By Joel Brogan

Boldy James has been a pioneer in the genre of underground rap. Active since 2009, He has proved himself time and time again with his flow and lyrical storytelling, differentiating himself from other hip-hop artists. He does not just create songs, he creates stories. His collaborations with legendary producers such as The Alchemist and Conductor Williams show his ability to change and adapt.

He comes out of the gates with his newest project, wanting to keep his streak of critically acclaimed experimental hip-hop albums flowing. Collaborating with Nicholas Craven, an up-and-coming producer from Montreal, he hopes that Criminally Attached will be criminally acclaimed.

The start of the album showcases his strong points as an artist. ‘Walnut Grove’ is a song primarily focusing on his upbringing and the hardship’s he’s faced growing up in Atlanta. He doesn’t shy away from the gritty details of which he had to endure. The beat itself is smooth, with Nicholas sampling ‘When I Die’ by ‘The Friends of Distinction’, It matches up perfectly with the subject matter and flow.

The second song on the album, ‘No Blemishes’, delves into his school life and the incidents which occurred in his youth. Yet again, he delivers with a laid-back demeanour, he regales us of tales from his tragic youth and troublesome school days. Nicholas samples ‘Deep Inside of Me’ by The Futures, resulting in a chilled listening.

A standout song on the album is the fourth track, ‘Fully Smack’, which is one of the darker songs on the album. With deep and dark trumpets blasting in the background, he lays down some lyrics revolving around the gun and drug violence he has endured in youth and adulthood. While he raps in a laid back and nonchalant demeanour, his lyrics still cut through you like ribbon.

Criminally Attached album cover (Image: @boldyjames via Instagram

The sample played throughout the song is ‘I’ve Got to Forget You’ by Bobby Story. Craven’s samples throughout the album are mostly old soul and funk music. This relates to James’ lyricism as it proves to be a source of nostalgia and is ultimately paying homage to black artists.

Other songs on the album include ‘Mr Quaker Oats’ which revolves around his drug dealing when he was a teenager and ‘Trifecta’ which features 50 Gwuap Taj and Dave Hill who are both up-and-coming rappers. The different artistic visions are on show and they bounce off each other well. Another song of note is ‘Thumb of Craven’ which has an angelic sample of Candi Staton’s song ‘But I do’ playing over his lyrics.

He has kept up the pace of his former albums, while also improving lyrically and musically. The skill he has of delving into his traumatic childhood and expressing himself in his art is impressive. The producing work by Craven is next level, with samples pulled from 70s funk to 80s disco music, it adds to character to his storytelling.

The only thing that I think lets the album down is its repetitiveness. While it is a celebration of his success, many of the lyrics are quite similar and delve too much into certain subjects. He has curated an interesting and inventive album, delving into parts of his life good and bad. I could see this breaking into the top 10 rap albums of this year.

Rating: 8/10

Criminally Attached album review