Buffalo emcee and singer El Camino follows up his Black Soprano Family Records debut album, They Spit on Jesus, with his 15th EP. He rose to fame in 2017 with the release of his self-titled EP with Griselda Records, followed by the release of the Walking on Water mixtape in the summer of 2018, and 2 studio albums and several EPs the following year. Visibility continues to grow. They Spit on Jesus is the first Camino project I’ve covered since “The Third Day,” and like “No Weapons Formed Against Me,” it’s an improvement on some of the material we’ve gotten from him in recent years.Fast forward 5 months later and the Real Bad Guys were drafted into the Army during The Game Is The Game
“Give Them Hope (Curtis)” is a piano-driven opener that says he’s more like Ghost’s understudy, constantly taking notes, while the quasi-jazz “Chest Wrestlers” talks about coke smokers who don’t have time to pretend to be aggressive. . “Champagne Pee” featuring B$F General himself, Benny the Butcher plays on these strings, kicks and snares, asking if anyone is worried about not making it to the finish line before Fashion Week, while King Ralph discovers Two brothers are showing off their big mafia status.
Meanwhile, “New Levels” tells the story of his move away from the con man and all the sacrifices he made on some vibraphones, leading “C’mon Nephew” to go into soulful territory and write an open letter to his nephew, forgiving him Some of his behavior was nonsense that he talked about some time ago. Boldy James’ “No Fighting” is an organ-meets-boom bap cross that likens himself to a disruptor, but the follow-up “Expensive Fabric” brings a funkier flare to those who want him to be a target Shocked.
Rick Hyde, who joined Elcamino on the penultimate track “Melrose,” discussed their rise to piano, kick and snare during the encore of “The Game is the Game,” leading up to Player K’s “Sllick Talk “Skip the self-proclaimed synth and complete the EP. The shooters try to score points while also telling everyone that we should look at their current lifestyle.
If you enjoyed They Spit on Jesus as much as I did 6 months ago, then you’ll probably enjoy The Game is the Game almost as much as the LP that officially introduced Elcamino to the B$F roster. Real Bad Guys continue to further cement themselves as one of the underground’s most popular producers, and the guest list is just as tight, with Camino just breaking things down here.
Score: 8/10
