be better than losing the person altogether. This record touches on all of those feelings.
“All In”
We’re nearing the end here but Reggie still isn’t quite ready to let go. At this point, he’s convinced himself that whatever this situation is that he’s in, is better than being alone. He’s willing to keep giving up more of himself to try and make this work.
He mentions completely disregarding his own boundaries because of how much he feels for this person. Since he’s already given so much, it can’t be for nothing. So call him crazy, but he’s all in.
“Now I’m In Love”
(Not a love song).
Reality is beginning to kick in now. He’s accepting the situation for what it is and holding himself accountable for the part he played in his own suffering. He lists off all of the things he wishes he never did because, well…now he’s in love.
Falling in love when the other party has no intention of loving you back is an unfortunate place to be.
“Don Julio”
The 6 songs up until this point have been a journey of some of the pain Reggie has endured in his quest for love. On track 7, he finally says enough is enough.
“I think it dawned on me, you’re not the one for me.” And it really be like that. Eventually, you stop playing into the fantasy and you snap out of it. While you’re in the midst of it all, it can be a grueling experience. But lessons are learned and choosing yourself is always worth it.
Given the message in the outro, Vol. 2 might be the end of the Sadboy era. Whether that be the case or not, I will be seated no matter what for whatever Reggie has coming next.
Based on the 3 singles that were released ahead of the album, I knew this was going to be his best work yet and in my opinion, it is.
I covered Volume 1 for TDN last year as one of my favorite R&B projects of 2023 and I can already see we’re going to be going for a two-peat with Volume 2.