Nettspend is gearing up to release his hotly-anticipated debut album. Earlier this month, he'd been teasing a Feb. 27 release, but in a new video posted to Instagram last night, confirmed early life crisis will now arrive on Friday, March 6. It's the follow up to his 2024 project BAD ASS F*CKING KID.
"This is not a PR stunt, or a calculated move," an older gentleman says while mopping an all white set. "Sometimes, things just don't work out the way they're supposed to."
Nett, I feel you, because I was supposed to write about your new music today... But here's everything we know about early life crisis.
Nettspend backstage with Demna Gvasalia at the Gucci show, Feb. 27
Are there any features on early life crisis?
Right now, the rumors are a guest verse from YoungBoy Never Broke Again and a new collab with OsamaSon. Last January, OsamaSon told me Nettspend was supposed to feature on JumpOut, but fell asleep in the studio. The pair last collaborated on 2024's excellent "withdrawals."
Last summer, Nettspend tapped The FADER cover star xaviersobased for a feature on "Impact." Xavier also opened for Nett's tour. Considering the pair's close ties, and Nettspend working with 1C34 producers more regularly, a feature seems totally possible.
What happens if you call the early life crisis hotline?
Nett's announcement came with a phone number: 1-804-ELC-6246. Calling the line gets you a sad trombone playing, followed by a man speaking over a soothing piano.
"Well, we tried. There is still so much to look forward to," he says. "From now until March 6, we move forward with daily check-ins. One day at a time. In the meantime, if you have concerns, frustrations, or unresolved grievances, please direct them to the early life crisis damage control hotline after the beep."
We'll see what the line says tomorrow.
What producers did Nettspend work with on early life crisis?
Over the past year, Nettspend has been working with 1C34-affiliates ss3bby, cranes, and rek1usive, DRACO.FM producers skai, Rok, and legion, and CXO, one of Che's core beatmakers. I think it's reasonable to expect all of them to make the final edit for his sophomore effort, which is shaping up to have a more aggressive rage sound in the vein of REST IN BASS or Psykotic.
Less integral to Nett's sound, but still a probable collaborator, would be Ice Spice's right-hand man RIOTUSA, who co-produced August single "stressed." Considering that Nettspend's debut BAD ASS F*CKING KID didn't include any of his previously released songs, I wouldn't anticipate that specific song, or its DeJ Loaf-sampling B-side "her friends," making the final tracklist. But considering RIOT's high profile, and the abrasive range he showed with his work on Y2K!, It seems safe to assume the pair would have another collab in the locker.
Will ok produce on early life crisis?
The big question is whether ok will be featured on the album or not. Last summer, he produced Nett's standout SoundCloud loosie "Forever," which featured a fuzzed-out beat more suited for a K-hole than the moshpit.
I'm hard-pressed to think of another rapper whose career has been so intertwined with the North Carolinan's beats (maybe Protect). ok was behind the boards on "nothing like uuu," "withdrawals," "F*CK SWAG," "2024 freestyle," and most of BAFK, including the Grimes-sampling highlight "Skipping Class." Nettspend has always worked with a range of producers, but none of them have felt as critical to his sound as ok.
ok is also a key producer for fakemink ("Music and Me," "Crush," "Pillow Fight"). mink was briefly friends with Nettspend last year (they performed together at a Perfectly Imperfect party and teased some collaborations) before the pair had a falling out. ok seemed to be involved with the drama as well, unfollowing Nettspend on Instagram. While I wouldn't bet on a reunion, the duo's long history and excellent chemistry both indicate a solid foundation for potential amends to be made (if only in service of incredibly fat royalty checks).
Are there any Nettspend early life crisis snippets or leaks?
Nettspend has had some music leak in recent weeks, but it's hard to say how recent any of those tracks actually are. Nettspend has dropped a few short snippets on his finsta account @earlylifecrisis this month. Check those out below.
