Tony Yayo is back. On Friday (Feb. 3), the G-Unit alum announced his new mixtape The Loyal, which is expected to arrive sometime this month. He also unveiled the hard-hitting single “Clown You When You’re Down,” a YBeama-produced offering that’s packed with the kind of nonfiction street raps that the NYC veteran is known for:
“N**gas clown you when you down, choke when you go broke, this the realest s**t I ever wrote, always been the underdog, underrated, I innovate my dreams with no limits, fake n**gas try to architect my demise, fake b**ches gettin’ mixy wit’ the other side, right? Lil’ homie used to ball, now he got a glock, put a switch on it, b**tch, that s**t it lucky rock, the streets got no pity, no mercy, no compassion, n**gas see you wit’ yo’ kids and they start blastin’, the Feds indict us, 40 guns on the table at the press conference…”
Directed by Shawn Thomas, the accompanying clip for “Clown You When You’re Down” shows Yayo enjoying a day out in the snow. Throughout, he can be seen delivering his rhymes while riding around on snowmobiles with his crew.
It’s been almost two full decades since Yayo liberated his debut LP, Thoughts of a Predicate Felon, a 17-song body of work with a wealth of contributions from 50 Cent, Eminem, Lloyd Banks, Olivia, Kokane, Joe, and more. Since then, the “So Seductive” rapper kept his fans fed with a library’s worth of mixtapes, loose cuts, and featured appearances over the next several years before seemingly stepping away from wax. His most recent effort, El Chapo 3: The Great Escape, made landfall in 2016.
Press play on Yayo’s “Clown You When You’re Down” video below. Hopefully, an official release date for The Loyal will be confirmed in the coming days.