The Bigger Album

   On Dec. 21, 2018, Julius Dubose, better known as A Boogie wit da Hoodie, released his latest album. A Boogie wit da Hoodie is a rapper, singer, and songwriter who is best known for his single “Drowning” featuring Kodak Black, that made it to the number 38 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. He then went on to release his The Bigger Artist album on Sept. 29, 2017, which made it to the number four spot on the Billboard 200 chart. I remember listening to that album and enjoying almost every song when I was a sophomore, and I was pretty excited when he finally dropped his newest album Hoodie SZN after a little over a year of waiting.

   Hoodie SZN consists of 20 songs, 9 of which features another artist. Those features include 6ix9ine, Offset, Tyga, Juice WRLD, Queen Naija, Young Thug, Don Q, Trap Manny, Lil Quee, Quando Rondo, Lil Durk, PnB Rock, and last but not least, NAV. Although all the songs on the album are enjoyable, I would like to mention a few songs on the album that were my favorite.

   “Voices In My Head” is the first track on the album and is easily one of the best tracks on the whole thing. With his   emotional singing, A Boogie reminds listeners of how in touch he is with the streets, telling stories of heartbreak, times he was stuck in jail, and friends he lost. Some examples that show his feelings in the music would be the lyrics such as “They killed my n**** Quado in the projects/ And then they killed Beasty/ free PeeWee” and “And I be feelin’ like I’m Malcolm/ I got the X on my back/ And every n**** in the X can vouch for me, that’s a fact.” When A Boogie talks about his friend Quado, he is referring to someone named Justin Morris, who was gunned down on Christmas eve of 2015. In the second verse, he is referring to Malcolm X and how he has a target on his back, and how anyone from the Bronx (also known as the X) can verify that.

    A Boogie shows a lot of passion throughout the whole track. In spite of all his success, he still has a grim side to him that creeps out in his music from time to time. In one of his tracks “The Reaper,” he exposes that side of him. The beat is kind of dark with a good amount of bass. On it, A Boogie talks about what might happen to someone who speaks down on him. He also goes back and forth from a vehement singer to a well rounded rapper. Songs like “The Reaper” is where he is at his full potential and all passion for what he does spills out. On “Startender,” one of the main singles off of Hoodie SZN, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie created this exhilarating song that features a solid melody by himself, and tongue-twisting/savage bars by featured guests Offset and Tyga (respectively). The combination makes for something  fans will absolutely soak up, especially when considering that the trio was able to accommodate three of rap’s most important coasts (the South, West, and East) with their presences.

    The last song worth mentioning is “Swervin” (feat. 6ix9ine). It is the 4th track on the album and and it has exceptional bass and high quality instrumentals,

   Finally, when it comes to Hoodie SZN, most, if not all of the tracks are adequate and they have multiple different flows and emotions. The Bronx rapper hardly breaks from the moody, tough-talking to hide his heartache sing-rap formula, but with A Boogie that’s when he works and there is no point in fixing what is not broken. New York does not like change, and as long as A Boogie stays on this path, his music will be loved, appreciated, and endlessly shared throughout the city’s media. I give this album a calm 8.7 out of 10.