From performing at the Amazing Grace Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles to signing with Pharrell’s I Am Other music group at the age of 15, Buddy spent a long decade. Any long career will have nuances, but also the need to pause and reflect. For the young Compton rapper, that hiatus came while on vacation in Portugal, where a five-gram mushroom trip and sound bath encounter helped him reach the peak of his latest studio album, Don’t Forget To Breathe contour.
“I’m not going to jump off the porch like I’m enlightened, you know. It’s a journey,” Buddy explained in a recent interview. “Free My Mind,” the first single from his new album, introduces themes of mindfulness, grounding, and release. “As long as I free my mind, I’ll be fine,” he laments, his slow vocals and synths swirling around stacked snare drums.
“Moving On” encourages listeners to move away from on-and-off relationships. Here, Buddy delivers a verse on deep bass and a one-two kick drum. He then dives deeper into “Shouldve Known,” where he admits his need to stay out of the mix while praying over the funky lounge tune that Smino effortlessly delivers; his sharp delivery acts as a counterweight.
Buddy is Compton from top to bottom. Despite his versatility, there’s no doubt that Los Angeles G-funk beats are the hallmark of each of his projects. Even within the East Coast rhythms of his last album, Superghetto, there was Blxst singing “Wait Too Long.” And Janktape Vol. 1 is a high-energy tape made in collaboration with Overdoz member Kent Jamz, who also appeared on Don’t Forget To Breathe and appeared on the sexy live jazz show “Talk About It.”
“Got Me Started” further pays homage to ’90s West Coast rap rhythms, as does “Get It All,” a futuristic take on G-funk filled with pop hi-hats and rippling vocals; “Do Thangs” is the producer Hollywood Cole’s own take on the sound, which might just become a picnic favorite.
Buddy wallows in a bar in “Buddy A Fool,” an exchange between him and his third-person self that parodies rumors and accusations. “Hi that n-gga friend/I texted him but he didn’t reply/I heard he was driving drunk,” he raps in the song’s chorus. He writes loosely but intelligently, using only unthinking vocal fillers and inflections to add interest.
In addition to the host’s relaxed and playful off-camera demeanor in “Buddy A Fool,” there is also a hazy confession of smoke dreams outside the studio in “Like This”: “Every time I smoke, I Think of all kinds of smoke smells.” Shit. “
Buddy presents an eclectic mix of cruise ship music in “Don’t Forget to Breathe.” As he puts it: “I’m just good at rapping beats.”
Release date: March 29, 2024
Record label: Empire
Listen to “Don’t Forget to Breathe” below:
