SWAG
Genre: Pop/R&B By: Justin Bieber Released: July 11, 2025 Label: Def Jam
SWAG is just as lazy as the title suggests.
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Photographed by Renell Medrano
Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, Justin Bieber is free at last. Free from his years-long contract with Scooter Braun and $31.5 million lighter. Maybe there is something to Druski saying Bieber has a Black soul. It’s finally clocking to me.
SWAG is Justin Bieber’s first album release post manager Scooter Braun. At this stage in his career, Justin Bieber has so much to talk about, yet he says nothing on his latest record. Throughout the years, Bieber has had a tumultuous relationship with fame – notably, the paparazzi – which makes sense, given the 24/7 surveillance he’s been under since he was teenager. Time again we’ve seen headlines about his erratic behavior from which only a young white man can be excused, but his antics have largely been tolerated because he usually delivers when the time comes to release an album. So what’s the excuse now?
If you were expecting an introspective record that is in any way compelling to understand the person that is Justin Bieber or offer him a bit of grace, you’ve come to the wrong place. With track titles like “ALL I CAN TAKE" and “THERAPY SESSION,” it is easy to be lured in by the pretence of self awareness despite the outwardly lazy project title. To add insult to injury, Bieber enlists funnyman Druski for a therapy session that recognizes his Black soul trapped inside a privileged white man’s body. Druski also prescribes a healthy dose of Black & Milds – as if Bieber's vocal performance wasn’t strained enough.
The only constant on this album is Bieber's attempt to correct the narrative regarding his relationship with wife Hailey Bieber. In recent months, Bieber has repeatedly been lambasted for his seemingly poor and disrespectful treatment of his wife in public and on social media. The internet was up in arms about the singer’s dismissal of Mother’s Day, given it was Hailey’s first as a new mother. The onslaught of criticism only worsened when he decided to celebrate her landing the cover of Vogue… by recounting a fight they had where he told her “she would never be on the cover of Vogue.” Sigh.
Moreover, a compilation of Justin Bieber’s most questionable interactions with his wife was making its rounds on social media. The most egregious instance being where he leaves Hailey to fend for herself with the paparazzi, falling to the ground as her husband flees into the cityscape on his skateboard all set to the tune of Lorde’s “Man of the Year.” I suppose lyrics like “that’s my baby, she’s iconic, phone case with lipstick on it” featured on the track “GO BABY” are supposed to make up for public humiliation on account of your husband’s actions. Don’t worry, Hailey, Justin assures that they’re just “growing pains,” i.e. you’ll get used to it.
Aside from the lyrical content or lack thereof, the structure of the album does not lend itself to a seamless listen. SWAG features three Druski interludes and a random voice memo accurately titled, “GLORY VOICE MEMO.” Mind you, you’re only ¾ of the way through the album by the time you hit the third Druski interlude. That’s only slightly more than all ⅗ of Justin’s soul in 1787.* How’s that for quick math?
In all seriousness, apologies if I failed to mention that this is also a worship album. Bieber closes out his 21-track album with "FORGIVENESS," a prayerful song from none other than American pastor and gospel singer Marvin Winans. It seems like a very fitting conclusion for an album that features Sexyy Red piously rapping “put that [redacted] in my [redacted], make my heart stop.”
Amen.
Needless to say, I did not find this album amusing. Just plain lazy, bordering on insulting. If I wasn’t a Belieber before, I certainly am not now.
Footnotes
*The Three-Fifths Compromise was introduced on June 11, 1787 at the Constitutional Convention. This agreement determined that three out of every five enslaved people would be counted when determining a state’s population for representation in congress and for taxation. Constitutionally, a Black person only accounted for 3/5 of a person until July 9,1868.