A Boogie wit da Hoodie:The Bigger Artist album review
Artist Dubose from the Boogie Down Bronx, where his name originates, is the second rapper from Highbridge this summer to make an impact on the Hip-Hop scene. A Boogie wit da Hoodie was one of the breakout artists of 2016 with his hit single “My S***.” He’s continued upon his success with many other charting singles such as “Jungle,” “Timeless,” and his album’s leading single “Drowning,” which peaked at 38 on the top 100 billboard.
The Bronx-bred rapper is a very versatile artist who can make club songs, relationship music or trap songs. He both raps and harmonizes making his songs very melodic and catchy. He dropped his debut album on Sept. 29 where he’s tabbed guys such as Cardo, Metro Boomin, and in-house producer Ness for production credits. Trey Songz, Chris Brown, label mate Don Q, and more were also used for features. The following is my review of his newest album.
Stand Outs
A deep but hard song, “No Promises” is my favorite song on the album. Over a smooth Cardo produced instrumental, A Boogie raps about a failed relationship where his famous lifestyle kept him from making or keeping promises. He also says that “No Promises” has one of the realest lines he’s ever wrote in.
“Savannah just wanted to see me perform And got hit over stupid shit I woke up and saw the shit right on my phone They don’t know who the shooter is.”
Talking about a girl that was shot at his concert. It was after this event that he wrote this song.
Favorite lines–
“Yeah, we couldn’t go to Phillipe’s I had to be on that corner until it was morning, So me and my n***** could eat, I be the one with the sauce, I never thought it was sweet I got my foot in the door They never gave me the key, I had to turn to a ki”
He raps about his humble beginnings, like not being able to enjoy certain things because he had to work overnight so that he was able to eat. He also uses clever wordplay to describe how hard it was for him to come up in the hood.
Individual Rating– 10/10
Another calming, produced by Metro Boomin this time, “Get to You,” is one of the more melodic songs on the album. He harmonizes about a relationship he’s in where he feels that his partner isn’t fully invested in the relationship like he is. He demonstrates his ability change to different flows in a song better in “Get to You” than any other song on the album. Even sampling a flow from another song (which I’ll get to) and adapting it to this song.
Favorite lines–
“I’m moving carefully, iggin’ me, iggin’ me It don’t make sense to me, send for me, send for me Need you to win for me, care for me, care for me And if you care, make time for me, make time for me And when you lie to me, it just be killing me You’re acting differently, I need to get to you I need you there for me, I need to get to you I need to get to you, carefully, carefully”
Directing these lyrics to his significant other in this specific part of the song, he borrows the flow from the third verse of Lauryn Hills “Ex-Factor,” which I feel was the best part of the song. Using the Lauryn Hill flow, just like in “Ex-Factor” you can feel the emotion as he tries to exude his true feelings for this girl.
Individual Rating– 10/10
More popish and fun in spirit, “Unhappy” is still about relationship troubles in lyrics. He raps and harmonizes about struggling with a relationship that his newfound fame is getting in the way of. This is due to his suspicions that his girlfriend isn’t getting used to his new fortune and isn’t committed long-term. So he breaks up with her making her unhappy. The song, produced by Scott Storch, has a nice bounce combined with a catchy flow and lyrics.
Favorite lines–
“I be tryna stop thinking about you but even when I do I be reminiscing bad things I did And I know you hate me, you hate me”
A Boogie once again adapts a flow from another artist song, this time Usher, when he borrows his flow from “You Make Me Wanna.” He does this quite a bit, but it always fits and this time is no different.
Individual Rating– 8/10
Overall, this is a very versatile album and a good debut. It has songs that can be played in a club, such as “Somebody.” Songs you can relate to at various stages of a relationship, beginning (“Stalking You”), middle (“Bad Girl”), or end (“Unhappy”). It also has songs you can just listen to like “Say A” and “No Comparison.” A Boogie’s musical talents are on full display with this melodic album. Critiques and fans alike can look forward to his future music as he grows as an artist and leads a new wave of talented New York rappers from himself to Young M.A, Don Q and Dave East.
Overall Rating– 7/10
