Underground Hip-Hop royalty Boldy James comes back swinging with the help of producer Conductor Williams to create “Across the Tracks“. This is the Griselda affiliate’s second album after nearly dying in a car crash last year and might be his best album to date.
“Across the Tracks” Overview
The album is a short 26 minute listen. Conductor’s production and sample choice throughout the album is masterful. Boldy gives another great performance poetically and vividly rapping about his days as a drug dealer. The album only has two features, one on the track “Permission” which features Double Dee, his biological sister. The other on “All Madden” which features Bo Jack, Boldy James’ teenage son. Songs like “Off-White Lumberjack” show why this duo was a match made in heaven. The hard, gritty production done by Conductor on the song layered underneath Boldy’s confident, monotone, and poised delivery are everything fans want out of both artists.
The song “Undisputed” sees Conductor Williams unexpectedly stepping out of his comfort zone to create a trap beat. This is not the sound the producer has made his identity with, but this song shows off how truly talented and versatile the Griselda producer truly is.
Standout Songs on “Across the Tracks” by Boldy James
The album’s 7th track “St. Juliana” Conductor samples a more laid back and beautiful instrumental. The soft snare and punchy drums on the track give it a very soft and tender feel. Boldy raps about his love for the game of selling drugs and looks back at how far he has come in his life. He talks about how he has one foot in the music industry and this new luxurious life he has created for himself, but also still has a foot in the streets and lifestyle he grew up in. The song feels like a love letter to his past, reminiscing on his come up and the hardships he went through to get where he is today.
The last track on the album “Stamps in the Middle” features a sample from the song “You are a Woman” and perfectly ends the album. Conductor’s produced a perfect anthem for Boldy to walk out on. The cinematic horns layered with the walking bass shows the high level ear Conductor has when choosing samples. Boldy truly raps like the rent is due in this song. You can feel the passion and love he has for the music in the album’s conclusion. This matched with his charismatic drug bars is everything a Griselda fan wants in an album.
Underground Legends With More to Come
With the explosive rise of Griselda back in 2020, the group has been making huge waves in the Hip-Hop world ever since. This album is no different. This album like many others from Griselda, proves the group members are truly your “rapper’s favorite rapper”. The mainstream world got a glimpse into the groups talents with Conductor Williams appearing on Drake’s “For all the Dogs” album and Tyler the Creator’s album “Call Me if You Get Lost”. Westside Gunn also appeared on Travis Scott’s album “Utopia”. Nevertheless the group including Boldy James have solidified themselves as underground legends and there is still more to come.
“Across the Tracks” is currently available on all streaming platforms.
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