Boldy James x Jay Versace - The Versace Tapes (8/14)

[TheDarceKnight]

Okay I feel you. Yeah, Boldy been dope to me before he linked with Alchemist. Its crazy what affiliations can do for a rapper. I don't know how you can hear KY Jellybeans or Bold or 400 Thousand and not recognize he's a technician.

M1CS wasn't long at all to me. Isn't it only like 14 songs? If anything I wasn't a big fan of having so many random features. I liked the one with Bronson cause the back and forth was dope and seemed organic.

Yeah the Bronson joint was fire.

I also liked Boldy a little before the first Alchemist collab, but obviously I liked him a little bit more after.

I just checked the album lengths. Chemistry Set is 50 minutes. Tea in China is 39 minutes.

So I guess 11 minutes isn’t a huge difference, but the pacing just seems quicker to me on Tea in China. There’s more interludes between songs, and I like the concept/experimental joints like Run-Ins, Mustard, and Grey October.

I feel you on the random features on Chemistry Set. I like Earl on there too because I think he and Boldy are friends. And Vince Staples was dope on both.

 

[Piff Perkins]

Not a bad project but not what I would have done for the first Griselda project. Wish we had gotten something more traditional with Alch and Daringer beats, plus a couple Jay joints.

It's cool.

 

[H.S.]

Yeah the Bronson joint was fire.

I also liked Boldy a little before the first Alchemist collab, but obviously I liked him a little bit more after.

I just checked the album lengths. Chemistry Set is 50 minutes. Tea in China is 39 minutes.

So I guess 11 minutes isn’t a huge difference, but the pacing just seems quicker to me on Tea in China. There’s more interludes between songs, and I like the concept/experimental joints like Run-Ins, Mustard, and Grey October.

I feel you on the random features on Chemistry Set. I like Earl on there too because I think he and Boldy are friends. And Vince Staples was dope on both.

Yeah fair enough. I look at it like Boldy was stepping into Alc's world with M1CS, and vice versa with Tea In China. Tea In China is a lot darker and I'd argue more street than M1CS but I fukk with both.

 

[Surreal]

Monte Cristo with that Stevie sample slowed down

 

[TheDarceKnight]

Not a bad project but not what I would have done for the first Griselda project. Wish we had gotten something more traditional with Alch and Daringer beats, plus a couple Jay joints.

It's cool.

Agreed. Hopefully the Harry Fraud project sounds doper

 

[Surreal]

Man this album was fiyaaaah!!!! Y'all trippin

Standouts:

Nu-Wave
Brick Van Exel
Long Live Julio
Monte Cristo
Bentayga
Roxycontin

 

[AMcV'88]

this is good money.
the first actual song and the last song with Gunn are the only ones I don't really care for.

Boldy getting the Freddie Gibbs treatment were all the work he's done before basically doesn't exist because he's now in a certain bubble.
(Gibbs went through it twice actually now I think about it)

 

[Ethnic Vagina Finder]

Dope


Should only be played at night though to get the full effect

 

[areohbee824]

It’s a bit better after some listens

Don’t sleep on that “Manger On McNichols” album with Sterling Toles. That’s a slow burn and I think might be older material that they finally released

 

[TheDarceKnight]

this is good money.
the first actual song and the last song with Gunn are the only ones I don't really care for.

Boldy getting the Freddie Gibbs treatment were all the work he's done before basically doesn't exist because he's now in a certain bubble.
(Gibbs went through it twice actually now I think about it)

I definitely think all the work pre 2013 and from 2013-2020 is kind of overlooked. Yeah.

Art of Rock climbing. Trappers alley 1 and 2. Latr. House of blues. Etc.

 

[TheDarceKnight]

It’s a bit better after some listens

Don’t sleep on that “Manger On McNichols” album with Sterling Toles. That’s a slow burn and I think might be older material that they finally released

Yeah that’s a dope project. Lots of cool live instrumentation

 

[Pazzy]

listening to the second track, smooth shyt. smokers music.

 

[THE 101]

The clip at the end of Maria is hard to listen to

That shyt makes me angry.

 

[THE 101]

You understand exactly what the fukk I mean. I thought Tea in China had it perfect. The only drumless loops were all really dope. And they were placed well in the sequencing. One opened the album (Carruth, which is one of the coldest intros in a long time) and one closed the album (Phone Bill.) Then the most introspective and mellow one (Great October) was in the middle to vibe out to. Everything else was hard hitting.

Drumless loops are supposed to add variety and make an album more dynamic. RZA was an absolute master at this in Wu-Tang's prime. And I've always hated the idea of making an entire project out of them, because it kills the entire premise of what makes the style dope.

Alchemist was on too heavy on it for a minute in the 2010's but thankfully he got back to basics. Madlib can be a little heavy on them too, but his shyt is so groovy that I don't care. Roc Marci and Ka are the only ones that can get away with doing entire drumless loop projects IMO.

Dawg, you have to get over this drumless beat shyt. You been on this crusade for damn near a decade

It's an aesthetic choice. "Drumless loops are supposed to add variety"....who says? It can be used to create a coherent mood for an album. It happens in other genres. We've moved past the point where drums are a prerequisite for a hip hop beat. You don't have to like it bu it is what it id. A lot of producers now prefer to not use drums a much. And it's not just a case of adding drums to any sample and it automatically makes the beat better. Some of these samples would sound weird with hard hitting drums. I don't wanna hear Brick Van Excel with drums high up in the mix. It's a spacey, airy beat. Drums aren't neccessary.

 

[TheDarceKnight]

Dawg, you have to get over this drumless beat shyt. You been on this crusade for damn near a decade

It's an aesthetic choice. "Drumless loops are supposed to add variety"....who says? It can be used to create a coherent mood for an album. It happens in other genres. We've moved past the point where drums are a prerequisite for a hip hop beat. You don't have to like it bu it is what it id. A lot of producers now prefer to not use drums a much. And it's not just a case of adding drums to any sample and it automatically makes the beat better. Some of these samples would sound weird with hard hitting drums. I don't wanna hear Brick Van Excel with drums high up in the mix. It's a spacey, airy beat. Drums aren't neccessary.

Lotta fair points. I guess I’m just taking my personal preference and running it into the ground. My bad G.

I like a whole lot more drumless beats than you’d probably imagine based on how I post about them. And Brick Van Exel is my favorite beat on here and I agree drums would ruin it.

At this point you’re right, I guess. They aren’t there to add variety. They used to be the exception to the rule and were unique.

I think I’m just salty over 2 things.

1. A kid with a ton of social media clout seems to be riding a wave and just doing mad lazy ass loops. It seems like he’s just trying to be trendy, but whatever. The final product ain’t bad once I stop comparing it to Boldy’s previous 3 projects this year.

2. To a lesser extent, I’ve been salty that a style I liked has on some level been run into the ground from overuse (much like my crusade lol).

So I’ll chill and fall back. Daps and rep for the quality discussion. I appreciate the debate.

EDIT: And for certain emcees that paint really vivid pictures and tell good stories (Boldy on Carruth for example) I think no drums really accentuate the lyrics.