Boomz (a/k/a Boomba) is a Hip-hop artist from Paterson, New Jersey. A veteran of both the recording studio and the street he is a rapper who has walked the walk. Known as one of the top rappers in his North Jersey city, in his music he does it all; artist, producer and engineer. Soon to be incarcerated for 3 1/2 years, his new record is a document of a life in transition.
I’m one of the few artist in today’s rap game dat really been through what I speak. I’m also getting too old to be in the streets. It’s time for a change and dats what the album is… basically the old me changing into the new me .
Boomz
“B4 This There Was Boombap” is the brand new 13-song album from Boomz, released worldwide to all major streaming services on March 5, 2021. As the title suggests, the record is a shoutout stylistically to the golden age of Hip-hop. In both his beats and his technique, Boomz represents the best of the old-school.
The record opens on the smooth funk guitar and bass of “FOH” as Boomz rhymes about both gangsters on the street and in the music business. As the record progresses we move through cinematic Chill-hop grooves (“Club Le Gore,” “Game 5 Jimmy”) and deep analog synth bass buzz (“Gang Ties”). Tracks like “Be Malo” and “Mixed Feelings” bring in a classic R&B/Soul vibe. All the while, the instrumentals are paired with old school breakbeat and Boom-bap rhythms.
Lyrically Boomba is exorcising his demons. With one foot in the past, the other in the future and lock-up ahead of him, the rapper is taking stock. Throughout the album he continues to declare his dominance in the hood but also signals an evolution. For instance, as he recounts what he’s been through on the melancholy “Song Cry” he raps, “Live by the gun you die by it, that was the lesson.” Similarly on “Wen Gods Polly” he rhymes, “I will collect, but I don’t need the reparation. Just give it to the youth, the right ones for elevation.”
In many ways the record is a lesson in how rap once once. Boomz relies on the strength of his rhymes and he pairs them with beats that took time. He and his crew put real work into making these songs. Old-school is a refreshing sound in an era in which so many rappers are simply buying Trap beats and laying down repetitive, gimmicky rhymes on SoundCloud. “B4 This There Was Boombap” is an excellent Hip-hop record that harkens back to a time that Boomz hopes to bring back.
Check out the video “Wen Gods Polly,” below. You can also hear the track on the Deep Indie Beat playlist. Follow the links below to connect with Boomz. Get on his socials and get in the loop on all of his current and future projects. And listen to the new album “B4 This There Was Boombap.”