Combustible Body Armor

First of all, what a dope fucking album name. I actually had to do two takes to make sure I read that correctly, super slick. I’ve always said one of my favourite things about doing what I do is discovering new artists to explore and expand my knowledge of the culture and I’m blessed to check this guy out as he reached out with kind words to me and that’s some shit I never forget! So with that in mind let’s talk about it! This is the brand new album by MC -BugNelson with Production from -Cusho and together they drop this fantastical 10 track project with the likes of -Oatmeal Jenkins -Cooper -Josh Alias A trio of names that were foreign to me until now and I’d be lying if I said they didn’t impress me the hell out of me on this album! So let’s discuss the wordplay. The first thing I thought when I heard this man rap was how smooth and sensual his style is. For better or for worst he reminds me of that guy whose going viral right now ‘Ashtin Larold’ which isn’t an insult I think he’s a dope rapper lyrically clever with his words and has a more laidback presence on the mic. Same can be said for BugNelson! He glides through these instrumentals like an eagle soaring through the sky! He lets his impeccable rhythm, timing and energy speak for themselves! Of course I’ll discuss the production aspect later but half of the atmosphere created is by Bugs. I found his Stella, sharp mind combined with his obvious passion for the music amplify in the studio and create a lively environment that you just don’t want to end! It’s like when you’re walking through a nature reserve on a beautiful clear day with just the wildlife keeping you company? That’s the type of aura he exudes on this! He does so with his fun, witty and often vivid lyrics. He was like an excited author or narrator given the opportunity to present his art to the masses and that’s what’s causing his explosion of expression and creativity that we need more of! I’ve heard alot of dope music, I cover it almost daily but hearing someone like him who is going against the grain and creating different lane from the prominent ‘Gangsta/Drug Rap’ is always refreshing to hear! Not to mention the company he brought with him on this album are men equally as excited and proud to be on the mic as he is! Creating a strong chemistry and atmosphere that can’t be denied! As far as the Production goes on this (and to match the vibes of the rapper himself) we have Cusho! Who left an impressionable set of instrumentals that are great by themselves but feel like individual scores when you included the rapping! Let’s discuss a few of them! We have tracks like -Lorem ipsum first of all that sample of Ozzy Osbournes ‘Crazy Train’ is insane. Outside of that this song had that classic in your face gritty boom bap influence with those groovy plucked high strung strings, with that re occurring synth style keys, thick bass and some soft jazz style drums that help give structure to this whole track! The perfect track for him to go off on! There’s the track -Scatman which has this gorgeous Jazz influence to it that I felt myself melting to! (Pause) from what sounds like those high note flute samples in that momentous loop that’s combined with some methodically paced drum work and subtle violin in the background and light strings! In this track the stripped back layers make this hit 100x harder then a normal track! There’s even songs like -shoulderbumps which contains an almost lofi presence to it that took over my mental immediately. From those atmospheric horns that go off in that goosebumps worthy loop that I wished lasted an hour long because that’s how long it would take for me to get sick of it! That’s associated with those shimmering keys in the background and what’s fascinating about this track is how half way throughout the track the drums get randomly more intense and loud! Which added a nice sense of texture! There’s also a hint of subtle acoustic strings going off to create a pure soundtrack worthy track! I don’t know what ‘Combustible Body Armor’ would sound like but fuck it as of today it sounds like this! A fantastically smooth record that’s as flexing as a camp fire lurking on throughout the night! With incredible performances to match. Make sure you tune in!