You want life-changing, well-written, compassionate and soulfully honest music. Then look no further than Shady Records emcee, Boogie’s highly-anticipated debut album, Everything’s For Sale, which recently dropped.
The latest in a long line of great emcees to emerge from Compton, California. Boogie shows from the opening track, Tired/Reflections, how truly great an ear he has for writing great melodies, reflectivity introspective and honest lyrics that most everyone can relate to. While also showing that he’s not just a great emcee, but a great poet as well. As his spoken word introduction lyrics to the album of, “I’m tired of that shit, n***a, shut up. N***as ain’t tryna hear none of that conscious shit. Fvck you talkin’ bout? N***as tryin to get faded, get high. Yo, yo. They like “N***a, we tired of hearin’ you pour out, your heart about how you in the struggle and how you at war. With yourself and how you not confident and you insecure. N***as tired of that shit, don’t wanna hear that story no more. I’m tired. N***a, ain’t you tired of telling it? Ain’t you tired of not being relevant?” It’s a cleverly written piece that criticizes two of the biggest criticisms that is a stereotype many of us, famous or not, get put into a lot of times and can relate to. While, Reflections, is more about the troubled young man with a brilliant mind whose thoughts are so honest you can feel your jaw drop as you listen to such lyrics as, “I’m the one in front the gun and the one behind the trigger. I been hidin’ from my truths, they will never find a n***a. If they ever find a n***a, I identify the killer. I’ma be the only witness, it’s that pussy in the mirror.”
Standout tracks like the Keyel-produced promotional single, Silent Ride and Swap Meet, meanwhile show Boogie’s very great ear for truly well-written and catchy melodies, as well as great storytelling. The hauntingly great melancholy guitar strums of Keyel and Ryan Fienberg’s production on the latter giving a catchy and moody vibe that’s ever present throughout the album and really helps bring the Compton emcee’s sometimes ridiculous lyrics to life in a way you can still feel it though. Something only an artist like Boogie can really do, yet still make great and worthy of multiple listens as evident from him comparing his love for his girlfriend as an analogy to a swapmeet deal. Him being lucky to find her and her love as a bargain for what little he has.
How each track so smoothly and seamlessly segues into each like a mini-movie makes the album that much greater too. As it brings each honestly and introspective lyric that much more to life in a way that’s very refreshing and really brings it back to the true origins of Hip-Hop. This very evident on the very emotionally and soulfully smooth keys of the Keyel and Dart-produced, Skydive. With how it transitions so seamlessly to the very smooth Nabeyin-produced, Live 95. Which could arguably be if not the two best, at least two of the top three tracks on the whole album. Both records the type that can really get you in your feelings and possibly even move you to tears with how honestly emotional and introspective the lyrics are.
The Eminem-assisted standout, Rainy Days, with the more dark Fresh Ayr, StreetRunner and S1 production briefly throws off the more soulful, moody and emotionally honest vibes we hear throughout most of the album. Em’s feature though not the greatest is still somewhat solid and shows Boogie can hang with someone as great as Em on a track. The features from J.I.D, 6LACK, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah and Snoh Aalegra are so perfectly placed throughout the album too. Each bringing something to the album that brings the album to life that much more. Probably none more so than Snoh Aalegra’s very soulfully angelic vocals of, “I can’t let you go although I know. Although I know you’re not even good for me, no. I should be alone, you hurt my soul. I should know better, but I do it all the time,” on the outro of the closing track, Time. Which is the perfect way to end off and close such a very stellar great debut album. Boogie himself even hitting some soulfully great notes of his own on, Time, too.
An album that has many great standouts, which also includes the soulfully horn backdrops of, Whose Fault, and the catchy lyrics of, Self Destruction, shows how the emcee gives points of view for not only himself, but that of a woman in a broken relationship of a former couple that shares custody of a kid. Given both parents perspectives, Boogie’s introspective and emotionally honest lyrics throughout the album about everybody in his own life are ones that everyone can relate to and why his music hits home for so many in such a refreshingly honest way. Seeing him put all his naked honest emotions in such a great body of work as his first album let’s you know he’s sure to have a long and very impactful career in Hip-Hop and music for many years to come.