(Manhunt)

I can’t lie. I feel a seven-track project is the best way to experiment with these two on deck. Two of the most popular MC’s in the game right now, two different personalities and characters coming together to create an exciting experience that the game hasn’t seen yet. Does the pairing work? Well, let’s talk about it! 

This is the latest collaboration album between the two MC’s Boldy James and Rome Streetz. Together, they drop a seven-track EP feel with production from (according to Spotify)

-James Clay Jones III

-Jerome Allen

-Michael Denny

-Nicholas Craven

-Wavy Da Ghawd

-Chuck Strangers

-Michael Suski

And I want to discuss production first. Because I have to admit, I loved the sonic direction this one went in! What you’ll hear is a combination of gritty boom-bap mixed with lavish soul to give the listener a variety plate of different sounds that should make every kind of hip-hop fan happy!

For example, you have tracks like -Like Biggie Did, which has the more soul-meets-classic vibes! You’ve got that old-school vocal harmony loop that is absolutely angelic in its execution!

This is accompanied by some subtle bass strings and super light drum beats! 

This is probably one of the more skeletal takes on the album but one that works wonders for the likes of Rome and Boldy!

We have tracks like -Hot Plate, which provides the more gritty boom-bap experience! There’s that haunting vocal harmony that has a passing/eerie effect to it! (Unlike the other one that was bright and vibrant)

On this one, we have those sticky key progressions and skeletal drums! There’s also some sharp violins that come as quick as it goes! It sounds like a one-second loop snippet! Either way, a truly sombre style track! 

We can even look at the outro track – Manhunt, which closes the project off with a more trap beat than the others had! You’ve got that fascinating harmonica sample that gives this song a real country/spaghetti western feel to it! This is combined with some heavy bass strings and what sounds like a classic 808 trap beat! This is definitely the more out there track for this duo, but they still kill the beat regardless!

Definitely a mystery bag of beats, some I love, some I don’t, but with the quality of rappers on this album, they make it work better than most would!

Speaking of the rappers. We have Rome and Boldy, two of the most recognised rappers in the game right now, and both have paved a way in this hip hop shit! So them coming together for this 18 minutes feels like two titans acknowledging each other and deciding to create pure chaos with their bars!

I gotta say, this collaboration worked out a lot better than I was expecting it (not because either MC is bad), but I wasn’t sure how their personalities and styles would mesh for a whole album, but after listening to it, I understood why it made sense.

You’ve essentially got the best of both worlds; you’ve got Boldy and his cold, calculating, almost robotic demeanour slicing through the production accompanied by his vivid street poetry and dangerous bars about what he’s experienced, his path to success, and a trigger warning to the haters! 

Then you’ve got, on the flip side of that, Rome’s more high-pitched octaves, the more obvious charisma coming out, and spitting his take on street bars, brash/in-your-face lyricism, drug talk, and how he’s dominating the game right now!

In a lot of ways, they are different sides of the same coin. Similar in topics and themes yet executed in different ways. One’s more cold and dangerous approach, the other more lively and explosive! BOTH have the ability to rap circles around the competition and are showcasing that here and now!

I also love how there was no features and I mean with these two taking centre stage, why would you want it? Not saying no one could match their performances but it would feel like overkill when you’ve already got two killers of this magnitude going verse for verse! So I was happy there was no one else to disturb the chemistry!

All in all, a great showing by both men. Great chemistry, solid production and a great little 18 minute album to tie us up until their next drop! Go peep it below! 

https://open.spotify.com/album/5OAT54oeB6x3VFbcbGwkbX?si=hr1IQuI0TH68AMGAGaWTzg