Written by: Anthony Seaman
“The Price Of Tea In China'' is a phrase that radiates a certain energy. Though the phrase itself is one created to poke fun about things that mean nothing, it relates back to everything Alchemist and Boldy James stand for, which is nothing. Nothing, except making incredible hip-hop that creates a universe of turmoil and deceit. The grimey and haunting sounds across this record are what Alchemist has been building up to the last decade. The former stagehand of Cypress Hill turned underground super-producer has built a biome for Boldy James to be himself in. When being yourself means being an exquisite example of a confident street soldier, a reader of rooms and people, and the Gold Standard of being yourself, only a handful of producers can mashup with that. Though good songs in the Boldy James discography run deep with beats from producers Blended Babies, Brains, and his acclaimed cousin Chuck Inglish, outside of his Alchemist collab projects, Boldy has been an untapped commodity in the underground.
Their journey started together 7 years ago with the full-length collab project My 1st Chemistry Set, with a short list of deep cuts have following in the years since with “WTF” off the Cool Kids and Alchemist collab EP Layups, along with Yacht Rock 2’s track “Sand Castles” being the most potent. After those short runs ins, the duo was reunited fully with the Boldface EP in late 2019. The energy brought in from Al lets James lean all the way into his persona as a street runner turned OG with the kind of flow and cadence that makes it seem like he’s inside every joke that’s flying in the crowded room at once. Which is exactly who Alc is and that environment is something he strives for. His home studio in LA has been the Ground 0 for Al’s friends to come by, rap, and kill time doing whatever any rapper does. Him and his MPC bring out the best of whoever floats into his gravitational pull, mostly because the people in his circle are the best of the best and they are the only ones that can keep him on his toes all these years later. Coming in and out of his studio are spitters like Vince Staples, Benny The Butcher, Freddie Gibbs and childhood friend Evidence, all of which are featured across the project. These new faces give Boldy an opportunity to sharpen his pen versus some of the best in the world. As the 12 song project plays through, the kitchen sink is thrown upon James with beats crafted to the edges with screeching string sections, ear busting 808’s, and vocal samples picked from all parts of American entertainment.
Opening the album with “Carruth”, named after the infamous NFL player turned murderer, Boldy starts in an introspective space, reflecting on the characters that crossed his path along his journey over a piano filled instrumental. The seem-less transition from "Carruth" to "Giant Slide" via sample breaks and engineering tricks are hallmarks of the Alchemist sound and are flexed across the LP. Standouts from the rest of the record include “Slow Roll” and “Scrape The Bowl” which come in at a higher pace than most of Boldy’s past work, breaking himself of his usual habits as a laid back street magician. The latter track is a back-and-forth bruiser with Benny The Butcher, who takes the win against James, but to be fair few rappers have been able to impress more than Benny over the past 2 years. The grit and grime of Al's MPC dance alongside Boldy as he rips through stories old and fresh all relating back to his days as a hustler and smuggler, speaking in code so deep it seems like a foreign language at times. Yet as time ticks by, kicks and hi-hats roll through, one thing remains true. Though the price of tea in China means nothing, to these artists it means another chance to find themselves in one another.
Best Song: Carruth
Best Beat: Slow Roll
Best Feature: Freddie Gibbs on “S.N.O.R.T.”
Best Line: “Grandma cussin' me out / quit runnin' in and out the house / What's all the fuss about / It's either cut me in or cut it out” - Boldy James on “Carruth"
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