Any Press is Good Press: Van Buren Bad for Press Review/ Black Wall Street review
Van Buren is the best Hip-Hop collective in New England! Bad for Press certified that the most consistent and talented artists in Massachusetts belongs to Van Buren Records. I had high exceptions for this album because the Van Buren crew hasn’t released a weak project individually.
Leading up to Bad For Press, you had many projects from all of Van Burren Records artists. Jile’s dropped It’s Not Much, but it’s Mine, LORD FELIX’s had In Bloom, Forever, Meech released Barriers to Knowing, Luke Bar$ dropped GoodEvil, Saint Lyor released If My Sins Could Talk, Ricky Felix dropped High End Theory, Andrew Regis released Staying Out of Trouble and RLouie dropped Louie Black.
All well-received tapes that built up the anticipation for this album. As I expected, the chemistry they all showed on those projects before Bad For Press was only elevated to a higher level for this collective album.
Whoever was the mastermind of the rollout for this album deserves the highest praise because it created a buzz before the album dropped and provided a fun way to get a peek at their personalities.
What stood out to me was the press conference videos the group posted on Instagram that fit perfectly with their “Bad For Press” theme for the album.
Then a month after, you still see music videos being dropped to continue to support the project. Having Great music means nothing without being master promoters of that said music, and these guys play that role just as well as they create their music.
The song “Nevermind” is a slept-on track that I feel doesn’t get the amount of love I think it deserves. The song has a slower tone than most of the other songs on the album.
“Nevermind” soulful instrumental combined with the laid-back vibes that each artist rhymes on the song fits into any listening session playlist. It was a pleasant surprise at the end of the album where we start it on this up-tempo vibe, but once you get to the end of the album, you get mellow down energy.
If I had to choose one song to put people on to this album and the whole Van Buren Records, it would undoubtedly be “Braindead.” This song is VB at their best! The uptempo vibe, along with bars that stick in your head, and every artist on this track leaving their own original mark on this track, makes it great!
It also has my favorite bars on the album by Jiles “Knee deep in some bullshit, n***** posted at the function, E flashed the .40, now these n***** wanna talk about it Chop it up, I’m giving game like Dicky V, Had the Dickies with the crease, brother’s pistol matched his sneaks.”
Shoutout to their producers: Kiron 4, Mike Hector 2, Ricky Felix 4, Roho 1, Rlouie, Mihji Grey, Ties Wav, Oje, Hush Forte! Piecing an album that keeps the listeners’ attention from track to track and provides some bangers on the instrumental side!
The album is a gem to me because it displays how Van Buren’s ability to touch different vibes sonically. A trait I believe separates them from the rest of their competition. In my eyes, what drives that ability is the genuine chemistry they have as a collective that creates their incredible sound that no one in NewEngland can compete against.
(Explainer: This goal left in my drafts and became such old news that I never dropped BUT praises to the higher power VB & AzizTheShake dropped some new heat.)
Black Wall Street with just five tracks on it, the EP is the consistent vibes we are used to when getting a Van Buren. The first song, “JumpStreet,” and the last song, “Fingerprints,” on the EP showcases my favorite ability that VB has to fit their unique style into any instrumental and stamp the group’s original style on it.
The highlight for me on the EP is undoubtedly “Cash Rules.” It’s the hook “I could son your dad n****, I could son your ass too, Hunnid on the dash too, cash rules, cash rules” that’s literary the heart of the song proving a dope leaping spot for each member on the track.
AzizTheShake completely produced each song on the EP along with co-production from Jon Glass, Eddie Random, and Don Mills.
Van Buren is going on their “Bad For Tour” tour in Los Angeles (Sept 10), Brooklyn (14th), and Boston Sept (24th). I will be there in the front row collecting the vibes at the Boston show, and I highly suggest you do the same!
