It takes guts to brand yourself as hip-hop royalty from the jump. Yet for J.I the Prince of N.Y, that assertive approach comes backed by well-honed skills on this first impactful volume of his Hood Life Krisis series. A savvy interpolation of Kevin Lyttle’s silken 2003 dancehall classic “Turn Me On”, the teen’s “Need Me” flips the island vibes for his Brooklyn block. Like other young stars of his generation emerging from New York City, he sings as fluidly and brashly as he raps, pensive and restless for “Blame on Me” and romantically explicit for “Rude”.