Artist: Bolaji Album: Bolaji Review by Chris Barth Bolaji may be from Long Island, but his resemblance to some well-known rappers out of Staten Island is undeniable. His voice has the gravelly grit of Ghostface Killah, Ol Dirty Bastard, and Raekwon. Like those Wu-Tang Clan members, Bolaji has a chip on his shoulder and something to say. As 1/2 Lock Nelson, the opening track of his self titled album, spills out over a foreboding beat, it's hard not to feel like the next 50 minutes are going to be worth your attention. "This is for them so called hot heads that act like nothing matters/I'm about to make them upset like stones in their gallbladders, Bolaji spits on the album's second track, Tighten Up. The track is full of braggadocio that luckily sounds well placed. Bolaji's flow is solid and menacing enough to support lines like "promoters want to book me/but they don't book me,˜cause they have a hard time finding real hip hop to book with me. Bolaji is full of big lush beats that combine melodic lines with intensely large bass lines, providing a perfect backing to Bolaji's growl. Natural sounds exactly that, with Bolaji seemingly at home with a string-laced beat. His voice flits in and out of the foreground, but remains captivating no matter where it's placed in the mix. He has a talent for punching syllables at the right moment, to make sure that the focus stays on his flow. Bolaji avoids monotony because his flow is dynamic. You're not going to zone out during these songs, because the lyrical stabs keep bringing you back. There are all kinds of influences on this album, from the island drums on Get Ta Know Me to the Krump soundscape of She Was Hot,but Bolaji shape shifts his way through the tracks without ever seeming out of place. His delivery is confident and natural enough to carry a variety of tracks on his back without sounding forced or false. Not every track on Bolaji is a winner, though. On The Way is a notable example of a track that tries to do too much. Here, a steady beat grinds, punctured by horn stabs while a ticking metronome beat keeps the time. Bolaji's flow sounds overwhelmed, and the song just sounds busy. In other places, like on I Get It On, Bolaji lets a much more sparse beat fade to the background, instead placing the focus on his voice and lyrics. Those songs are much more successful. In fact, Bolaji would do well to space out his beats even more, as his flow has enough texture on its own that it could really do wonders over breaks and a cappellas. For the most part, though, Bolaji is note-perfect throughout. He isn't afraid to embrace his strong voice and use it to propel tracks forward, driving the songs without seeming overbearing. His lyrics, often boastful and contentious, fit the sound; if you come at Bolaji, you'll get the fight you're looking for. If anything, Bolaji could use more of that fight. These songs sound best on blast, pumping the volume all the way up and letting the bass shake the building. Then, his voice really takes off and the lyrics become battle cries. If his voice were even more front-and-center, that hype would be uncontainable. Bolaji has the potential to match Ghostface's snarl as he destroys tracks and tells stories; it's scary to think what he could do with his potential. In the end, Bolaji represents a very solid effort from a rapper with a lot of upside. He makes songs that evoke strong emotion, and sound much more like hardened truths than posturing. Where most young rappers sound like they're trying to fit in shoes that are too big, Bolaji sounds like he's been here before and is just looking for the spark to set him off. On "I Get It On, he raps "I want energy in music again/I used to feel like I could do anything when I heard my favorite jam/Now it's so jiggly jelly/I know there gotta be people like me that wanna hear the real, daily Bolaji has found the energy and the real, now he just has to bring it to the people. Review by Chris Barth Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
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