It's always a great thing to see rappers come into the game and straight up kill the stereotype of which ever city or region they are from. In this case, Atlanta. You normally expect typical southern trap rap and crunk music from there. But when B.o.B debuted in 2010, he showed that Atlanta rappers can be more than just that. He came into the game with a style and presence that was far left from his southern counter parts. That year, 2010, he dropped his debut album The Adventures Of Bobby Ray which featured his biggest single to date, "Nothin' On You". A collaboration with Bruno Mars, a new artist at the time as well. That was followed with "Airplanes" which featured pop singer Hayley Williams. This was essentially B.o.B's thing. Collaborating with many R&B/Pop names and making a lot of cross over tunes. This was strongly the case on his 2012 sophomore effort Strange Clouds. An album that didn't sit well with many (including me) due to the abundance of R&B/Pop sounds and features. Now I don't have a problem with artists experimenting with sounds and blending genres but it seemed to me at the time that B.o.B just didn't know what type of artist he was gonna be. Which just frustrates listeners like myself. But now, it seems like B.oB has finally found his sound on this, his third album Underground Luxury. I could tell immediately by looking at the title, artwork and track list that this was gonna be a different listening experience for a B.o.B project and that's exactly what it was. It's not a great album but I do like it. In fact, this may arguably be his best album. On this album, he did a lot more of what he didn't do on the last album and not that much on the first, and that's straight up spittin'. He was aggressive, he was lyrical, the production was stepped up big time as well as the features. Also, unlike the previous releases, it sounded like a real southern hip hop album. It's quite clear he listened to his critics and heard them say how he's too "soft" or too "pop" to be a southern rapper. Well now let me begin with songs that stood out. The album started off with such high energy. The second track "One Day" was the first stand out. Throughout this album he speaks heavily on himself overcoming past struggle and making it to where he is now. Just over being blessed and thankful to have what he has now. This song is done from his point of view back then we he and his family was living in poverty and how he has faith that it will all change for him one day. It really sets up the album perfectly. I loved the loud, clap-happy production of "Paper Route". His lyrics were strong on here as well as he touched on a lot of political related topics and other corrupt things going on in the world. "John Doe" was a cool song where he finds himself fighting against infidelity and addiction. Priscilla Renae sings the hook beautifully and she says on it "I just want the John I know/once you put the drinks on hold/maybe you can come back home". Basically saying how the addiction will change you into someone your not and if you fight not to do it then you can come back home to family in one piece. Nice song. I can't even lie, "Ready" is my guilty pleasure. Again I normally hate these kind of songs but this is a cool and catchy club/party track well produced by Detail. As much as I loathe Future, he was actually tolerable on the hook this time around. On "Nobody Told Me", he speaks on the misconception of having money and being famous. A lot of people think life is all good when you're living like that but that's always not the case. Problems and drama comes with it and it sometimes will make you miss how things used to be. That's what he explains here. Now the songs I had some issues with. There wasn't a clear cut "worst song on the album" but there were a few that I didn't agree with. "Cranberry Moonwalk" with a better beat could be a better song. But this production was so erratic and all over the place and just made it an uncomfortable listen for me. The second single "Headband" with 2 Chainz is a favorite for some. It's the perfect strip club/twerk song but eh...it's not my cup of tea. It becomes a headache after a while. "FlyMuthaFucka" I thought was a major contradiction to every thing he talked about on this album. The hook was too cocky and braggadocios for his own good. If he was gonna address the haters he should have went about it another way. "Throwback" had good production but the lyrics were some of the worst on the album ("this dick right here is cleaner than a hypochondriac"). Then Chris Brown drops a rap verse that's even worse ("I bet your girl know me/a young nigga but I feel like a O.G./add a R and a Y that's an orgy"). A good beat wasted. Two songs that have the potential to grow on me: "Wide Open" and "Back Me Up". "Wide Open" is a high erotic sex track that I honestly think didn't meet it's potential. It's evident that these type of songs isn't B.o.B's forte. It was surprising that he got Ester Dean for the hook because this sounds like something right up Nicki Minaj's alley. Then there's "Back Me Up" where he shows some coast to coast love. But I wasn't really feeling the lifeless beat and hook. Well to close, this album at first listen seems average, but is still a major improvement from his previous releases. B.o.B silenced his critics by showing that he is pure hip hop and is not "soft" or "pop" in any way. I give this a final grade of a B-. On this album there were a few hidden interludes where B.o.B was being interviewed by Bun B. He broke down the meaning of underground luxury and he described it as something that is deemed as a miserable situation or something that somebody wouldn't want and making it into something luxurious. Taking something negative and turning it into something positive (or turning it into art as he says). What I personally get from that is that people should appreciate what they have or what's around them because you'll never know, one day that surrounding of negativity (underground) could, by your will, become something positive (luxury). A lesson we must all learn. Props to B.o.B for that one. End.
Final Grade: B-
CREDITS
Executive Producer
Bobby Ray Simmons
Associate Producers
Doug Peterson
Brian Richardson (A&R)
Lead Artist
Bobby Ray Simmons
Lead Artist
Bobby Ray Simmons
Production
Bobby Ray Simmons
Timothy Thomas
Theron Thomas
Aldrin Davis
Geoffrey Earley
Noel Fischer
Raphael Judrin
Pierre Antoine-Melki
Arthur McArthur
Dijon McFarlane
James Scheffer
Isaac de Boni
Michael Mule
Michael Williams
Collaboration
Nayvadius Wilburn
Christopher Brown
Ester Dean
Tauheed Epps
Priscilla Hamilton
Michael Davidson
Jameison Jones
Clifford Harris, Jr.
Jordan Houston
Label
Rebel Rock/Grand Hustle/Atlantic Records
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