Even though he stopped working solely within the stylistic confines of drill, G Herbo retained all the hard-nosed attitude of his formative work. The production on his releases expanded in different directions, along with the depth of his lyrical perspective. At the center of everything is the same unabashed, chilling lyrical voice, switching gears between a workmanlike flow and motormouth triplets. His ambitious projects of the early 2020s showcase an Auto-Tune-averse street rapper—an increasingly rare commodity at the time—making major career gains on his own terms. Released in two chunks within one week, Survivor’s Remorse: A Side & B Side is a dense, dizzying project in the vein of his 94-minute leviathan, PTSD (Deluxe). Survivor’s Remorse stays true to the title and to much of Herbo’s previous work with its focus on gang storytelling, ruminations on the downsides of fame, and memories of fallen soldiers. However, it finds lighter moments, like the lascivious Gunna collaboration “Shordie,” while other tracks reframe Herbo’s traditional themes with greater musical eccentricity, such as “Breathe Slow,” which is centered around a lopsided, strangled-sounding hook from Young Thug. Herbo is eager to continue to push his lyricism forward and channel more traditional rap influences, at times evoking OGs like JAY-Z and 2Pac. The A Boogie wit da Hoodie collaboration “Me, Myself & I” takes the form of a conversation with engaging, effusive verses, while “No Guts, No Glory” feels like street rap on a widescreen, Blueprint-like scale. “Machines” is one of the project’s most striking detours, moving outside the realm of 808-driven street rap entirely, grounded by a dusty, smoked-out beat that fits the trademark style of the song’s featured talent, Conway the Machine, from Buffalo, NY's Griselda crew. The aptly titled “Real Rap” features another member of that circle, Benny the Butcher. The sonic realm of these tracks feels appropriate for Herbo’s increasingly knotty lyricism.