Welcome to GStarr Vol. 1 EP

Welcome to GStarr Vol. 1 sounds more like the title of a label compilation than that of an EP showcasing a single artist, but in the case of J.I the Prince’s latest, the Brooklyn-born Puerto Rican singer and MC is everything you need to know about the Gaby Acevedo imprint. GStarr founder Acevedo, who was one of the driving forces behind French Montana, was assured to have struck gold again after J.I’s 2019 single “Need Me.” The Welcome to GStarr Vol. 1 EP is six songs of a similar ilk, J.I delivering impassioned declarations of love in the language of someone who hangs out in front of the bodega all day. “Beautiful girls only wanna do you dirt,” he sings on “Beautiful Girl,” a song that repackages the melody from Sean Kingston’s “Beautiful Girls” in an “I heart NYC” gift bag. Chicago’s Lil Durk joins him for some real talk on “Painless,” but there’s plenty of sun here, most notably in “Spanglish,” a dembow-descendant collaboration with Puerto Rican singer Myke Towers.