The music world is full of rubber-stamp rappers. Every day some dude has a “new single dropping” that you’ve never heard of before. With so many carbon copies out there, the hip hop game needs something different. Brandon Flowers is different by choice, that much is certain. Never one to fall in line. Never one to do what he’s told. Never one to bite someone else’s style. Brandon, who goes by the name of B-Eazy, is one of Chicago’s premier underground rappers and he has been one of my favorite rappers for years. Let me tell you why.
B-Eazy – The Underdog
The record is full of haunting soundscapes with bouncy beats. If I had to coin a phrase to describe it, I would call it “Trap Music with Heart.” The music is dark, but not depressing. There is a lot of hope and excitement that comes through and when Brandon starts to unleash his lyrical prowess on top of the beats, you can tell each song is becoming a masterpiece right before your ears.
On the track “Back Up”, B-Eazy is at the top his game with his rhythmic play. Swerving in and out of different styles, B takes you along on a ride. The track sounds like what rolling around the streets of Chicago in a hooptie would feel like. You can picture yourself cruising along Lake Shore Drive while B spits fire from the passenger seat. The song has a strong hook with a mellow beat that still hits hard. This is for sure a stand out track on the record.
“Feeling Myself” features B-Eazy’s long time collaborator Will Diamondz. The production is really great. The bass hits hard, the snares punch through, the hats float around on top. The MCs do not disappoint in their lyrical play and delivery, but this is the one track that feels a little over-compressed in the mix. This is a challenge that many musicians face especially in the rap game. Sometimes in order to get a track to hit hard enough, we can overdo it with the mastering. It’s a little detail, though, and really doesn’t detract from the track much at all.
“Actors” has a beautiful haunting musical back drop that lays the perfect foundation to set up the master of ceremonies to drop his knowledge in the way that only he can do. It also contains my favorite line on the record – “I’m running circles around these Urkels.” Yep rapping about Family Matters is still dope, kids.
B-Eazy is the king of the syllable. He is a rhythmic master up there with some of the greats like Rakim, Eminem and Big Boi from OutKast. These masters all know how to put each syllable of a word to use to create a bigger punch. This is the biggest tool in Eazy’s arsenal and he uses it to perfection. He has also mastered the concept of switching up his flow. Just when you get caught up in one pattern he turns left and goes another direction. This keeps the listener engaged and it makes each track unique and exciting. These are the qualities that make B-Eazy one of the greatest. Now we just need the rest of the world to realize this. If he keeps putting out records like The Underdog, it’s only a matter of time until they will.
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