Meanwhile, underground rappers like Freestyle Fellowship and Jurassic 5 were also gaining recognition for their innovative styles and conscious lyrics. Dre becoming household names and global icons. rappers.ĭuring the 1990s, the city’s rap scene continued to evolve and diversify, with artists like Tupac, Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Their gritty, street-inspired lyrics and aggressive beats became a hallmark of West Coast hip hop and laid the foundation for future generations of L.A. and Ice-T bringing gangsta rap to the forefront of the culture. L.A.’s regional hip hop scene began to gain national attention in the mid-1980s, with rap acts like N.W.A. And nowhere is that more evident than in the city’s vibrant hip-hop scene, which has produced some of the most influential and talented rappers of all time. And in doing so, he’s forging his own little part of the city’s rich musical history.From the sun-kissed streets of Compton to the palm-lined boulevards of Beverly Hills, Los Angeles is a city that has always been defined by its diversity and creativity. But in contrast to the glossy promotional spots, Boogie’s music sounds like it was cut in a small bedroom, by a man peering from behind a curtain at a neighborhood he loves and understands. The Reach dropped at a time when Compton, once the pop culture capital of the world, is experience renewed interest on the back of Kendrick’s success, the forthcoming NWA biopic and all relating reunions. Elsewhere, Boogie gets romantic on soulful accompaniment pieces “Find Me” and “Found You,” which provide a welcomed change of pace down the stretch. “Oh My,” in fact, is one of the summer’s true bangers–a Lex Luger-style concoction of battering drum machines and skyscraping keys that adds an improbable string to his already impressive bow. The one-liners are even more memorable than before, and though still an intimate MC, he’s putting his bars together better than ever. The last 12 months have seen him sharpen his flow too. “They told me not to fail and I just tell ’em, ‘I heard ya’.” “I keep reaching for the clouds and they just keep moving further,” he admits. Despite referencing such a tragedy, “Further” sees him determined not to succumb to the potentially-violent trappings others in his life have yielded to. The Reach instead has a optimism sewn into its groove. This is heavy stuff then, but Boogie never sounds defeated. It’s a topic that hasn’t gotten a whole bunch of great looks throughout hip-hop history, and Boogie’s confessions ring with a wide-eyed sincerity that help make him one of the most absorbing rappers out there right now.īoasting a low-key, stream-of-consciousness lyrical style, the young Angeleno’s verses play like post-dusk ruminations spilled on a sleepless night. “That’s my five-year-old kid, he’s still got crayons in his cupboard/Now how I’m supposed to tell him I got shot over a color?” he ponders on “Make Me Over,” a track that, like much of his new tape The Reach, sees him slide back onto the kind of hollowed-out cloud rap beats that served him so well on last years’ Thirst 48 (incidentally, both were released on June 24, his son’s birthday).Ĭhopped ‘n’ screwed vocal loops, mournful piano chords and plenty of Spike Lee saxophone help maintain the surly atmosphere on songs like “Intervention” and “Further,” the latter of which features outtakes taken from news reports on the killing of 6-year-old Tiana Ricks as the MC gravely decries neighborhood violence. He’s not about to record a Compton version of “Just The Two Of Us” for his young son to one day treasure, or a generation-connecting ode like “Only One.” But his music is peppered with earnest insights that lay bare the anxieties that have come with being a parent. Boogie doesn’t write songs about fatherhood, per se.
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