At the same time, the samey subject matter and trendy production and features - currently hot artists DaBaby, Lil Uzi Vert, Roddy Ricch, Summer Walker, and Young Thug all make appearances here - work against the artist designation that he could earn by really innovating and experimenting.Ī prime example of the contradiction might just be the way the album addresses A Boogie’s relationships with women. He undercuts his best rap work with droning, too-similar beats that don’t really require the best of him, and he always pulls back just as it seems like he might start really rapping. This confusion over which of the two designations he most wants to earn reverberates throughout the project. On the aforementioned “Hit ‘Em Up” he sums up his style as such: “They call me a singer, I’m rapping with melodies,” but then on “Might Not Give Up” he says, “I ain’t nothin’ like a rapper, I’m a artist.” The frustrating part is where he specifically states a higher purpose but flip-flops on just what that purpose is. And if we take A Boogie’s earlier statement at face value, that means his latest album is made up of mostly his mediocre work. The other issue with Artist 2.0 is that it doesn’t feel like an “album” per se, just a collection of potential hits. While A Boogie had a point when he tweeted about deserving more credit for laying the foundation for the newbies to walk on, he hasn’t provided the strongest examples of his own style for a minute. However, as the saying goes, it’s not about who did it first, it’s about who did it the best. Last year’s runaway hits “Ransom” and “F.N” - from Lil Tecca and Lil Tjay respectively - could easily be called rehashes of the “Drownin'” formula. Fans love when rappers lie, but when they spit indisputable facts, they enter a new realm of respect reserved only for the highest achievers.Ī Boogie certainly qualifies for the distinction - in fact, his singles have been so successful to date that you could reasonably argue that the style he coined on his 2016 breakout hit “ Drowning” has become the de facto sound of new New York. These are some of the best - and most difficult - rhymes to pull off because unlike double entendres, there’s no subjectivity allowed. “I get money and you don’t, I just did like five platinums in a row,” he boasts. Then, on “Stain,” he displays the other pillar of rap mastery - the truthful flex. The hook on “Hit ‘Em Up” with Trap Manny kicks off with some slick assonance: “You know how we pullin’ up,” A Boogie boasts, “We might not be big, but you can’t fight no bullets, so don’t try to bully us.” The casual way he delivers the bar makes it seems like he could do this sort of thing - producing head-turning rhymes dripping with sardonic wit - in his sleep.
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A Boogie has a gift for wordplay that could make even the staunchest ’90s conservative do the “did he say that” face flinch. The flashes of more straightforward lyrical brilliance come early and relatively often. Until he does, he’s going to sell himself short every time. At the very least he needs to make a choice between which of these things he is.
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However, if he wants to live up to his government name and be a capital-A “Artist,” he needs to step up his craft. Artist 2.0 is stuffed to bursting with examples that show just how good he can be at rapping, even as his signature singsong style expands to new pockets of delivery. He has great instincts as a rapper - far better than a New York hip-hop traditionalist might think. As an album, it never sinks under the weight of its contradictions but it never really soars, either. That’s what makes Artist 2.0 - so titled for its principal’s real name, Artist Dubose - so frustrating. All hits is mediocre.” It’s ironic, because he seems to be able to casually pop those out whenever he wants, but the above quote makes it seem like he wants to do so much more.
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According to A Boogie, “Hits is mediocre. In an interview with Rolling Stone about his new album, Artist 2.0, Bronx rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie says he feels that his previous works are “ medicore,” even as he describes them as classics.