By Fola Esho
It is not uncommon for rap nerds to worry about how their favourite underground rapper would make the jump to the mainstream stage without losing his/her authenticity (i.e. without “selling out”). While there have been some successes (Kendrick Lamar’s 2013 Good Kid M.A.A.D City quickly comes to mind), a lot of artists struggle to make this transition. This is what makes Action Bronson’s debut album, Mr. Wonderful even the more impressive.
I have the utmost respect for all the Kendrick Lamars, the Kanyes, J. Coles and the Drakes and they are all incredible artists. However, not every music lover needs their rap music to be controversial or angry to enjoy it. There is that percentage of listeners that want their rap music to be just that, rap music. Action Bronson has mastered this art and he has some of the best rap verses about nothing you will ever hear. Although there is growth when you compare the album to his earlier mixtapes, it is still everything you would expect from a Bronson project. He didn’t panic and fill it up with guest spots from big names (“Oh I need to get the 2 Chainz feature and the MikeWillMadeIt beat, and the Drake verse” for example) but kept the features to a minimum altogether. Majority of the production of the album was by The Alchemist and Party Supplies, both of whom have production credits on dozens of songs off his previous mixtapes. He had longtime collaborators (and childhood friends) Big Body Bes & Meyhem Lauren together with Chance the Rapper on the standout track of the album “Baby Blue” as the only rap guest features on the album. Special mention for Big Body Bes on his verse on “The Rising” which I would argue is better than your favourite rapper’s best verse, no names (*cough* Big Sean *cough*). Bronson’s second verse on Only in America (the greatest song since Bon Jovi’s 1986 hit, Livin on a Prayer) is a tongue-in-cheek response to Kendrick Lamar’s Control verse addressing the state of New York in the modern rap era.
Mr. Wonderful is a fun, unique & undoubtedly solid body of work that doesn’t take itself too seriously. You don’t have to feel like we are still in the cotton fields, or go through a bad break up to enjoy it. Just fire raps on some of the most creative production you would hear in the game today. When the beat switches up at the end of Actin Crazy and you realize that he just rode a 40 (Noah Shebib) beat in a way no one had ever done before, you get the feeling that Action Bronson is no longer an underground rapper.