Fourth studio album for Boldy James, Detroit rapper on his third album in 2020, the first one after signing with Griselda Records. This 23-minute, ten short-cut tape, often composed of a single verse, is entirely produced by New Jersey beatmaker Jay Versace, a rookie in the role of main producer.
The beats provided by Versace are minimal, jazzy, if possible, they give up the drums and when they're essential, they reduce the drums to a minimum, combining melodic soul samples and horns. Boldy James loads this tape with gangsta, thug, and drug lyrics, delivering them with a monotone style that could easily be boring and listless, and with a slow, smooth, effortless flow.
After a useless skit on a theft of expensive glasses, "Maria" opens the record: sax sample looped in the background, light, sad and slow, thin rhythm with no drum or other elements other than the sax; Boldy delivers in his monotone style, before a long final skit that's hard to catalog. Following "Nu Wave", Jay Versace didn't start very well, placing another mediocre / decent beat. With "Cartier", we've a first twist: good jazzy rhythm, but too distant to adequately support Boldy James's slow flowing delivery, closes El Camino, which goes worthily until he starts singing at the end of his verse, before the outro-skit from "Ozark".
After a tiring first part, production improves in the second fraction, with beats fit for the monochord delivery of the Detroit MC: in particular, the last two rhythms are among the best of the edition, "Bentayga" boasts a splendid jazzy sound carpet with sample soul, on which Boldy delivers a single verse, while "Roxycontin" is a final posse. In this last joint, Jay Versace brings out a simple jazzy boom bap, with excellent male soul sample and almost imperceptible drum; delivery of Boldy James, Westside Gunn to adlibs and sung hook, with Tonia Deniece in the background, Keisha Plum's dark outro.
For the first album with Griselda, Boldy plays it safe without risking anything: his drug rap album is honest and short, with decent replay value due to shortness, but not excellent, not completely effective production and guests who like to sing — the only one not singing is Keisha Plum, who delivers in spoken word — they don't help the project.
Rating: 6.5/10.
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