STU BANGAS & A-F-R-O (BOOM BAP/HORRORCORE/UNDERGROUND HIP HOP, REVIEW) - THE BAD AND THE UGLY (CHAPTER 2)
Yo! what's good Bogs? It's time for real hip hop grime again from the swamps before we venture back into goth pools, or another pool. The bog spits, bog collects, bog shares. No gates here, just grime from the sounds.
Lost Souls Part Two - The opening joint is a good opener after the narration intro to drop the theme and concept followed by strong beats with no wackness. The beat count and temp is strong with solid sampling effects. Punchy and catchy y'all. The tempo is relaxed yet sets the fire strong to move to the next tracks.
Pack It In - An ode to House Of Pain's 'Jump Around' featuring lines from the track, but rephrased and lyrically different, but it's pretty tight. There is a nice repeated beat introducing the joint with accompanying scratch samples laced serving as break points, and Bog enjoyed them. Sick track repping Boston routes. which is a huge thumbs up from Bog.
Bring Ya Best Army, Pt. 2 (feat. One Be Lo) - The feels with dark solid strong beats. A real stand up fo sure. The backing samples add to the track's depth giving it a sick horrorcore vibe. The collab with One Be Lo serves to add to the vibes. Nice subtle outro/fade and this joint is one to flame up. Banger and production is mad tight and beats are solid af with creepy ass samples laced all over it.
Mastermind (feat. Wordsworth) - Bog didn't quite feel this joint, but around 1.42 mins in A-F-R-O drops compress and reverb reference in his verb, which didn't slip past Bog's ears. The vibe is dark yet chill with a haunting melody on a slowed beat with very clean, tight production, which is easy on the ears.
Use Your Brain - There is a fire dark gutter bass line drops in with gritty filthy street vibe. Not banging beats or hardcore, but as mentioned, it's that chill dark feel, which Use Your Brain drops fo real. Another banger and you will nod along instantly to this. Sick little scratch near the end, and the bass line, when you hear it, ya'll be relating. Good lyricism, message, and flow on point.
Conductor (feat. DJ Ace The Cut Lieutenant) - Nice beat repeat again to drop in with the piano keys to take us in, and is like a follow on from Use Your Brain. The piano keys complement the joint and back up A-F-R-O's main verse, and they drop ins nicely, some good rhythmic beats to count, no sleep on Conductor. Good shit, feels y'all.
Man of God (feat. Motion Plus) - Fire af banger, bass/funk is dirty af with a calm, yet menacing beat that drops along patiently in the background building this up. Take West Coast chill, but horror vibe it the f up, then add in East Coast street filth feels. Think of eating a BBQ sub, it goes off hard in your mouth! An incredibly cinematic, lo fi ish, but clean with A-F-R-O and Motion Plus laying it down with their verse for the ears. Sinister ass track that made Bog stop in the swamp and listen up.
My Saloon - Western parody, Bog wasn't crazy on this joint, but mos def has a Wild West saloon vibe with the samples, audio, beats, and lyricism, which is on point with the title. Some folks may enjoy this track, it is very much Wild West Hip Hop, and is different, but Bog prefers the grimier sewer aspects of the The Bad And The Ugly Chapter 2. My Saloon has mad tight production and composition, which is consistent with the album's track structure.
The Quick and The Dead (feat. Elena Charis) - Another western reference and is on point with the album title. We are back to the dark chill vibe and accompanying menacing atmosphere with a name drop to The Punisher, so that should shout out the feels for the track. Elena has some nice verses and the use of piano keys with the beats is again mad cool.
No Regrets (feat. 4-IZE) - Very funky joint and is softest and least grimy track. If you enjoy the more chill vibes, but without the menacing component, then you may feel it and appreciate it more than Bog. It just didn't grab Bog's ears compared to the other tracks. The MCs are fine and No Regrets is built well, but didn't quite match the mood of album for Bog's impressions.
D'Amalfi (feat. Young Bangas) and Glistening - No hating from Bog, the swamp didn't really feel these two. The delivery, timing, beats, and audio levels are all on point, but super mellow and not with the feel of many of the previous joints. Glistening does have an interesting retro sample, which is cool though.
Stairway 2 Heaven - Ok, banger alert again! Back to the sound we been hearing. Horrorcore ish vibe with good slow paced beats, including a riff dropped on them, and a funk line. It's good shit and a nice way to close out. Has a sick strong cinematic feel and when A-F-R-O says "drop it", it's one you to really gotta vibe, and nod ya head too. Bog was supping up bog wine and popping off around the marsh lands. The outro has a nice shout at the end for Chapter 3 coming soon.
Rating: Real talk, this isn't commercial mumble rap, or any stropped down soulless version of hip hop the human masses are often exposed too. Gritty aware lyricism containing raw references and on point bars talking about life. Bog is sharing real hip hop that the bogs spit out.
Despite those few joints Bog didn't vibe, this is one on point fire gutter album, but with a chill sinister patient vibe. Think of a car in a movie cruising through a bad part of the city at night, or someone sat in the bog lands dropping bars on life, the beats and audio made Bog think of this imagery.
The Bad And The Ugly Chapter 2 features punchy short tracks, flow is very chill and clean, but some folks might prefer a more aggressive hardcore delivery to get really in your face. It does run like a dark gritty, yet chill story, which is in line with the story telling component from the elements. Bog say's don't sleep, get on it!
