This extended play was released on June 28th this year. I guess Salaam Remi just felt like doing a couple EP’s with latino rappers in June. Or maybe it’s just a coincidence. I don’t know. Anyway, this was actually my first time listening to a project from Bodega Bamz. I’ve heard him on features in the past, and he’s never really blown me away as a rapper, but I think he’s pretty good from what I’ve heard. I know he released a full length album on Duck Down Records last year, but I just never had the desire to check it out. I didn’t really see anyone else talking about it either. Maybe I would’ve checked it out if I saw more praise for it. Anyway, I just decided to give this project a chance since it’s only 5 tracks. It ended up being pretty decent. Decent really is the best word to describe it. There were a couple tracks I didn’t really care for, but I wouldn’t actually say that they’re bad songs. They were just underwhelming. There weren’t any songs that really blew me away either. I guess I’ll talk about what I liked before getting into some of the tracks I didn’t really care for. I thought the production on the title track was pretty solid.

It wasn’t amazing or anything, but I thought it was cool. The first verse from Bamz was really nice. I liked his odd flow a lot. He had kind of an unpredictable cadence. The hook wasn’t really anything special. I mean, I liked it, but it didn’t stand out that much. It sounded like part of the verse to be honest. Again, Salaam Remi’s production wasn’t really that bad, but Bodega Bamz’s rapping is definitely the best aspect of the song. He’s what makes it worth coming back to. I was really excited for Street Sharks because it features Conway the Machine, who is probably my favorite gangsta rapper out right now. I think this track had one of the best beats on the whole project. I guess that’s not really saying much since the production isn’t exactly a strength on this project. I liked this beat a lot though. It might just be me, but I actually felt like Bodega Bamz was rapping a lot like Conway on this track. I don’t know exactly what it is. I think it’s his flow. It just reminded me of Conway a lot. Some of his bars kinda sounded like something Conway would say too. Conway himself ended up having a pretty cool verse, but it wasn’t one of his best performances. I enjoyed the song overall though. The closing track, Bullpen Therapy, is probably my favorite song on the whole EP. I thought the production was really dope, and I thought the rapping from Bamz was great. The hook was cool too. The lyrical content wasn’t exactly original or creative, but I thought the verses were really well written. It’s a dope song. There were two other songs on the project that I unfortunately didn’t really care for. Again, they aren’t bad songs. They just don’t have any replay value for me personally. The project starts off with That Guy.

The production was pretty weak to me. The beat actually sounded super familiar when I heard it. I swear I’ve heard that sample before. Or maybe I haven’t. It sounds like something I’ve heard before. It was just kind of a dull, uninteresting instrumental. The mixing on this track also seemed kinda rough. Maybe it’s just me, but it felt kinda like Bamz’s vocals were buried in the mix. It wasn’t too bad though. I actually liked his flow on this song a lot. I thought his actual rapping was pretty good. The hook was underwhelming though. Maybe if the production wasn’t so lackluster I’d fuck with the song. It’s an okay track overall, but I’m not gonna be returning to it. Big Willy was probably my least favorite track on the project to be honest. It’s one of those songs that really just falls into the background. I listened to the whole thing and had absolutely nothing to say about it. I was completely indifferent. I might as well have been listening to silence because it had zero effect on me. The production was underwhelming, and Bodega Bamz didn’t command my attention. His rapping wasn’t really bad. It just didn’t stick with me at all. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This EP is okay. I think Bodega Bamz is a good rapper. It’s mainly just the production that held this project back to be honest. Salaam Remi has been involved in a lot of legendary records in the past, but I frankly think he’s super inconsistent. Sometimes he manages to catch lightning in a bottle, but the average Salaam Remi beat is super uninteresting to me. It’s frustrating because I loved his work on Streams of Thought, Vol. 2. These beats are super mid though. Overall, I think this is a better project than that Joell Ortiz collab. That one had higher highs, but this one is far more consistent. Nothing on this project is nearly as bad as the weakest track on BoxTalk. In fact, as I said before, there’s not a single track here that I would say is wack. It’s just a little stale at points. There’s really nothing creative or out of the ordinary about this project. It’s super straightforward, traditional Hip Hop. I’m glad I gave it a chance because I got a few dope tracks out of it, but I wouldn’t say you’re missing out on much if you decide to skip it. It’s an okay project though.

Favorite Song: Bullpen Therapy
Least Favorite Song: Big Willy

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