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Blaqbonez's creative direction takes progressive steps on 'Bad Boy Blaq Re-Up' EP

Following the success of his debut album, ‘’Bad Boy Blaq’’, Blaqbonez continues his steady march to the top with the Re-up version.

Blaqbonez Re-Up [Twitter/Blaqbonez]

Following a stretch of years been on the scene without any form of real recognition, Blaqbonez’s ‘’Bad Boy Blaq’’ released as the final installment of the LAMB August offerings gave the rapper his first taste of mainstream attention in the industry.

Championed by his teeming young fans and vibrant sound, the album become a feature on the charts and in prolonging this newly found fame, Blaqbonez is aiming to lay a stranglehold on the scene with the new project coming barely five months after the original.

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When the re-up was initially announced, I had some reservations, ‘’Why release a re-up barely six months to the original tape? Why cut short the life span of your debut album when you were yet to even fully push the singles on it not to talk about shooting a single video for any of the songs’’, but he addressed this in an interview I had with him.

''For the big guys if you have a project that really blows up, like singles, the shelf life is extremely long but if you are upcoming artists and you don't have hits, no matter how hard you try, the shelf life is like five months.''

The tape boasts remixes to three songs from the original project with the introduction of four new singles featuring quite a number of star casts which is a sign to the progress that Blaq has made in the past year and the table where he now seats.

Solely produced by the immensely talented rapper/producer, Alpha, Bad Boy Blaq Re-up features guest collaborations with the likes of Ycee, Dremo, Boogey, Psycho YP, Ckay and Moelogo.

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Lead single, 'Play Remix' is one that immediately catches the ears. One of the standout tracks from the original tape now features rapper Ycee and there is no better fit for the record as he is sounding close to his best since he released ‘Juice’. 

Ycee’s playful and laid-back flow fit the song suitably doing justice to the airy beat.

While the old songs were brilliantly re-done, with Psycho and Dremo elevating the already brilliant, 'Denied', it is the new ones that however pack a punch and highlight the new found confidence in him.

The opening track, ‘No Longer Stupid’ is more like a celebratory anthem, providing one of the tape’s intriguing moment and kicking things off on a blistering tone.

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Blaqbonez looks back at his mistakes, affirms that he now views things differently and appreciates the progress he has made.

''Earlier I was stupid, I couldn't take a different route/bridges that I burn, I'm hoping I can rebuild it''

There is 'Good Boy' with Boj and CKay with the trio delivering some pretty humorous lines that dovetail beautifully with the concept while Prettyboy DO brings his infectious energy to 'Nikes.'

Despite the playful nature of the tape, Blaqbonez reminds his listeners of his ability to engage in a lyrical war on the closing track, 'Bxtch,' where he takes off the safety from the Glock as he engages a number of unnamed foes.

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From those who said he will never make it to OGs sabotaging his efforts, he pelts them relentlessly with his bars while taking shot at a target believed to be rapper Yung6ix on the second verse.

‘'No one remembers you rap, you been forgotten and you stuck in the past.. I see you been tweeting that trash, you got too much time on your hand, so you talk isht/Like somebody stole your lines.’’

Conclusion: On my initial review, I expressed some personal misgivings about Blaqbonez’s artistic evolution when the original tape dropped. While he scored a number of hits, some songs sounded like an experiment not executed to perfection but the 'Re-up' puts things in a different light. 

Inspired by the success of a song like 'Play', he finally seems to have unlocked the key to his sound going forward. There is a more cohesive and imaginative flair to this. 

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The guest features also help with their diverse styles that embellished most of the songs.

'Bad Boy Blaq Re-Up' is an EP of solid bangers, one that bears the creative fruit of his maturity and how creating from a place where you are assured of being heard can help shape your sound. At this point, Blaqbonez is simply trying to entertain us and he is doing it just fine.

LISTEN TO THE EP HERE

Rating: 3.5/5

Ratings

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1-Dull

2- Boring

2.5 - Average

3 - Worth Checking Out

3.5 - Hot

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4 - Smoking Hot

4.5 - Amazing

5 - Perfection

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