Emcees in the current era have a litany of options when it comes to relaxing music. Many start off with features and mixtapes and eventually move onto a short EP. After that, they release a full-fledged album. Bobby Sessions of Dallas, Texas completely bucked the trend. Instead, he released his debut album LOA (Law Of Attraction) first. It’s a bold move for a new jack with only buzz from a couple songs and a video to his name. But it’s a move that paid off tenfold.
Bobby Sessions eschews a simple intro in favor of a full length song, Famous, that still proves effective as an opening presentation for both artist and album. Helicopter has lyrical patterns from Sessions that play like a hip hop version of Come Together by The Beatles. A stripped down beat that gives equal accentuation of bassline, drums, bells, and sample complements the flow used by sessions and guest Slim Gravy. Stylistically similar but tonally different is the title track, where Bobby details the rigors of working a job he hates and eventually liberates himself from in order to follow his dreams. A Dave Chappelle sample on the outro sets up the next track, Black Neighborhood. This is a novel concept; by plainly listing all of the features of a typical inner city dystopia through distorted vocals, Sessions brings the scenery to life as bluntly as possible and it forces the listener to confront reality of a world they may not have known up front.
Grind or Die features the most stripped-down beat possible and lets Bobby Sessions show off a ten-speed flow that is both in style and still brimming with substance. Jarren Benton takes the meatier part of the instrumental as a guest star. Eye to Eye takes instrumental influences from Kanye, Dilla, and The Roots to lace a soulful and sentimental song in which Bobby wants his loved ones “to reap the benefits tomorrow of the seed I plant today.” The next two tracks, Smile Interlude & Piece of Peace, show the ability to talk about love and relationships sincerely without becoming saccharine and unbearable. It’s a refreshing take. After that, he switches the flow of the album with Peyton Manning. I wrote about the Topic-assisted track awhile back and not only does it still hold up, but it fits into the flow of the album perfectly.
Am I Dumb? juxtaposes a relaxing guitar riff and drums with a bouncy flow. Sessions doesn't skimp with the subject matter as he asks “I want freedom, am I dumb?” If it hasn’t become obvious at this point, Bobby Sessions has a serious knack for infusing meaningful themes into enjoyable instrumentals. He ventures into further poetic/spoken word territory in Adult Swim Fiji Water. He tones down the tempo in his flow and still doesn’t miss a beat. The mellowness of this track is in sharp contrast with the next one. Black America is one of the most poignant songs on the album. If you’ve been keeping up with things, the themes of police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement are not new. Yet Bobby Sessions manages to bring the stories of Mike Brown and Eric Garner to life musically and address many of the thoughts and emotions of the times over a modern beat. I want this song to blow up because it can illustrate and educate many on the importance of the issues at hand. Unlimited Unleaded / High Speed Trays closes the album out and is essentially two songs in one. The songs include a cruising and frenetic pace respectively and recap, in a nutshell, what Bobby Sessions is capable of.
Just when I had a decent handle on what my Album of the Year list would look like, Bobby Sessions comes from left field (literally, Texas is left of Jersey) and delivers the sleeper hit of the season. In his debut project, he displays a barrage of flows over a multitude of beats. He refuses to be pigeonholed into any one style. Even better, he uses his art to discuss serious ass current events in the Black community while still holding the attention of his audience; he never loses them by being too preachy. Keep in mind, this is his DEBUT. I seriously hope this kid blows up because his talent and potential is extensive and his message needs to be heard by everyone. Now there are some people out there that may try to compare him to some of his contemporaries in the rap game. While this is a common practice, I urge you to not just write him off as “the Texas version of (insert popular rapper here)” but to instead treat Bobby Sessions and LOA as a separate entity because he’s proved he deserves such.
Rating: 4.9 out of 5
