The 18-year-old Bronx rapper Lil Tjay shares an intimate look at his personal struggles and rise to fame on his debut album “True 2 Myself.” Arguably one of the hottest rappers of the year, the New Yorker’s life has changed dramatically over the past few years. Tjay reflects on this transformation throughout the project and showcases a vulnerable, blatantly honest side of himself.

Just two years ago, Tjay was spending his days in a juvenile detention center. With a history of getting into trouble while living on 183rd street in the South Bronx, Tjay had been to a juvenile detention center before. However, this one-year sentence served as a reality check to the teenager and ultimately pushed him to dedicate himself to music. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Tjay reflects, “I feel like if I wasn’t to go to jail, I probably wouldn’t be the person I am—I wouldn’t. ’Cause I wouldn’t have sat down and wrote those songs and I never would’ve been able to focus on what I want to accomplish.”

When Tjay was released from jail in 2017, his music career took off. He dropped music on SoundCloud that racked up millions of streams. This past summer, the Bronx-born star catapulted to fame thanks to his feature on Polo G’s Billboard top 10 hit, “Pop Out.” With a rapidly growing fanbase, pressure mounted for Tjay to release a full album. He finally responded by dropping his emotional debut studio project “True 2 Myself” on Oct. 11.

A collection of previously released SoundCloud hits like “F.N” and “Brothers” and new tracks like “No Escape” and “Decline,” “True 2 Myself” offers a glance into Tjay’s mind and heart. In a genre where most stars rely on lyrics that flex their money and relationships with girls, Tjay breaks the norm by candidly rapping about his emotional distress and struggles to overcome adversity.

On the intro track, “One Take,” Tjay presents himself to listeners and details his childhood growing up in the projects and the struggles he faced. He calls out haters and states his motivation in making rap music. “They said I’m the new A Boogie/ relax, I ain’t never try to copy your swag/ I’m just tryna put my hood on the map,” he raps. While many have compared Tjay’s melodic style to the Bronx’s other hip-hop megastar A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Tjay creates his own unique style by displaying vulnerability and honesty on every track.

Passionate songs like “Dream that I Had” and “No Escape” reflect on the lessons Tjay learned as a result of his past mistakes and time in jail. It is clear that these struggles helped Tjay realize his potential, as he shares on “No Escape” when he raps, “Back when I was five years old/ I knew that I was gon’ be great/ I found my gift for music back around the age of eight/ I knew I’d be successful/ it was more about the wait.”

However, no matter how much fame Tjay amounts, he makes it clear that he will always stay true to himself. He will never forget the streets that raised him, yet he does not want to fall back into his old troubled ways. On songs produced by multi-platinum “Pop Out” producer JD On Tha Track like “Hold On” and “Brothers,” Tjay remembers his old friends and life in the projects. He is motivated by the people he has lost and will never forget his brothers from the streets.

The Bronx rapper has noticed, though, that fame has changed people’s perceptions of him, causing him to lose trust in people. He discusses this emotional struggle on “F.N,” “Ruthless” and “Leaked,” in which he asserts that loyalty is everything to him and that he will continue to be himself no matter what anyone thinks. The chorus on “F.N” exemplifies this theme, as Tjay asserts, “Time go by, n—as change so much/Why the f–k these n—as looking at my chain so much?/They just mad ’cause I departed from the game so much.”

The album features many guest verses from established artists like Lil Durk, Lil Wayne and Jay Critch. One of the project’s highlights is “Decline” featuring Lil Baby, in which the rappers vulnerably reflect on the traumas of their pasts, which are putting so much stress on them that they cannot focus on their present relationships.

The lessons he learned growing up in the Bronx permeate throughout the project and are reflected in his emotional, honest lyrics complemented by melodic, powerful beats. Tjay never loses sight of himself.