Since YoungBoy Never Broke Again was released from jail in October 2021, after serving time on a weapons charge, blog posts about him have focused either on new singles—of which there have been a steady stream—or a series of pictures where the MC’s face was covered in goth-inspired makeup in the manner of professional wrestler Sting. Casual fans might wonder what he experienced in jail that made him switch up his steez to that degree, but to let the music of Colors—his first solo release since getting out—tell it, YoungBoy is just being himself. There is, of course, a healthy dose of the MC’s unique brand of Baton Rouge murder music (“Bring the Hook,” “Fish Scale”), but also heartfelt reflections on who he is to fans (“Foolish Figure”) and also how he hopes to be seen as both an artist and a man (“Emo Rockstar”). On the latter song, in fact, he takes time out to address the new look, singing, “Please don't judge me because I'm me/Him with facial paint, that's who they wanna fuckin' see.” And he couldn’t be more right. Because whether his face is painted or not, you’re going to want to hear the rest of the YoungBoy story.